The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-03-06
How Our Wants Increase.

"It is singular how our wants have in
creased with the progress of the age" re-
marked an aged observer one day last
week after taking walk through the
house and returning to his library. 81
have been making a mental inventory OF
lew or tho things which we now regard
as absolute necessities, but which we
never felt the need OF forty or fifty years
ago merely because we didn't know any,
thing about them. do not refer TO elec.
tric lights. telephones. gas and other i'm
portant inventions, but little every day
things ike this blotting paper before me.
In my youth we had no blotters. but
used sand upon the writing. Now / feel
annoyed IL | cannot put my hand upon
a blotter the momont want Il. Steel pens
seem unimportant things now, but I
learned to write with Quill pen and had
to cut II myself Now we can buy n
gross of good pens for a few cents Mu-
cilage and office pastos we had TO make
W those days, too, but these are some OF
the things which have set me thinking
My reflections began when | struck a
match a few hours ago and III my pipe.
Something carried my mind back TO the
days when l would have performed this
operation with pair OF tongs and a hot
coal. / went upstairs and looked over the
shelves in the bathroom closet 10 see
what there was there which we now re-
gard as absolute necessities and knew
little or nothing about I'm our youth. I
round box of dentifrice, another OF tall
cum powder, n bottle OF quinne pills, an
other OF ammonia. another OF witch ha-
eel, piece OF rumice stone. an atomlzer.
jar OF vaseline. n box Of toilet soap and
stick OF shaving soap. In the older days
goose grease took the place now occupied
by vasellnc, and one kind Of hard soap
had TO DO for all kinds OF work except
that for which soft soap was used. went
further looking for indispensibles OF the
present day, ana I'm the bedroom I found
manicure set which ! would not think
or doing without, an alarm clock OF great
utility. laundry case. pins OF all sizes
and kinds, night lamp Illuminating n
clock face. burglar alarm. push buttons
TO ring bells In the stable and In the SER
wants quarters, and a score OF other
things OF great convenience IN daily SER
vice. In the reception room. kitchen. din
Ing room and cellar found other articles
or utility which were never thought OF
when | was boy but we would sadly
miss now N thcy were taken away. ono
Of tho simplest OF these was n light step.
ladder. costing n couple OF dollars. and A
set me thinking Of how when n youth /
had often put n chair upon n table 90
reach n picture naii or the top shelf OF n
closet when our ceilings were much low
er than they are today In the course OF
my inspection ! picked up a rubber band
and was springing II between my thumb
and fingers when suddenly my mind re-
verted TO the time only n few years ago
when these elastic cOnveniences were
unknown and how slowly and sparingiy
we all used them when they first came in
TO use. That carried me back TO the time
when common pins were made bv hand ana
were cared for jcalously See n Din and
pick IL up meant much more then than
u does now when pins are 30 cheap that
we never consider them for a moment un-
less we need them and can hnd none al
hand. This lead pccii upon my table re-