The Green Forest tribune., 1913-08-29
I HiRTY-FlVE YEARS AGO
Tribune Editor Falls Into Reminis- cent Mood and "ExpIavicates"
 About "BY-Gones."

The Tribune editor was thrown into a reminiscent frame of mind last Satur- day afternoon as he in company with Dallas Herbert visited the scenes of our early childhood, out north of town, and recounted the incidents of long ago, when we two resided on adjoining places out there and went barefoote d among the grubs, rocks and snakes and devoted our time largely to the pur- suit of Hazards, fighting rooster blos- sons, hunting May apples in season, nursing stone bruises and cutting post oak runners and sasafras sprouts.
 That was along in the latter seventies and early eighties. What a flood of recollections came upon us, as we vis- old associates Many of our compan- ions of those days have long since passed out forever and little if anything has been left to perpetrate their mem- ory.
 The homes and environments of those days were so different then that even to our children an accurate description sounds like fairy stories.
 These were the days when "store clothes" were unknown and shoes were luxury to many children even in the bitter winter. It was then that our mothers, God bless them, wore their finger nails off picking the seed out of cotton and the c0ckleburrs out of wool, carding, spinning, weaving and sewing night and day almost in order to hide nakedness. Such a thing as fashion was unheard of. The fellow who own ed a blue jeans suit or even walnut brown was dressed at3the top notch, while the girls with analine linsy dress es were the belles of the neighborhood.
 You know we worked steers and bull calves in those days to bull tongue blows and hauled wood on sleds and went to mill with tar-pole wagons. Horses were little more numerous than are automobiles now.
 The principal products of the country then were corn and wheat, the latter having to be hauled to stationary machine and threshed out on the shares. Biscuits were rarities, seldom were they enjoyed, not more frequent by many people than on Sunday morning for breakfast.
 Most everything used in that day and time was produced on the fafm. Money was hardly plentiful enough to be characterized as a medium ot eX- change. 'Possum hides, eggs and sun dried peaches often bought the winter, supply of sugar and coffee and the nee essary "chain' to be used in making clothes. The popular "sweetening' then was sorghum molasses, and brown ed wheat or rye made an excellent sub stitute for coffee. Spicewood and sasafac often made a change of table drink that was relished. Few farmers produced enough milk even from three or four cows to give the children enough to drink. Well do l remember how mother used to say at supper, ''Now, children, you will have to take big bites of bread and little sups of milk. "
 Were those happy days? Well, not altogether. A positive negative an swer might be given by me if broaehed suddenly when 1 am thinking of the dislocated toe nails, the hickory withes and peach tree ''tea" that were so common back there.
 But back to my subject Dallas and I sprawed down upon the big flat rocks at the old spring on the Fander place and auaffed from the bubbling stream as we did years ago, and as Dallas emerged he drew his handkerchief; he had more use for it, too, than simply to wipe the water from his nose and chin. We located the exact spot where we put our milk bottles until the noon hour at school, when we feasted or corn cake, roasting ears, and sometimes pick ed drum-stick or chicken wing, of which we had denied ourselves al breakfast in order to have a more pal atable dinner, after having. gone through the arduous exercise of spell ing column of Webster's jaw and reciting lot of stuff about vocals sub -vocals, asperates and forty othel things that we have never since heard of.
 But what's the use? We could go with spasms like this ad infintum.
 What a wonderful change since then Such change has come over the world and this part of it in particular, since we have been in it ! We have at leas to congratulate ourselves that we were born at a most opportune time, fol things have progressed more in tht past forty years than they had for cen turies before.
 Will conditions in the future bring our children the increased Cpportuni ties and luxuries in proportion to those we are enjoying that which sur rounded cur fathers and mothers?
 You must make your own answer.