The Delaware farmer., 1883-09-21
A LESSON IN LIVING.
How We Lived Forty Years Ago. With
slight Reference TO How We Live Now.

4, A7AAe3AAt AAcAGAGACe TO HOW w Live MOyV.
To go back forty years, fully as useful
a contrast and as instructive a compari-
son may be made as to bring the early
settler from England, Holland. and
France IN opposition to their descend
ants OF two hundred years later. In
1913 and for some period thence onward.
money, as currency, was scarce. Pos
slbly general business suffered for want
OF the medium Of exchange. Money, in
bills or coin, had value that would be
looked upon now as almost worshipino
OF fetch. zone dollar a dav" was q
good day pay, " and so it was considered
even for fairly skillful labor. Several
men, for instance, were employed in
squaring, by chalk line and broad AK.
the round timbers to form the framing
OF dam. Others bored the holes for
mortlses and chiseled them out. Others
did the ''scribing," the saving. and
dressing of the lemons. Few of them
got over one and a quarter dollars per
day ''frOm sunup to sundown." The
man who could ''scribe, " and who laid
out the job, got perhaps one dollar and
fifty cents. The machinist got from one
dollar and fifty to two dollars per day:
and he who got the two dollars was a
fortunate man; and for that time he was
a competent man. Laborers had fifty
cents per day, and in haying time. when
several days ordinary work must be
crowded into twelve, fourteen. OF possibly
sixteen hours, they got seventy-fiye
cents. Special workmen, apt at any
jobs, one dollar.
Now this is fair showing of the value
OF the labor forty years ago. What was
the relative value of housing. fuel. food.
and clothing? Rents veryIow. A good
house for the times costs from S25 to
$40 per year. Fuel-wood-was some
what less than it can be furnished. as
coal now, at any place remote from the
mines; say for an ordinary family six
cords OF hickory, $24; now four tons of
'oal (two tires), about equal. Food cost
est forty years ago than now: but if was
lot the same food. Fresh meat once.
II at most twice, a week, and rarely that
Except In 'the killing season." fish
aught at the stream or pond. OF hawked
bout at four cents pound dressed
Vegetables from the garden, OF from the
market at twenty-five cents bushel for
'otatoes and less prices for turnips.
)nions almost as dear as now. and cab
ages no cheaper. Clothing can be
ought cheaper now than it could be
orty years ago, and it is cheaper in
lore than one sense. Perhaps it would
better for the country at large if
etter clothing at higher prices should
e the rule.
1t IS scarcely necessary, saws the
eaent!fc american, to add to chow we
7ed forty years ago" any statement of 4.
ow we live or how we might live now
is enough to the present Garner of his
ead by labor to know of the ANNOYANCE
I'd lack OF opportunities to his prede-
ssor. A glance over the condition of
rty years ago and the present condition
Il convince any unpreiudiced mind
at an improvement has been made in
condition of our workers. and that
worker of to-day gets a better re-
m for his labor than he did forty years
o. And this statement applies as
arly to the unskilled worker as to the
ept mechanic. Only that the advan-
e now, as ever before, holds with the
elhgent, skilled, experienced me-
lnic.