The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1899-04-14
Old, Bot Young.

Henry Whitcher of Newbury, 80 year
old, recently made this office visit, re
newing his subscription to the OPINIol
and talking over old times for an hour O.
more in most interesting manner. Mr.
Whitcher was born May ., 1919, and is /;
hale, hearty, old gentleman who doesn'
believe in growing old. He thinks al
Russell Sage does who, though 86 years
old, is still active in business and hard
ling his millions as shrewdly as ever. Mr.
sage says that growing old is matter Of
opinion. Aaman is young Just as long as
he has mind to think so and he begins tC
grow old when he stop thinking he is
young That is about the way Mr.. Sage
looks at it and Mr.. Whitcher is of the
same opinion.
Talking of moving Mr. Whitchel
SAID he knew of man compared with
whom Harry Martin and Capt. Chamber.
Inns Newbury man, who could travel
faster while moving than any other
way, were boy amateurs. Bill Daniels
was the champion mower of his recOllec-
tion. Daniels was working one summer
for Consul Jarvis down near Windsor.
The Consul had meadow just a mile
long and was very particular how it was
moved. The man moving had to carry
the swathe, that is NOW the length of the
meadow and then walk back and begin
the next swathe at the same end of the
field. Daniels put in some good DAYS
work on this meadow but the record that
he was particularly proud of and liked
to talk about was 100 swathes, 8 feet wide
in one day. This was 200 mile walk TO
say nothing of the work done. If any
body has moving story to equal that
Whitcher would like to hear it.
In the same year that Mr.. Whitcher
was born there were also born the late
Judge Henry w. Bailey of Newbury,
Jan. 1919, Wallace w. Brock, June, 1919,
b. Leslie. They all voted for the first
time at the freeman's meeting in 1910,
with the exception of Mr.. Leslie. who
became q day or two before the presi-
Dental election, and cast his first vote
for Van Buren and against Gen. Harri-
son. With the exception of Bailey and
Brock these gentlemen all started out as
democrats and they still cling to the
faith, numbered among the reliable un-
terrified of the state.
Speaking of hard times Mr.. Whitcher
says people these days don't know any
thing about what it is to be short of
money. The greatest financial crash this
country has ever known came in 1887
when large number of firms all over the
country failed, some to the tune of
$4,000, 900, 81, 100000 and 100000. The
crash came after period of wild specula-
tion and lasted several years, Mr..
Whitcher never knew farm products to
bring so low figure as they did in 1870
Al. ltgers went for SO a head and butter
at nine cents a pound. He
an incident in Newbury
where a man received letter from SCOT
land which laid in the postoffioe from
June till November waiting for its own
er to raise twenty-five cents to pay the
postage. Coming into town one day with
some butter the farmer sold it at nine
cents pound and was requested to take
his pay out of stock. He pleaded so hard
for twenty-five cents with which to get
that letter that the storekeeper allowed
him that much in cash. Mr.. Whitcher
told the story as an illustration of how
hard it was in those days to get together
a few cents in cash. &,
Speaking of the effect tobacco and
LIQUOR has upon shortening life Mr..
Whitcher presumed there was something
to it but that he had met with exceptions
to the rule. OF the two oldest men he
used tobacco, and the other, III years
old, had always used liquor. He didn't
know how to account for it but he knew
il was a fact. He saw both these men
when they were over a hundred year
old and they were still in good health,
active, Jolly, and telling of things that
before the liberty bell was
cracked in spreading the joyful news
that the colonies of this country were
free and Independent and would do as
they pleased regardless of restrictions
laid upon them by their mother across
the water. Nevertheless he wouldn't ad-
wise young man to adopt the liquor or
TOBACCO habit in the hopes of reaching
the ripe old age of Ill years.