The herald., 1898-05-12
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
WOMEN AND WAR PRICES
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The suggestion of a tax on tea and coffee
tends to reminiscence on the part OF
housekeepers of the early COS. Something
short of a century ago American women
were active in their objections to Eng
lands tax on tea. 1t was inconsistent, OF
course, but entirely feminine to dodge the
home price to buy of that same country
during the civil war. The women heard
talk the other day were then living IN one
of the towns fronting the Canadian shore
Both had given the men OF their house,
holds to the army; both were fairly well
off In the worlds goods. Why they busied
themselves as they appear to have done
breaking a law and joining with their
neighbors in doing SO is beyond the compre-
hension of those who have lived In normal
days with prices to agree. The women
living in the interior had no opportunities
for effective sallies into the land Of cheap
ness, SO should cast no reproach upon the
ones who have been tempted. The women
said 1t was remarkable how lively visit
ing grew all along the border. The dying
embers of school friendships were furi-
ously famed. Neglected relatives became
suddenly important 1t was noticed that
every woman who went over the boundary
to spend the afternoon came back win
quickly acquired avoirdupois. Customs or
flcers seem to have been strangely blind.
They are said to have bowed respectfully
to the women whose frequent jaunts to the
queens dominion must have made their
faces peculiarly familiar. Occasionally,
for appearance sake, SO the women plainly
said, detentions happened. 1t was whis-
pered that a woman inspector behind the
doors of the custom house made searching
examination. That little mounds OF tea
and coffee and pound packages of currents
and raisins were some of the spoils aftC.~-
ward ranged along the window sill in -
square, bare room.
Every woman who did this contraband
shopping with any degree of regularity had
pockets Of stout linen for the work. These,
AZ described were not unlike the shoe bags
we hang on our closet doors. Narrow
tapes held them suspended from the waist
under. the dress skirt. Whole dress pat
terms were thrown over the tapes some
times. The folds were pinned at the sides
to prevent slipping. The fashion of hoop
skirts helped lot.
Funny incidents of these petty snug
gIings include the breaking of the tapes,
or the loosing of an important pin. letting
gracefully about the feet of the law dodger.
Or there would be the bursting of the bag,
causing the fair smuggler to leave behind
her an interesting but condemning trail
of curled tea leaves or cooked raisins. If
the towns were separated by river there
was always the ferry time to be consulted,
and then the primitive owl car on the
American side was sent to the barn at 10
o'clock There were no ice and crushing
boats, and in winter the Ice had an un-
pleasant habit of setting up blockade
suddenly The shoppers either threw
themselves upon the hospitality of friends
or paid hotel bills, which took all the prof
it's off the expedition.
Sixty cents pound for coffee was the
regular price in those days. The tea sold
at q dollar pound was of ordinary quail
ity. Calico, just plain, everyday calico.
called for 25-cent "shinplaster' for ev-
cry yard of it's length. French prints were
50 and 90 cents and everything else was in
proportion. After thinking about this lis.
most of us will be unpatriotic enough to
feel a quiet sympathy with the resort to
tapes and dodging.-The Spinster in Chi.
cago Times Herald.