The morning news., 1892-03-27
KNOX ON TaEPIEAsUREs OF LIFE.
Some of the Things That Made Up
Life a Century Ago.
'pyrf1hf, 1892, 6v The United Press.

Life Century Ago.
Copyright, 1892, by the United PressJ
NEW YORK, March 26.-My friend Bro
mide asserts that man was as happy, and en-
joyed as many pleasures 100 years ago as
be does to-day, and Bromide proves his
assertion to his own satisfaction.
AS to the matter of happiness, / would
not argue with my friend Bromide, for
have known men to be very, very happy
when they had but little cloth on their
backs; were surrounded by few of the COM
forts, or which we consider the necessities
or life, and didn't know or care whether the
earth was round or square, or whether
steady appetite for whisky was disease or
a natural desire that should be gratified.
have known men who were very un~
happy, although all the luxuries that money
could buy, or modern science and invention
supply, were at their command.
Pleasure and happiness are far from be-
ing synonymous terms
shall not discuss what measure of happi-
ness may have entered into the lives of our
great~grand- fathers, as compared with
what we enjoy to-day, but as to the pleas
ures OF life IN the past, as contrasted with
the pleasures that are ours to-day, that is a
different matter.
Let us see how the thing stands, and what
are some of the credits and debts on both
sides. Our ancestors, 100 years ago had. |
ACKNOWLEDGE. some few advantages over us.
When he smacked his lips after drinking
some cool city water, he was not worried by
the knowledge that he had poured seven
kinds of sewer poison and eleven varieties of
diseased germs into his vitals. IL did not
make him nervous to chew a few million
bacteria every twenty-four hours, because
he was blissfully Ignorant of their null
ttudinous existence, and he couldn't have
told you the difference between a microbe
and a mongoose. Both existed then, but he
didn't know it. Ignorance of such things
was one of the great pleasures of his
eighteenth century existence. He could eat
all sorts OF unwholesome things, drink un-
known poisons, live in a most unsanitary
way, and monkey with his health generally,
and then 90 down to his grave full of years
and never know the name of the dead
languaged disease that killed him.
He believed, In a general way. in the
natural depravity Of mankind, aud mayhap
mourn over it, but when he read his news
papers he didn't have horrible examples of
the depth of this depravity stare him in the
face in every ~oolumn. Hes belle ved, did
this good old ancestor of ours, that IL he
went to church three times on Sunday, re-
Trained from kissing his wife on that
sacred day, aud didn't shatter many
Va buo COuliuduul6nbS curing the
rest of the week, he would play
on golden harp through endless ages. He
believed that there was place of punish
ment, chiefly composed of burning and
bubbling birthstone, in which most of his
enemies would wade through all eternity In
company with the worm that never dies
He knew this would be very offensive, il
not exceedingly monotonous, to his enemies.
and would give them great pain. This
fhOnOht him TInnnh yNIa
that the people of to-day do not enjoy with
the same zest, because many of them doubt
the birthstone, and few believe in the worm
Yes, am free to admit that the man of
a century ago had son.e pleasures thai we
do not have in this year Of grace. He
could guess about the weather of the future,
predict snow storms add pose as a weather
prophet. He had whole lot of fond be-
liefs and superstitions that added to his
pleasure, because most of them assured him
Of the evil things that would happen to
those who differed with him in opinion,
Science has knocked those pleasant delu-
sions galley-west. as the girls say at Vassar.
But, on the other hand, think of what he
didn't have.
In his three score years and ten he could
not see as much, travel as much, accom-
plish as much, or experience as many sem
sations as the man Of to-day can in twenty
years OF his life. On horseback or in a
clumsy vehicle he travelled over rough
roads or dimly marked trails, at the rate of
six or eight miles an hour. A trip to and
from nelghboring city took a week out of
his life-a week often of discomforts and
painful experiences. We go to the same
place, attend to our business and return to
CUR homes the same day.
He sailed the seas in an ill-smelling sail
ing craft, provisioned with salt junk: we
go the same distance by steam, in one-third
the time. surrounded by all manner of
luxurIes. He had to walk or ride many
miles to talk with a friend. We ring bell
and, prestol our friend who is miles away,
is talking with us. He toiled up long stairs
while we shoot up in an elevator and save
the wear and tear of our knee Joints
He used flint and steel and scraped his
knuckles in efforts TO light his pipe. We
can burn up our heavily insured barn with
a parlor match. He walked through un-
lighted streets at night carrying lantern.
Electricity has turned night into day for US.
He had his teeth dragged out with pair Of
cold pincers, while ours are extracted with
out pain, or made a. good as new with
plug OF gold.
Hs wrote laboriously with a quill pen
that had an impediment in one OF its legs
and splatterd ink all over his cuffs, A yell
low-haired girl pounds out our thoughts on
a machine.
lie had 20 live all his life with tho same
wife, unless she committed some great
crime. Ills descendent can get divorce II
his wife differs with him regarding the
merits Of his favorite baking powder. and
he can try another wife,
These are mere hints a. 10 some Of the
things that the man II long ago enjoyed
aud the things that h0 didn't eul0y. You