Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-11-05

NJ, attributing the present cost OF
living TO the trusts and the tariff;
others largely to advanced STANDARDS
of living | am one OF the latter, anu
TO prove my point will take the cases
of a father and son with whom l am
familiar. The comparison Will &c the
fathers manner Of living - or y"
wears ago and the sons today. VIII
add that the son lives in q modest I'M
assuming way, his Wife doing her own
work. except that woman goes 10
the home to do the washing ana 10
help about the sweeping.
To begin. | will INCEPTION some prices
in 1865 taken from the account book
OF "A Dover man: Flour, 500 Dbl;
crackers, Is cts. b.: casSia. $l.lo ID:
molasses. - cts. and $1.25 gal;
vinegar, 30 cts gal; bcnzine, so cts
gal. butter Gin Novembcr) ~ cts ID
kerosene, $1.0o gal; bar soap, II cts.
ID; Goldfish (whole) IL cts. lb.; eat
ing apples. Decembcr) 500 bush:
cooking apples. $1oo bush; raisins, IS
cts. ID. In January. 1856 fresh beef for
mincc pies was s cts. H., fresh pork
Is cts, salt pork, - cts. In March a
corn broom was charged at 800 cts.
dried apples. ~ cts. white sugar. II
cts. Maple syrup sold for $l.30 and
there is an entry of $3.50 u day paid
for saving wood which shows that
wages were not high.
From another sourc" | get the fol-
lowing prices for 1870: Flour. $3.50;
tea, $40: mulasscS, = cts: Kerosene.
- cts sugar. 6 lbs for $l.oo; lard. -
cts: print cloth. II cts: rice, - cts:
dried apple, IS p cts. cream tartar,
Il ct IA H.; rHisins, % cts: cheese,
- cts; butter, 80 cts.; bar soap. ~
and - cts.
the father had to pay for the ncccS-
stiles Of life ana NOW | will come to a
comparative manner of living.
1t was the fathers custom in the
fall to buy a fore and hind quarter Of
beef have it cut in suitable pieces,
packed in barrels and stored in 4
back chamber to Sc kept frozen. BY
this method he got tn" different parts
~ the animal at wholesale. The meat
might have been tough, but there was
u" complaint. for western beef had
never been used in the family and
nothing better than native Nns known.
Tho sou. however. buys lis beef US
he needs it, for there would h" CON-
plaint fr it were served more than two
days in succession. and by this meth
cd h" has t" PAY i relatively higher
price.
Tn" fathers flmily consumed Il
large amount Of molASSes ginger
bread ana cookies. but they brcom"
stale in tn" sons fHmily for cake is
non" too good.
Hananas were unknown IN tn" ia
TIERS family and oranges and lemons
""r" something to be used only on
special 'and rarc) occasions. In the
sons home oranges. lemons and ba-
nanaS are 50 common that thcy fire.
uu"nt!y spoil. Confectionery was also
very rare in the fathers home but is
very common in the sons
During the winter it was only nee
"SSarN TO keep one or two rooms i'm
the fathers home warm all the time.
but the entire lower part Of the sons
house must b" kept warm and if there
was SPOT in the building where meat
could be kept frozen the heating plant
would be thrown out as detective.
Not only does modern heating Of
houses require more fuel than did that
uI 40 years ago but there is an addi-
t"nal expense to keep roofs from
leaking because of water backing up
from the caves
me rather was at no expense to fit
up bathroom but the son had to
make an investment of $3.50 to get
ono.
Although kerosene was high 40
years ago the cost of light was not
great because a family was content
to have but one or two rooms lighted
at the same time Today. where
electric lights can be had, the house
must be very generally lighted at a
large increase of expense over the old
custom.
When the father wanted to commu-
nicate with a ncighbor he sent one Of
the children with a note or went him
sen. Inc son cannot be put to so
much trouble, 50 has telephone and
increases the cost of living that much.
The father contributed his share to-
wards the support of his church, prob
aplE not more than 500 a year. The
son is fortunate if he gets out of il
Tor five times that amount and the va
ilous benevolent institutions that
E'T,F to-