Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-02-17
TWo-SCoRE YEARS AGO.
some Things People Did Then aha'
They Do Not DO Now.

Iney 10 NOt bo WV.
Family cooking was better than 81
present. Our mothers and grand
mothers "touk hand" in 1t. Bread
Was made at home. Coffee was freshly
uIould every morning for breakfast.
The grinding of the family coff-e-milf
vas familiar sound Of the early morn
ug, long ere the children were up.
Foreign help had less sway In the
Kitchen than now, and European hands
did not make d butch Of such purely
American dishes as pumpkin pie, cod
fish cakes, corn and beans, corn bread,
buckwheat cakes and succotash.
People then did not live as long, nor
WAS the average health rs good as it IL
to-day; they ate more meet, more
grease, more hot bread, more heavy
dishes, drank more at meals and alter
ward chewed more tobacco.
Dyspepties and consumptives were
more common; disease and premature
Il. ath were devoutly.lsid at the Deity's
door ard alluded to rs Interpretations
Of Providence"
Tombstones had larger ep'taphs and
more verbCslty engraved upon them.
At funerals the Undertaken cried with
the mourners, the flow of tears being
pIoportionate to the expense OF the
funeral.
Collins were very plain, and buria:
csskets unknown.
Young folks in couples counted 1t a
privilege to sit up nights with the corpse
b, fore burial, and in many cases 1t WAS
Welcome recreation.
New Orleans molasses, very black
and thin, was the common ''sweet"n,
ing for buckwheat cakes. Refined
molasses was comparatively scarce.
The bank bills were of State banks,
and the farther West their locality the
shaker were they. Illinois and H.
diana bills Would barely pass in New
York city.
Much OF the silver currency-six.
pepce, shillngs and dollars-was OF
Mexican coinage, brought to this coun.
try by the Santa Fe tradars.
The country retail trade was better
Il an now. People then could not SO
easily by rail run up TO the city and
spend their largest cash accumulations
for the more expensive stuf1s. .,
Country dry goods stores renewed
their stock from the twice year. The
arrival of "new goods" created quite
n Autter. 1t filled the store for two or
three days until all the women in the
village bad seen the new styles.
Eggs we're shilling a dozen, and
tutter was considered high at Is pence
per pound.
There was York currency" being
eight shillings TO the dollar, and New
England currency, six shillings to the
dollar.
Business letters were more volumin-
Gus and formal than now, and written
in a pr. else, round handed.
Isolated rural settlements contained o
greater proportion oflunatics, paralytics
and victims Of st. Nitus dance than
they do to day.
The railraad had not strung places
together and there were fewer hospitals
for special diseases, hence most Of these
cases were kept at home.
The diet was more surcharged with
grease The winter breakfast 1T thou
sands of tables consisted of salted ham
and hot cakes.
Dinner was simply hasty lunch at
20 the necessity for good digestion or u
period ofrest after eating,
The came heavy diet prevailed In
many families, without change, winter
ard summer. Hence on the first ap-
proach of the warmth Of spring came
"spring fever" aud biliousness. For
this the doctors Of the period gave
strong catharti"s, possibly "blue.mass
pill" or dose of "calOmel."
The reg ular profession then used mer-
curry in n manner which would now be
deemed r, ckless. The patient was given
a regular purgatiOn and directed to
diet" for u few days. Children were
strongly dosed with castor oil and rhu-
barb and salts and SIENNA on the least
provOcatiOn.
1t was strong age for medicine, and
al age of strong medicine. Under
-uch treat ment the strong managed to
recover, the weak died and the medium
class physically fingered on and SUI.
fered.
Lightning rods made their way into
use with difficulty. The ultra devout
actually opposed them on the ground
that they were an insult to Diety, aud
that 1t was an interference with the
works and will OF Providence.
Negro ministrelsy was just cropping
out in the travelling circus. There were
generally but two performers, who
assumed male aud female characters.
The popular melody was Jump, Jim
Crow. San Francisco Chronicle.