The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1899-08-25
Times and Tires.

We all remember the calsmitous
times of Grover and the Wilson tariff.
Then locomotion was either afoOt, or
by ox-teams, or ON saddle horses, or in
spring-less wagons, and all tires we're
of iron--thick, heavy iron, hard as the
heart of old Pharaoh. When a man
was seen riding in neat buggy, or
spinning along on bicycle with rub
Der tires, it was an attraction that IN
duced many sad-eyed pop to turn
round and watch with envy, if he did
not mentally damn the rider for gold
bug. Times we're hard and every mile
counted about three by the time il was
travelled. When GIL or her mother
got pretty dress they were mighty
lucky If they could get to church to
let folks see how nice they looked in
their new outfits. In those times the
dress was even harder to get than to
display it. 1t took half a day to go to
town fora paper of pins or plug of
tobacco, and if the women folks want
ed to do little visiting, bless us, it
took whole day.
Times were awfully bad and socia-
bility almost dead. The rider on rub
Der tires was something of an aristo-
crat, you remember, III '96, but in '99,
what a lot of pops have joined the
aristocracy! Then young men had no
use for shoe brushes nor backing, and
if they hied to see their best girl in
pointy-toed tans didn't the other chaps
vote them "stuck up? Nov, none of
them are counted any good if they
can't ride the best tires and sport the
latest tans. Those were very hard
times for young men with idle hands
and empty pockets. All the joyous
life there was in discussing dismals
and damning the government. About
the best fresh air the country girl got
was hustling the COWS home from
pasture, and the city girl hers in plod-
ding between home and store and Of
fee. Both classes know times are
better since they made the acquain-
lance OF rubber tires. 1t can't be for
gotten times were sinfully hard when
Mckinley came in-for at that time
there was scarcely II hunderd bicycles
owned III Whatcom county, and today
the number is estimaned to be close to
five thousand, and we are glad to be-
lieve our pop friends own nearly one
half of them and would sooner vote
for Mckinley than discaId their rub
Der tires.
The times are good. The country
side as we'll as city streets are bright
with youth and beauty on weels, and
men and women find health and
pleasure happily mixed with their
business and home cares. One COM
forting fact about these rubber tires is
there are no mortgages on them
earned cash brought them. In this
little community the better times are
easily seen. Scarcely family in the
neighborhood but owns wheel of can
any day in the week it wants to.
During the last three years of Cleve-
lands administration you could have
counted on your fingers the families
OF wlfom you could have said this.
Aud what is true of the rubber tires
here extends all over the Nation, thew
have multiplied into millions.
What CLEANS of happiness have
flashed upon family life in the two
years .: + publican rule that made it
SO easy to own the rubber tires! Sub
urban lie has newer charms. Social
neighborly qualities are cultivated
with as much zest as any of the good
things On the farm. Distance doesn't
count. Rubber tires have taken the
scare ont of milestone, just as they
have sla' the doldrums out of coun-
Try
J :, I'll times arc good. There is
less 4. lag round saloons. There is
less -nonsy wasted by our young men.
IN "thc pace that kills." and a great
gain OF Vigorous health and lovable
manlincss through their open-air ex-
erclse with r.bber tires. A happy hill
fanty has shaken the gloom and cob,
webs out OF IN my old rafters since the
change of tincs and tires. More neo-
pie breathe fresh air, schools are better
lattended paorc people get to church.
and the "d'sll srindp is far less Of .
terror to milliol.s of both sexes. And
these better things have come to pops
and silver-legs, and gold bugs, alike,
through the better times that made
the rubber tires accessible to all classes
Of frugal people Nooksack Reporter