Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-11-16
A LETTER sc YEARS OLD,
ON HARD TIMES.

The cry of "hard times" was as
loud at the beginning Of the cen
tury as it is in these last days, and
with the return of prosperity Ga
zette readers will not fail to per-
sue, with sort of amusing inter
est perhaps, the reasons given for
financial depression by the Mif1lin
county farmer, who writes to the
Western Star of Jan. L, 1902,
heading iscOmmunicatiOn "Cause
and Cure for Hard Times" We
consider it too good to be lost, and
make it our installment of news
paper lore for this week:
MIR. PRINTER
IprofesS myself to
be an honest farmer for can say
that no man could ever charge me
with a dishonest action. l see
with great grief that all the cOun
try is afflicted, as well as myself.
Everyone is complaining and tell
ing his grievances, but find they
do not tell how their troubles
came on them. | knowit is COM
mon for people to throw the blame
of their own misdeeds upon others
or at least to excuse themselves of
the charge. | am in great tribu
latiOn, but to keep up the above
character of an honest man, / can
not, in conscience, say that any one
has brought my troubles on me
but my self. "Hard times and no
money! with me at the age OF
sixty five, who have lived well
these forty years.
My parents were poor, and they
put me at twelve years of age, to a
farmer with whom l lived till /
was twenty one. My master fitted
me off with two stout suits of
hOmespun, four pair of stockings,
four woolen shirts, and two pair OF
shoes. AT twenty two | married
me IA wife, and very good work
ing young woman she was. We
took a farm of forty acres on rent.
BY industry, we gained ahead fast
| paid my rent punctuallv, and
laid by money. In ten years l
was able to buy me a farm of sixty
acres, on which l became my own
tenant. | then in manner grew
rich, and soon added another
sixty acres, with which l was con-
tent. My estate now increased be-
yOnd all account. l bought sever
al acres of Outland fOr my children
who amounted to seven when l
was forty-five years old. About
this time | married my Oldest
daughter to a clever lad, to whom
| gave one hundred acres of my
Outland. This daughter had been
a dutiful working girl, and there
fore fitted her out well, and to
her mind, for | told her to take of
the best of my wool and flax, and
to spin herself gowns, coats stock
ings and shirts, nay | suffered her
to buy some cotton and make into
sheets, as / was determined to do
well by her.
At that time my farm gave me
and my whole family good living
on the produce of it, and left me,
one year with another, one hun
dred fifty silver dollars, for l never
spent more than ten dollars year,
which was for salt, nails and the
the like. Nothing to wear, eat or
drink was purchased as my farm
provided all. With this saving. |
put money to interest, bought cat
tie, fatted and sold them, and
made great profit.
III two years after, my second
daughter was cOurted. My wife
says; Come, you are now rich,
you know Molly had nothing but
what she spun, and no other cloth
ing has ever come into our house
for any of us. She ought to fare
as well as neighbor Ms Betty.
| must have some money and &c tc
town. "Well, wife it shall be as
you think best. l have never
been stingy, but it seems to NE
that what we spin at home would
do" However, wife goes to town
and returns in a few days with a
calico gown, calamanco petticOat
a set of stone tea cups, half dozen
pewter tea spoons and a tea kettle
things that had never been seen
in my house before. They cost
but little, did not feel it, and l
confess that | was pleased to see
them. Sarah was as well fitted off
;:s any girl in the parish.
In three years more, my third
daughter had spark, and we'd
ding being concluded upon, wife
comes again for the purse; but
when she returned, what did l
see! Il silllen gown, silk for a cloak,
Il looking glass, china tea gear and
a hundred other things, with the
empty Purse. But this is not the
worst of it, Mr.. Printer. Some
time before the marriage of this
last daughter, and ever since, this
change increased in my family, be-
sides all sorts of household furni-
ture, unknown, to us before.
Clothing of every sort is bought,
and the wheel goes only for the
purpose of exchanging our sub
stantial cloth of flax or wool for
gauze, ribbons, silk, tea, sugar
&c. My butter, which used to go
to market, and brought money, is
now expended at the tea table.
Breakfast, which used to take ten
minutes, when we were satisfied
with milk, or pOttage made of it,
now takes my whole family an
h ,t fo., nr 0nfraa iIu l,,,Is,