The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-11-03
The Talk Of an Old Han.


excusable if at times he exclaims,
'The former days were better than
these" All you have to do is to
wind up one of these old-timers now
and then and give him attention. He
may not convince you that there is a
steady degeneration going on in all de-
partments of business, but he will
make you believe that certain So
called progressive steps are backward
steps.
One Of these old fellows was in a
reminiscential mood few days ago
and he began to talk as if his vocal
organs had been oiled up somewhat.
For an hour he chewed tobacco and
talked somewhat after this style:
"Well, you boys think you ARE all
fired smart these days, and that you
know ten times as much as your dad
dies and grandsires did fifty to seven
ty-fve years ago. Maybe yoa do
know more about poker and pool and
raising checks, as you call. it, and how
to sneak around and hunt blind
tigers and still houses, and pollute
your bodies with foul diseass than the,
old Andersons and Barrys, and Moores'
and Scruggses, and Littlejons and
Cannons and Bomars, who settled this
country years ago. You are very
smart in some things, I admit. The
morals of the country are no whit bet
ter The opportunity has come for
man to do more good or more evil than
he could do in the old days, and he
improves the opportunity in both
ways. just consider how your So
called science has taught rascals to
adulterate everything you eat, drink
and wear. I remember back in the
thirties when I bought New Orleans
molasses half Of it was sugar. Now
there is not an ounce Of sugar in
barrel. The West India molasses is
doctored, so that one does not know
what he is eating. And they say that
even sugar is made Of glucose and
something else. The wool clothing
shows little relationship to the sheep.
Fine calfskin shoes are made Of sheep
skin and polish. Oak tan soles are
made of paper with leather facing.
That was not the case in the old days.
Honest weight, honest measure and
everything just as represented. Flour
was then made Of wheat. and the
shortening pure hogs fat. Then
when it comes to liquor you boys don't
know what you are drinking. Don't
you see hearty, strong men going down
to their graves, burnt out with the
stuff they drink ? Of course, the
doctors are smart enough to call it
something else. It is nervous ex-
haustion, liver trouble, or something
else.
"You just go to any graveyard made
since the war and lift out all the
bodies that were put there by the sort
of stuff they get to drink these dag,
and there would be many holes irF.-at
cemetery. Whiskey manufact ed in
cellars at cost of fifteen cents s. gal
lon, or corn whiskey at the rate Of
four or FIVE gallons to the bushel,
would kill hog. Oh, yes, you boys
have improved the whiskey business
wonderfully, and if you keep on with
your science, by 1925 you can kill a
young man in six months, whereas it
takes about FIVE or six years now 10 do
the Job in decent way. Then you
say that with your banks and New
York exchange and loan associations
you do business much faster than in
former times. That may all be: so,
but remember back in the .forties
when liens were unheard of and light
ming mortgages not dreamed of; these
were easy times. If one wanted to
buy a negro or piece of land he could
borrow the money from a half dozen
neighbors if he lacked little. Now
all the money is put in the banks, and
it is generally drawn out long before
it is put in. Great improvements you
boys are making. You will yearn to
do without money after awhile, and
use nothing but checks. You will
just have some great exchange centre,
that will attend to all your business,
and own you body and soul.
"Then, again, with your improved
cooking stoves and ranges, and all the
canned goods and the refnements OF
the kitchen, I somehow don't find
anything that tastes as well as il did
when cooked in the old way. l tell
you, a plantation dinner, superintended
by the mistress or her daughters and
cooked in pots and ovens, just beat
any of your hotel doings, dribblec out
in little dishes, And then there are
ten cases of dyspepsia to where we
had one in the old times. We .hen
lived pretty close up to nature, and
that is the right way. Now you .lave
to eat oatmeal and all sorts Of waters,
and then take tonics and all sorts OF
devilment, that would ruin the diges-
tion of the biggest elephant that ever
tramped with show. When | was a
boy we had no medicine except a
bottle of camphor and little spirits
of turpentine. For the children there
was a bottle of Batesman's drops.
used very sparingly. Instead Of Mel
Inns food and all such foolishness the
children of rich people even were
we're brought up on corn bread and
pot liquor. If the mother did not
give it the sensible cook did, and such
children we had in those days. They
were none of your little pale, blood
less, muling and puking things: but
q.lla.n &C