The Washington herald., 1907-10-13

hundred had been twenty miles from
home before the civil war. Think of IT.
l.oS4 boys under twenty-one in my regi-
ment. and not a hundred of them had
any actual knowledge Of the mysterious
fsr-off lands twenty miles from where
they first saw the light The civil war
woke them up Education followed the
ak and the flag.
Out OF such conditions came Grant,
lincoln, Sherman Sheridan, and all the
mighty coadjutors Of Lincoln when the
time rang out the call for men to save
the state their fathers had built The
boys had the blood royal-empires in their
brains, and the dauntless hearts and
strong limbs to obey any call or dars any
fate. They had lived on corn bread made
Of corn they helped raise and carry to
the old water mill. They had worn
homespuns from the backs OF their faith
ers' sheep. which they had sheared, and
had seen their mothers spin and weave
in that old cabin where a dozen people
or more lived IN happiness and the fear
Of Cod but In fear Of no man.
At their fathers house they had sell
dom seep money. A hundred dollars a
year was more than the average farmer
handled In any Of those years from 1880
to 1S49
The saloon was unknown, but here
and there some would buy a barrel Of
whisky for 81 and sell It out to the neigh
bors for, twics its cost. in any quantity
desired. There was no license then
Anybody could enter the business freely.
There was a still house in every part OF
the country Everybody almost. drank
more or less. but drunkenness was more
rare Than now. I new recall but two
drunkards that I knew until was six
teen and went OF 20 college. And, by
the way, among the students before the
war no drinking was tolerated. never
knew dozen students who tasted LIQUOR
at ali. and / was. first and last. student
for eight years IN four colleges. and knew
thousands Of students in those days Not
one OF them died a drunkard. Yet they
had never seen the day in their fathers
houses when the whisky bottle. well
filled, was not before them. No locks.
no keys. no thieves. and everybody, ready
to aid everybody else.
Before Era of Trusts.
Everybody learned to trade. Every
township had It's own halter. shoemaker.
barber. tanner tailor. merchant. teacher.
doctor, carpenter, lawyer. and all these
lived on a farm and worked It with the
help Of their children. Every commu-
nifty supplied itself, No trusts, no com
bines then.
The schoolmaster got $50 a year and
his board; the preacher and the doctor,
less. Men who later made statutes.
formed and construed constitutions, led
armies. and wrote history by their lives
and words-lawyers. mean. greater
than any that now I've. far greater
earned about $50 to $500 a year at our
bar and educated their boys and girls
oftener r dozen than less You could
buy horse for $40. a COW for s.. -four at
s. a barrel. salt at q a sheep for 81.
hog OF 900 pounds for S. a calf for 81. a
colt for SO; potatoes for Is cents. apples
and peaches in abundance for far less.
and 50 on TO the end of the list OF neces-
sities for the farmer and his children
who did not buy, but raised them. and
sold all they could spare 70 pay taxes
and the price of land. which cost from
l-25 20 3 an acre.
That was the simple life-lived then.
and only then. never more to be any
thing but a holy memory on this conti-
nent. PRIVATE DALZELL