The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-12-19
CHANGES SINCE ONE
HUNDRED YEARS AGO

A writer in the Milwaukee Sentinel
calls timely attention to many reasons
for national gratitude which exist at
the present time. but which were abso-
luely unknown one hundred years ago.
The schedule of new things serves two
excellent purposes. First, it shows those
who may believe they have little ground
for being thankful how many real rea-
sons there are and, on the other hand,
it NAV give rise to certain degree of
wonder that the good folk of even half
a century ago were as grateful as those
living in the plenary year OF grace 1910.
For instance. there was not even
general observance of Thanksgiving
Dav at all half hundred years ago.
Except in New England. there was no
recognized annual Thanksgiving Day
until about 1870, according to the writer
mentioned, though, of course, the OBJ
servhnce was much more general than
the bald statement implies But going
back to 1910, the New England Thanks
giving dinners had, it is true, turkey
and cranberry sauce. but they had few
of the vegetable side dishes and relishes
without which no festal board is com
plete today.
There were no canned goods at that
tme-a fact which may cause some to
sigh that they did not live in that far
off dav The fruits now brought from
the very ends of the earth in a couple
of weeks were absent from the great
majority of Thanksgiving tables. The
dinners were not cooked on gas stoves
or oil stoves or coal stoves or ranges.
There was no baking powder or yeast
cakes, no graduated sugar, no ground
spices. no fiavoring extracts, no ready
roasted coffe-practically none of the
countless housewives conveniences and
accessories available today. So much
| for the dinner.
The diners had no railroad trains on
which to ride 10 the family reunions.
! They could not telegraph or telephone.
A letter was three days getting as far
| as htter now goes in three hours,
and nearly a week going from New
York to Boston. There were no matches
| or gaslights or electric lights. There
| were no sewing machines and no stores
where clothing, hats, shoes or furniture
could he bought. There were no rubber
shoes or raincoats. s coal stove was
unknown. and even wood burning stoves
were q luxury OF the rich, Horse ears
were undreamed of. and Fulton S steam
| boat was only two years old. There
| We're no bathrooms in the modern sense,
and no sewers or fire hose or plumbing.
/ Even Standard Oil was in the misty
| future. ard kerosene had not been Gin
vented. - There were no photographs.
Writing paper was made from rags,
while the pens were goose quilts. There
were 10 lead pencils, and of course no
| cameras or kodaks
From many Of the pests of this day
| our forefatherS were mercifullv deliv-
| cred, Int on the whole one is tempted
| 10 wonder that the Thanksgiving spirit
could he very enthusiastic, and he does
not wonder that PuritaniSm had such a
| firm hold on the thought of the people.
There was 50 little about which to lie
| Jolly. And vet. with it all. our great
grandparents managed TO live a toll
| eTal}v happy existence. and they hand
| ed down tangible results Of indispens-
| able moment and traditions of ,ines-
| tjmahIe formative value, and We're in
most respects ancestors who may he
/ wisely and proitahly enulated by those
who 1--WE today and those who may come
! after rs.