The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-08-16
COST OF LIVING
PAST and PRESENT
The Hardships of 0Iden Times
Compared With Present
DaV ADVANTAGES.

ago, and he remembers much OF seventy
| five Years ago, and he remembers many
things and many conditions of more
than seventy years ago. And he is still
living with eyes open viewing things OF
the present day. Things have changed
very much in the run of seventy years.
And many are pleased with and enjoy
ing the abundance of the present viii c
many others are whining and grooming
over the present and crying loud 20,
that we had the good old times when
things were SO very cheap" They are
telling about the good old times when
living was so cheap, and mourning over
the present in which it costs so very
much 10 meet the cost of living They
name eggs which were then bought for
six cents per dozen, and fine, solid
country butter for twelve cents per
pound; cured bacon at six cents per
pound, and fine cured ham at ten cents
per pound; and beef at six cents per
pound, corn meal for fifty cents per
bushel, and family flour for five dol
lars per barrel, and half.grown chickens
for ten cents each; grown hens for fiji
teen cents.
Yes the writer lived in the years
when things were cheap and remem'
bers many other things that came along
at the same time; he remembers well
that fine young horses rarely brought
more than fifty dollars and a good COW
rarely more than twelve, while possible
few brought fifteen dollars. Many of
the farmers and inhabitants of little
towns were living comfortably in dwell.
-, IL, Il o.
hundred and fifty dollars. In those
days if mother wanted The help of
woman to clean house or wash things,
there were plenty ready for the work at
twenty-five cents per day.
In those times laboring men received
fifty cents per day and worked from
sunrise 10 sunset, less the time il took 10
eat their meals-Say twelve TO fourteen
hours for a days work in long days.
Good carpenters worked from sunup to
sunset for seventy-five cents per day,
and was we'll acquainted with good
millwright who put up the frame and
put in the machinery for MILL taking
him about three months and working
whole days except for meal time, and
received Seventy-five cents day for
the time, and the job was pronounced
a good job The writer could name
more special things of this kind.
But now the cost of all such things
have advanced in some OF the items two
hundred per cent, and in several the ad
vance is three hundred per cent. Now
| reckon you don't blame people who
cry and mourn about the cost OF living?
Well if you blame them do not, be-
cause these are facts The writer would
be delighted if all these complainerS
could just grasp the conditions OF both
the old aud new, and behold how much
better off they are than they would have
been 10 have lived in the old, cheap
times. In the present everyone that
works or that is producer gets about
three times as much for products as the
old timers got. The watermelon that
now in IFS season brings thirty cents
then was sold for ten cents, and fire
quently for less The day wages for
washer woman, then twenty-five cents,
is now Seventy.five cents; the common
laborer then fifty cents, is now from
one dollar TO one dollar and fifty cents;
the carpenter then seVentyfive cents, is
now three dollars per day of ten hours.
Now the trucker gets about three times
as much for his chickens, eggs and
other things from the farm as the old
timer got And the stock raiser gets
$4,000 for horse which would have
sold for fifty dollars seventy.five years
ago; for his cattle about twice as much
as he then got. The minister of the
Gospel gets three 10 four times as much
as was then paid them for the like ser.
vice. The average member of church
pays about four times as much at the
present time as was paid by members in
the old time. The writer remembers
when boy hearing preacher and the |
Stewards OF the charge urging that the
entire membership of the circuit, young |
and old, ought 10 average 10 the mem
Der one dollar per year for the support |
of the church, but they talked as though |
there would be shortage at that. The
preacher, an ordained minister and
of the Philadelphia conference,
was serving large circuit for salary of
two hundred dollars per year, with a
wife, two children and horse to take
care of but because the circuit was large
and he not al home much of the time,
himself and horse got their meals away
from home and in that day and time he
never had 10 pay for what himself and
horse eat away from home.
When the writer was a boy fourteen
years DID, in the year 1912, he and a
brother wanted TO go 10 a
camp meeting which was ten miles
away; they asked their father if they
might drive horse and he consented,
so the two boys took what we would
call a two wheel dray and lifted the tilt.
ing body off from the axle and shafts,
then we had two wheels and pair of
shafts, and we put a short piece of
board across the shafts against the axle,
put the horse in the shafts like he had
worked to haul things on the farm, and
we took our seat on the board without a
board toIeSt our backs against and our
feet dangling down about ten or twelve
inches above ground; and so in your
mind you may see the two brother boys ,
logging along TO the camp meeting
And they did not feel bad nor mourn
ibout their poor show. All should re. /
member that many more were doing no
better, and when the boys were home {
hat evening they felt as if they had
ipent Sunday at the camp meeting; and
Monday morning they were out on the
arm again cheerful as ever, although !
hey did not ride in a hundred and fifty '
lollar carriage as few others did :
The writer frequently walked four
niles of Sunday morning 10 preaching
md after preaching attended class which
ook some halfhour or more, and we
would get home about p m. In those
lays it was very expensive for a young
4
10th with its trimmings, tailor's work
tic, would cost a man from forty 10
fifty dollars while man can dress as /
veil now for thirty dollars notwith-
landing the tariff imposed on incoming
abrics, so the luxury of clothing has !
I'm down instead OF up-vcry different