Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1897-04-30
PLEA FOR GOOD TIMES.
Business Talk for Business
Men
WHO ARE MAKING THE WORST
OF THE PRESENT, SITUATION.

Recently Press and Pr1utr,
published an article by Barn
hart Bros. & Spindler that is
worth repeating. Here it is:
"Hard Times2 Come again no
more
We all sing it, we all hope it,
but do we know what hard times
are2 We sing it while We eat
beef stake at twenty cents a
pound, oysters at fifty cents a
dozen, and three kinds of bread
at the same meal; we shout it
while we smoke cigars, two for
quarter; we think it while we
stretch our legs on comfortable
Brussels carpet, before a blazing
CRATE, with we'll grooned boys
and expensively clad girls around
us; we shout it to our neigh bors
across our smooth lawns, or
through our plate grass windows;
we groan it as we read our morr-
ing and evening papers, ou1
plentiful magazines and Our
costly libraries; we dream of it
Oh our soft and springy beds,
while our coal-fed furnace keeps
the whole house warm; we
maunder about it In our we'll
equipped offices, shout it through
our telephones, ring the changes
on it as we send kilograms and
take expensive summer outings
We meet in our political, social,
literary and business conventions
and ring the changes OH it while
we are spending fortunes with
railroads, hotels, restaurants 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 a time
within his remem brance-and
he is no patriarch-when, in one
of the richest parts Of one of the
most favored states of the Union,
the whole town of some two
thousand inhabitants possessed
altogether no. over $500 IN
money-all exchange was By
barter; there was no cash pay
ment because there was nc thing
to pay with. Among the best
and richest families land there
were many who thought tlem>
selves we'll to do) beef steak was
a once-a-week visitor: round beef |
was a luxury; oysters were All
dainty; corn bread was |
the usual, wheat the rare food; |
the cheapest pipe tobacco the
dissipation; cold bedrooms,
scanty wood fires, woolsey and
calico were in the house; 6x8 |
window panes were helped out
by hats, old papers and rags;
paper was an extrav>
agance, and served several faHli-
lies. Ten books made a good,
fair library; beds were Slated or
corded; rag carpets were occas-
ioual, ingram scarce, and Brus-
sells tradition; the sole vacation
was a ride to the annual picnic
in the one-horse shay; nobody
had time, money or heart for
conventions or amusements. We
men worked from $ a. m. to 7
p. NJ. (the aristocrats shortened
the time by two hours land the
women worked at all hours.
And yet it is doubtful if there
was in those times such a uni,
versal spirit OF unrest and dis
content, such a concert of growl-
ing, as to-day.
Is it iair? Can we afford to
waste time in bewailing hard
times, when times are easy on
us, aid treat us far better than
we deserve?
A manager once said with a
chuckle: "The mails have been
good to our house to-day; the
first brought an order in every
letter, and the last one brought
a remittance i'll 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
trade"
Let us put aside these ugly |
tempers of ours; LOOK toward the
sun; smile at the shadow; all
makes the desert; otis
a pretty world, sehor;;" enjoy its
beauties, let us borrow no trou>
BILE, shed light Oh our neigh
L e....4 liz .,,o., a..L-