The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1906-11-01
FORTY YEARS AGO.
MEN LIVED WITHOUT MUCH NO"
DEEMED INDISPENSABLE.
Telephone Is Only One Of Many Con-
trivanees Which Have ADDED
TO the Comfort and Proht
OF the World.

Forty-fiye years marks, We may say
the man OF middle age, get the re-
Prospect OF the last IS years VIII point
to many OF the most remarkaDle' anu
as now considered. Indispensable III
yentlons and devices Of civilized me-
says the Philadelphia Record. lhese,
the middleaged man, as BOY, did
not even dream Of Going back 10
the time when the man now 70 was
Ave, we will find that he ana al the
rest Of mankind lived very satlsiac'
torily without telephones Scarcely
a house Of any considerable size "ouiu
now be deemed habltable without one
When communication with a distant
point was needed quickly the teie'
| graph was brought into requisitloh.
II great haste was not requisite iet'
| ter sufficed.
| The expedition with which business
| Is now transacted was obviously I'M
| possible without the telephone di
/ though other Inventions, then equaiy
/ unknown, contribute much TO the hur'
| ry of today. The electric light IKE
] UOhI OtHtT ElftLl a. ~ f'-tAN'N''N''
as distant as the telephone; though
gas and oil. principally the FORMER
/ made what was considered satisfac'
tory Illumination Great construction
works could not. however, be carried
on by night with gas, while now by
arc light, they may. In that day the
miner toiled underground by the dim
t la, . of candle.
At present large mines are strung
with lneandescent electric lights ana
kept practically as light as are sur
face establishments by night.
Forty years ago. a speed OF 30 miles
by rail was deemed wonderful, and
continuous trips OF more than 2oo
miles were rare. Changes OF cars
were frequent on long distance jour
neys, and as the segments OF ROAD
were In those days controlled by dif'
ferent companies, there was much
transferring Of passengers and bag
gage, and buying OF new tickets. Din
ing cars were unknown, and wayside
lunch counters. with their familiar
gongs and summary "all aboard ter
limitations TO unsatisfactory and alb
brevIated repasts, were the rule.
The postage rate on domestic let
tiers was then three cents, and foreign
postage was charged to Canada anc
Mexico; while every negotiable docu
ment, deed. check. bond or legal In
strument bore an Internal revenue
stamp. Bankers, brokers, stationers
druggists and even saloon keeper!
kept supply of revenue stamps OF
sale, and merchants had them II
sheets ready to be affixed to receipts
II even for the most tritllng amounts
Every bank and merchant. and prac
ticaly every storekeeper then sub
scribed to some publication which
gave a weekly list OF new counterfeit
bank notes. and these publications
owing to the then imperfect methods
OF engraving and registration, wer'
usually many pages in extent.
Songs Of the war. printed on singh
I sheets OF music. were strung aloni
park fences, and sold at penn,
apiece, the dealer being generally
. wounded soldier of the civil war, In
capacitated for work. Small chang
was mostly OF paper In denomination
, OF three, Ave. ten. 25 and SO cents
For a time a 15-cent bill was circr
lated. but 1t was soon withdrawn
Nickel three-cent pieces as subst
tutes for silver three-cent pieces, wer
also In circulation. though the silve
three-cent piece, or 'scally," was no
rare. Plugged silver pieces, whe
there were any silver pieces usual
Ave or ten cent pieces. were the rul
rather than the exception, though tn
, holes and lead filling seemed In n
!. Ing capacity.