Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-25
FIFTY YEARS AGO
In THE STAR

| Comparisons between the cost of living in
| the old days and modern times are always
interesting to housekeepers.
1oou and the following extract
| Prices. from The Star of February
1s. 1856. may be suggestive
to those who are kept busy paying bills:
| The prices of household marketing seem
to go up steadily as the mercury goes down.
But the comparison seems TO hold good no
further. for the prices hold their own, and
1t never happens that they fail when the
| mercury rises. While we are paying from
81 to 81 cents for butter. 30 cents for eggs.
from 10 to 20 cents per pound for chickens,
potatoes from 81. 80 to IS per barrel and so
on. 1t creates a little disposition to grlmble
on the part Of the best-natured head of the
family to hear of the unaccountable wide
| gap between the prices of the same article
| here and In the rural districts few miles
| Westward-to know that In eastern Pennsyl-
wanna Maryland and Virginia and various
/ OF the more westerly states, within reach
of us by railroad, butter is selling at from
| 10 TO II cents, eggs from 10 to 10 cents per
dozen, dressed poultry at 8 and cents a
! pound and potatoes at 81 and So cents a
| bushel.
THE question always comes I'D why there
IS SO marked q disparity between city and
| country prices and nobody seems able to
| afford any satisfactory solution Doubtless
! the main cause Is the fact of so many mid
| diemen. each with a separate profit, COM
| Ing between the producer and the consumer,
| and In this way there are four or five dis
| tlnct profits realized upon. each article be-
| fore 1t reaches those who buy to use"
| ~
| The local Y. NJ C. A., now housed In a
magnificent home. with a membership of
several thousand. was In
| Y. m. g. a. 1855 small, struggling or
Work. ganization. It's members,
| however, Were enthusiastic
| ana diiigent In attendance at meetings. The
| iolowing paragraph from The Star of Feb
ruary 20 1856. will doubtless be of interest
10 the members and supporters of the asso
| citation today:
An interesting meeting of the Young
| mems Christian Association was held on
| Monday evening at their rooms. O. c.
| Wight. Esq, In the chair. Charles HoI
| mead. secretary Reports of the various
| operations of the association were road
| one from Mitchell H. Miller In reference 70
| the asylum or almshouse was particularly
III. es.Ihs: IL appears that there is not the
iedst provision for religious instruction to
| the inmates. Bibles. tracts and books haya
| neen distributed there; and the hope is en-
| tertaned that the city councils will make
| ngious service can be held at least every
| Saooath. While We are doing all we can
| tor the heather 1t is time our attention was
oaiieu 10 these neglected unfortunates In
our very midst. Mr.. Rhees from the com
| m1ttee on periodicals stated that the read
| ing room was much the best In the city
| ana the daily and weekly papers are now
| received from every important CITY in the
| Union Mr.. Ballantyne proposed the for
! nation of a museum of heather idols. relics
ana so FORTH for illustration of Sabbath
| sehools and missionary societies: adopted.
| Ana Messrs Ballantyne Duncan and
thompson were appointed committee to
| effect this object. Messrs. Coolidge. Myrick
| ana Miller were appointed a committee to
| report whether 1t was desirable to obtain
| an act of Incorporation"
xx
The Potomac has not been frozen over
| this season and the contrast. therefore. be-
tween present conditions and
| FROZEN those half a century ago. as
| Harbors described in the following par
agraph In The Star of Febru-
| airy 81, 1885, is striking:
| THE ice blockade still hugs our harbors
with the tenacity of polar bear At Bal
tin ore the Relief steamer has been sta
| tlonary off Fort Carroll for lack of fuel but
| expects TO get under way again today. The
| hve steamers OF Cromwelrs line are lying
! all together about a mile and a half below
| the Relief and are working up slowly hay-
| ing with the united efforts of their officers
| and crews succeeded In cutting some three
| to four miles of track The Relief will
work down until she meets these steamers
| The Ice is from II to 10 inches in thick
| ness where the steamers are at work 1t
| has broken away today for the first time
| from Rock Point to North Point and is
| moving over toward the eastern shore At
Philadelphia the prolonged northwesterly
| gales have not only thickened the Ice but
| produced such low tides as to impede the
of the ferrybOatS fhrnupb ba
| channels cut for them When the river
| breaks up and the frozen field begins to
! float it will be next to impossible for the
| steamers to cross and the obstruction Will
! probably continue for several days"
| Notwithstanding this gloomy picture
Washington soon experienced little re-
| lief from the elements and in
Signs of The Star of February %, 1856
is the following paragraph, de-
spring. scriptive of the first signs of
| spring:
odd Sol Is returning from his pilgrimage
| to the southern cross and again cheers us
| with his genial rays. There are as yet snow
| banks in our streets and the broad Poto-
mac is fast In the chilly embrace of the
| Winter King, but it may be safely declared
| that General Thaw Is getting the better of
| General Frost, carrying away more by day
| than can be solidiied at night. Truly may
we in this Lenten season reecho the song
| OF General Morris:
Thank God for pleasant weather.
Chant It, merry rills,
And clap your hands together,
Ye exulting hills.
| Thank Him bird and birding,
As ye grow and singi
Mingle In thanksgiving,
Every living thing"
THE ladies are especially jubilant and
| come forth in full feather, sweeping the
| muddy pavement with their costly dresses
or displaying dainty dimity-embroidered
| expressly to be displayed. In New York
| this ridiculous custom of trailing skirts is
given up, except by the 'snobs You have
made my dress too long, ma am, said
| pouting beauty last week. Impossible
| miss replied the distinguished milliner.
| How SOL? 'See the pavement has worn off
| the skirt In that case, miss. am not
| responsible. You have walkedi ] design
| only for those who keep carriage Alas,
poor Broadway"
MR.. GROVE OF OMAHA.
| From the Springfield Union.
Pat Grove is giving out statements