The leader., 1897-03-24
A Plea for Good Times.

Come again no more
We all sing it, we all hope it,
but do we know what hard times
are ' We sing it while we eat
beef steak at twenty cents a pound,
oysters at fifty cents u dozen and
three kinds of bread ut the same
meal we shout it while we smoke
cigars, two for quarter we think
it while we stretch our legs on
Brussels carpet, before a blazing
crate, with well-groomed boys and
exDensively clad girls around us {;
we shout it to our neighbors
across our smooth lawns, or through
our plate glass windows we groan
it as We read our morning and ev-
ening papers, our plentiful maga-
zines and our costly libraries we
dream of 1T in our soft and springy
beds, while our coal.fed furnace
keeps the whole house warm; we
maunder about il in our well equip.
ped offices, shout it through our
telephones, ring the changes on it
as we send kilograms and take ex-
pensive summer outings. We meet
in our political, social, literary and
business conventions, and ring the
changes while we are spending for
tunes with railroads, hotels, res
taurants and places of amusement.
And yet, in these days we do not
know what hard times are we
think we do, but we DO NOT.
The writer knows of time with
in his remembrance-and he is no
patriarch, when, in one of the rich
est parts of one of the most favor
ed States in the Union, the whole
town of some two thousand inhabi.
tants possessed altogether not over
$500 i'll money; all exchange was
by barter there was no cash pay
ment because there was nothing to
pay with. Among the best and
richest families land there were
many who thought themselves
well-tO-do) beef steak was once a.
week visitor; round beef was a
luxury oysters were an unheard
OF dainty corn bread was the u.s.
ual, wheat the rare food; the
cheapest pipe tobacco was a dissi.
patton ; cold bed rooms, scanty
wood fires, woolsey and calico were
in the house; 6xS window panes
were helped out by hats, old pa
pers and rags; a weekly paper was
an extravaganza, and served sever
al families. Ten books made a
good, fair library +; beds were slat,
ted or corded /; rag carpets were
occasional, ingram scarce, and
Brussels tradition the sole va
cation was a ride to the annual
picnic in the one-horse shay; no.
body had time, money or heart for
conventions or amusements. We
men worked from 5 a. m. to I p. m.
(the aristocrats shortened the time
by two hours) and the women
worked at all hours.
Aud yet it is doubtful if there
was in those times such a univer-
sal spirit of unrest and discomfort,
such a concert of growing as to-
day.
Is it fair I Are we just d! Can
we afford to waste time in bewail-
ing hard times, when times are
easy on us; and treat US far better
than we deserve.
A manager once said with a
chuckle: '"The mails have been
good to our house today; the first
one brought an order in every let
ter, and the last one brought a re-
mittance in every letter." We all
know (mayhap We are) persons
who would have said "Alas, we
have fallen on evil times the first
mail brought no money and the
last mail brought no trade"
Let us put aside these ugly tenn
pers of ours look toward the sun !;
smile at the shadow; all sunshine
makes the desert; "it's pretty
world, senior :" enjoy its beauties,
let us borrow no trouble, shed
light on our neighbors quit us
like men, and times will seem (as
they are) good.
A. HUSTLER.
Tha MissiSSipni Va G n IT will