The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-04-15
PLEA FOR GOOD TIMES.
BUSINESS TALK FOR BUSINESS
MEN
Who are Making the Worst Of the
Present Situation.

Present Situation.
Recently Press and Printer published
an article by Barnhart Bros. 4 SplndleI
that is worth repeating. Here it is:
Hard Times Come again no more. ;
We all sing 1t, we all hope it, but do
we know what hard times are? We
p sing 1t while we eat beef steak at twen-
t.. cents 2 pound, oysters at fifty cents
a dozen. and three kinds OF bread at
the same meal we shout 1T while we
smoke cigars, two for quarter; we
think it while we stretch our legs on
comfortable Brussels carpet, before q
blazing CRATE, with we'll groomed boys
and expenslvelv 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 evening papers, our
plentiful magazines and our costly Ii
braries we dream of iG On our soft and
springy beds, while our coalfed furnace
keeps the whole house warm we maun-
der about it in our welI-equipped Off
ces, shout it through our telephones,
ring the changes on 1t as we send tele-
grams and take expensive summer out
ings. We meet in our political, social
literary and business conventions, and
ring the changes on 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 rcmernbrance-and be is no patrl-
arch-when, i'm one Of the richest parts
of one of the most favored states OF the
Union, the whole town of some two
thousand inhabitants possessed alto
gether not over $500 in money-all ex-
change was by barter; there was no
cash payment because there was moth
ing to pay with. Among the best and
richest families (and there we're many
who thought themselves well to do)
beet steak was once-a-week visitor
round beef was luxury; oysters were
an unhear,l-ol dainty corn bread was
the usual, wheat the rare food the
cheapest pipe tobacco the dissipation
cold bedrooms, seanty wood fires, wool
sav and calico were in the house 6xS
window panes were helped out by hats,
old pa, ers and rags; weekly paper
was an extravaganza, and served sever
al families. Ten books made good,
far library beds were Slated Or corded
rag carpets were occasional, ingram
s..arce, and Brussels tradition the
sole vacation was Il ride to tho ann;iaii
,.icnlc III the ona-ilnrsc shay nobody
had tire, money or heart for conven-
tons or a,nusemen:s. We men work
e from a. m, TO 7 p. M. {the aristo-
Gratis shortened the time by two hours)
and the women worked at all hours.
And yet it is doubtful if there was
in those times such a universal spirit
of unrest and dlscontent, such a concert
OF growing. as to-day.
Is it lair? Are we Just? Can we af-
ford to waste time in bewaiiing hard
times, when times are easy on us, and
treat us far better than we deserve?
A manager once said with chuckle
"'rhe mails haye,been good 70 our house
to- day the first brought an order in ev-
cry letter, and the last one brought
remittance in every letter." We all
know (mayhap we ars) persons who
would have said "Aias, we have fall
err on evil times the first mail brought
no money and the last mail brought
NO trade"
Let Us put aside these ugly tempers
OF ours look toward the Gun smile at
the shadow all sunshine makes the
desert ats pretty world, senior ;" en-
JOY its beauties, let us borrow no trou-
bic, shed light on our neighbors quit
us like men, and times will seem Gas
they are) good.