The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-20
IFS III Was' and |s.5Bs I'll mao BE- -
100 YEARS AGO.
In the Days of Our Grandfathers.
Compiled for this paper by Moss Folsom.

~~~-~-~-~~~~~~~-~-~~~~~~
A fever patient was forbidden to drink
water, and smallpox was treated in a
dark room.
The average shoes were stout contriv-
ances of strong hide, with wooden pegs
or hobnails.
There was more drinking to excess
then, and there was less refinement in
speech and manners than there is now.
Gloves were not worn, either for style
or for comfort. Mittens of yarn were
worn in winter.
Cravats were unknown, their place be-
ing supplied by huge stocks that reached
from the shoulders to the ears.
For fruit our great grandparents had
very small apples dried for winter use,
pears used fresh and few peaches.
If there were books, newspapers and
pictures in the house it was an eXCep-
ton. Labor and rest constituted about
all of life.
Wood was the only fuel, blacksmiths
used charcoal. There were no matches,
and fire was struck with flint and steel
Firearms were in every country house.
imalS.
The nineteenth century had passed its
teens before Chicago and st. Paul Were
known, and San Francisco did not re-
ceive its present name until nearly half
the years OF the nineteenth century had
been told.
The young gentlemen had neither cigar
cites nor canes, and young ladies Meth
er used candy nor chewing gum, and the
small boy could not make the immortal
Fourth hideous with firecrackers, be-
cause he had none
The practice of dentistry began in
Washington's time, the first president
being among the first to get a set of false
teeth. When q man had the toothache
he pulled the offending member, and had
no means of replacing it.
The watermelon and muskmelon were
unknown, while oranges, bananas, pine
apples and other tropical fruits would
not bear the long ocean voyage on sail
ing vessels, and consequently were not
seen once in a decade, except where
hardy varieties grew in the South
Anaesthetics were not known, and arr
putatfons were performed with the pa
tient in full possession of all his facul-
ties. The yellow fever was more Com
mon in every Northern city than 1t is
now in any tropical town. Four thou
sand people had it in Philadelphia in 1874
The houses of the rich were lighted
with wax candles, while poor people were
glad to have tallow ones, or burn a wick
in a vessel containing grease. The big
fireplace furnished the light in the win
ter. With such lights it was no great
credit that early bedtime. was the rule
guest at the table was expected to
partake of the same dish at least twice,
and by so doing three OF four times was
supposed to compliment his hostess.
When he had enough he crossed his knife
and fork ON his plate, and was no longer
pressed teH eat. Food was carried to the
mouth with the knife or the spoon.
Very few rooms in America had carpets
on the floors, sand being used instead.
Wallpaper was unknown. Colored en-
| cravings, or crayons, very badly ex-
ecuted, were the only wall ornaments
There were no tacks, and consequently
no jokes about stepping on these instru-
ments of torture.
There was no surgery The hodcar-
| rier today who falls off a ladder is car
| ried to a charity hospital, receives bet-
! ter medical and surgical attention than
| all the money of George III. could have
| purchased, or than all the wheat raised
| on George Washlngton's farm could have
| secured.