Semi-weekly herald., 1911-12-21
NOW AND THEN.


Having arrived at the half century
mile post in age we feel that we are
qualified, and sometimes justified as
well, in talking of the Now and Then,
in telling how different things used
to be, in the days Of our youth, from
what they are today. In many ways
the things of the Now are vastly
to be preferred to the things of Then
but this is not true in all cases, for
instance we are not ready to believe
that the harem skirt of Now is a bit
better, or more ladylike and refined,
than the voluminous skirt that was
worn, in the days of Then, over u
pair OF hoops" which stood out
yard from the ankles of the wearer
in every direction, the one dimly dis
closes the figure completely while
the other exhibited the stocking clad
limbs of the wearer to only about the
garter line, and this only when the
wearer of the hoopskirt was in mo-
ton. When the wearer of a hoop
skirt was standing still the beau
ties of the form beneath were as
successfully hidden as they would have
been had she gone down into dark
NCi1dit SiOoId IlC dOOi anu DiOWh OuL
the candle. Some of the more prim
however wore ankle length pantalets
which afforded protection from the
gaze of the curious even in the most
terrific wind storms.
Another one of the things which
was different in the day of Then was
the way food stuffs were handled,
regarding this matter we are free
to admit, that, in our Judgment the
Now method is vastly better. In the
days of Then soda crackers came in
barrel, as did dried apples and other
fruits, cod fish came in large boxes
and sugar came in hogsheads. These
were opened and stood, generally un-
covered, to take up all the dust and
microbes, although we did not know
much of microbes and germs, they
belong more particularly to the Now
period, and it was not an unfrequent
thing to see the grocer drive the store
cat out of the barrel, where it was
reposing costly, before he would dig
out and weigh up the goods his Gus
toner wanted.
Another thing that we are in grave
doubt is as whether or not the family
magazines of the Then were not real
ly more wholesome, and safe, for the
younger members of the family than
the up-to-date Now magazine.
In our very early days Godey's
Lady Book was the woman's maga-
zine, as we remember it it was nice
ly illustrated work filled with lot
of stories and a few pages of "sty-
les." The stories were all of the in
nocent love type, the heroine was al
ways beautiful and pure girl and
she never once failed to marry the
man of her choice, unless he escaped
by dying, and there was never hint
or a suggestion of that which would
bring blush to the most modest
reader. The up-to-date magazine is,
to say the least, slightly differ
ent proposition. In the current num-
Der of popular magazine which we
read last night, the secrets of mar
riage and race reproduction are dealt
with, in little love story, as frankly
as they were dealt with in the Family
Medical Guide Of the bygone days.
In those days, when children were
spoken of, in a story, they were re-
ferred TO in modest way, the infer
ence being that they were the Act of
God but, in this late story, the wife
is made to talk the matter over
and she decides the matter of "rais-
ing a family" entirely for herself
and gives God no lot or part in the
business.
In the Then story the heroine won
the heart of her lover by her maidenly
reserve and her modest demeanor,
but in the magazines of today there
is a story where teacher, realizing
the fact that she was getting worn
out and losing her good form and |
looks, picks on a wealthy old miser, |
whose head is whitened by the frost |
of about 70 winters, and proceeds
to win him for her own. Does she win |
him by womanly modesty? Well. |
scarcely, she is worldly wise enough |
to know the power of a pretty limb |
and so she goes and spends her last
cent for pretty hosiery, and that |
underwear and high-heeled shoes, and |
strolls out, walking down lane in
which she knows she will meet the
old gentleman driving to town. When
the desired man draws near she
throws herself on one foot and man
ages to badly sprain her sweet lit
tie ankle, attracted by her screams
OF pain the old chap comes to her
and, at her request, he removes from
the injured limb her shoe and stock
ing. He takes her to his home. which
is presided over by an old maid aunt
Of his, here she remains for few
weeks and then they marry. In tell
ing the story afterwards she naively
remarks that she knew she had him
won by the expression which came over
IL face 1t the time he was drawing
~ her stocking. In the story she
Ssnains With her husband for q few
vseIrs, Just long enough to worry