The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-02-03
THEN AND NOW

pioneers, who felled the forests and
brought civilization out Of the wilder
ness. and with them we revere the hon.
est. sturdy yoeman of today, who tills
the soil, and doing for the present
what the pioneer did for the past, in
cultivating not only he soil, but the
cardinal virtues of an upright life and
developing patriotic sentiments in the
rising g. neration, so essential to good
citizenship.
But let us look more in detail upon
the situation of "Then and Now"
The implements of the pioneer were
the rifle, the trap the hunting knife, the
ak, the wedge, the maui, he sickle,
the scythe, and the fail. The tools Of
his successor are the sulky plow, the
seed drill, the self-binder, the horse
rake, the harvester, the separator and
the steam engine.
The pioneer carried his grist to mill
and did his marketing in an OK cart.
The farmer of today ships his products
to market and receives his goods by
steam or electric cars and rides to the
city in fine carriage.
The culinary outfit of the pioneer
kitchen was fire place with pair of
andirons, pot-hooks, a Dutch oven, a
skillet, a tea-kettle, pot or two, and
an outfit of wooden or iron spoons ;
while the modern kitchen is furnished
with handsome nickel plated cooking
range, with ornaments too numerous
to mention, and silver plated knives
and forks, silver pitchers, silver spoons,
glasswear and china ware without end.
The dress of the pioneer was home
spun, home woven, home tanned, home
cut and home sewed. He wore home
made linen, lincey-woolsey, and coon
skin cap, while his successor goes clad
in broad cloth, silk, Irish lineu, patent
leather and handsome plug hat.
The table of the pioneer was supplied
with bear steak, raCcoon outlets, roast
possum venison chops, maple honey
cracked hominy, crap apple pickles foi
delicacies and genuine rye-o coffee with
milk.
Today, we have bread from the best
brand Of new process flour, beefsteak
roast beef, and mutton ten varieties al
cut from the same carcass, chickens OLD
and young, fifty kinds of fish, fresh
canned, dried and salt, pork, fat anc
lean, plain, sugar cured or deviled ham
fifty kinds of sausage, from liver wurs
up to wieners oysters stewed, fried es
calloped, fricaseed and raw, till We
can't rest and our poor over-dont
stomachs refuse to digest.
The pioneer dwelt in plain cabin o
logs, chinked with mud, covered wit,
a shake roof, punchoen floor, chimney
built of mud and sticks, windows o
creased paper for glass, no tapistry OF
the walls, no carpet on the iloor, II;
stove in the parlor, in fact no parlor Il
all, no upholstered seats, no organ t.
cheer or enliven the home, no sewing
machine to facilitate the needle worl
of the busy housewife, but II splin
chair or two, Il long bench to seat th'
visitor, sugar trough to rock TIL,
young pioneer to sleep, n bed in the cor
ner, the trusty rife and shot poucl
with powder horn in the hooks on th
wall, or on the beam overhead, and
spinning wheel, made up the domesti
outfit of the pioneer. The sleeping
room, the parlor, the kitchen and tn
pantry were all comprised in one ant
the same room. The entire habitat
and equipment cost less that 500 an,
yet the pioneer was healthy, contente,
and happy
Today his successor lives in man
sion, handsomely painted, beautiful
decorated, convenient in all itsappoint
ments, pleasantly warmed and properl
furnished with all the comforts of life
fit for the habitation Of king.
The pioneers library comprised Bi
bic and a hymn book, yellow with age
an almanac and some OF the NOR
learned families had a copy of Wei
ster's spelling book or pioneer prime
to teach the youngsters the rudiment
of an English education. Today ever
well regulated and progressive famil
keep at least one country paper an
many read both sides politically to Sc
how the battle of politics goes on an
not few read the dailies and are SUI
piled with useful books on history, b
ography, science and philosophy,
The pioneer was the Hercules of tn
western world. With ak and gun h
cleared away the wilderness and mad
it ready for the plow and sickle VI
! brought order out of chaos, civilizatio
out of savagery and made the wilder
ness blossom us the rose. He was tn
Nimrod of the west, the great timbt
+ slayer and rail-splitter of Americ,
, The broad extensive fields, the beaut
full farms are his handiwork, shooting
chopping, splitting and burning was h
daily vocation. On the other hand, h
successor is stringing telegraph pole
with net work of wires, and extent
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