Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1912-08-15
9N<<<%<%<<<<%<<<%<<<<<<<
: COUNTRY MERCHANT
: ON COST OF LIVING

From the Washington stal

am reading some newspaper talk
about the high price Of living." said q
country gentleman who has kept coun-
try general store a few miles below Wash
layton for something like half a century
~ be made this observation he looked UP
from his country weekly. Then he con
tinued:
It's not high prices but high living that
IS causing you city chaps much trou-
Die. You don't show any sense in the way
you spend your money, you think too
much of having n good time. you let your
serves want great deal more han YOU
need and the result is that you cant af-
FORD To buy enough to eat. Most of you
city folks have to come oiit to your coun-
try Kin to get square meal Look at
that riding whip--crop. you call ii. Made
IN England. and cost every bit of 30 cents.
used To cut switch in The woods To ride
my horse. And look at Your boots and
riding breeches. You could &c, along just
as We'll with par Of long pants and a
good, strong. 81 pair of shoes. and yet
YOU talk of the high cost of living.
i was up to the city last month.
nave To go there on business now and
then. else wouldn't. ] heard store
clerk say he bad bought ticket for a
baseball game and paid A dollar for It,.
Great Jupiter. "A man TO pay dollar to
see baseball game. The same fellow
was smoking o-cent cigar. went into a
quick-lunch. though don't like to eat
away from home and the young lady VINO
"ai'ea ON me sac she haa beeh 70 lhe
'hea'er 'he night before was going on an
excursion next Gay ana WENT 70 me NOV
!,s pictures '"' oi tiiee lines "ees
her chance she would have told me Il
hard luck story about the high cost of
living.
"Out on the avenue men and women
49,, - 80, - - -,
-, g ,s $780,,
~. .a..'., 90 ~;
a,,..,, .l,,,i,7,,. ,,,,,.,., ~,
,,,,,, "a, .'.,,f. ,;',,tr ~ ,bs.,. .hi,,r,s
,sa.,. s,si, 80 49,, a. ,, ~.
si,as ,b,, ,,,.,a ne,.,nc,tn,, ,h,ir h,si.
- -. -,
n.as, ~ ''es na" any 49,, ~ ne.
-. my, ,, "os'',, 49,
- va - 80, ~,
-. -. -. "a, ,,.,,i, ~. ava s,,.,.
-" 80 pot's 49, =, 49,, vi.
tpo,., 90. .,",s ,rha, Vii no. ,,.a,r i. or
Doa. " ~. d ~,
,.,,e g.. ,h .,,a,. ,.,,,,,a s.n,.,, 10
- 49,.
VIZ ~ W. "a ne -,
-" .'s ,', VIZ, 49,.
=, " - ~; -
So i,, -, -.
-, - .
~. up s ,i',. os'n aas!, =, go,
.i'e ''''i $50 soi.i' .'p a',.. ~, ',;,,s
III VIZ ''iNs' ' .y, ,.N, I,. $50
u CO" " Ok. e"- 80 ~ ~
PIE expect. lis.i's 10 e ,ii,
ea'' s.eep Gnu ii"'
"oiH.
lf you want 20 NV" on scare 10 Whlch
your position IN ille dlcoh'es 'ih' YOU
should live. you can lye cheaper now thar
AT any Time before .!tNe t!e ooohs a!u
do 4 n NJ
ainarify high III man 'lah received me
wages commonly paid today TO men OF IN
dlffefent capaclty. Wren was ',oy, ne
would have been psntoc.at. WIN your
Increased prosperity you 1lly people nave
allowed appetite and taste fof luxury ana
style TO outstr.p Your Judgment. YOU
confuse your wants with your needs.
Your Guy iaa-es, wives OK cieths ahu
other types OF dependent men. sit IN
reception hall In an easy rhair or manos-
any and leather, dressed IN morning
gown. take up the telephone. can the gro
Gerry, tell ths grocef%man WHAT you want
and expect II to he Delivered by stEhsh
horse ana wagon. or an autotloDie ana
brought up on an elevator to Your fiat by
boy I'm livery. You want your cereals. a
few ounces at time In gilt packages
with art pictures on the boxes. You want
half pound of crackers wrapped up In
package That costs more IMAM lte crack
ers You want an ounce of cheese IN
porcelain Jar. You want rev Stalks OF
asparagus or ripe tomatoes out OF season,
the first price OF which has been increased
many times by express charges. packing
house charges. drayase commissions and
profits to half a dozen middlemen. You
demand the choicest cuts Of the heaviest
beef steers. You should not think of max
ing beef stew ont of the chuck. rump or
flank of a dairy COW What would the
neghbors think? They would call such
sensible economy miserable parsimony,
downright meanness and all such and
would put on superior airs.
You buy things In such small quanti-
ties and in fancy packages. boxes and
Jars. because you have no place TO keep
IL proper stock of food You have no place
to keep II because you iiNe m ilttle rooms
In a crowded tenement whtf you proudly
call an apartment house. gu do this be-
cause 1t is more convenient and takes less
housework than to keep up place in
the country. You are always looking for
something easy. You insist on living in
city. and usually in consested quarter
of u city. because you can so to bed later
and sleep later in the morning and yet
get TO The store or office ON time And
when you get there the work bores you
and you are in a hurry to get away. You
are too fond of idieaess and not fond
enough OF work.
You city people are IN wrong. Nearly
all of you want to be professional people
or merchants You are looking for easy
jobs and quick profits Only few very
lucky or very crooked people lind such
things.
Now II show you some books to prove
that the things needed to i've on are not
so high Here's an OLD account book ana
we VIII open 1t at RANDOM. lhe year on
this page Is 1855. First class butter was
DO cents pound. Poor people dld not
eat this kind of butter. They ate home