Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-18
On Wrestled With the High Cost of Living

of Nellie Custfs is frequently mem
toned, some of the items concerning
her being:
"Pd. for bonnet and trimmings for
Miss Custis, S2.7o" Certainly one place
where the II. c. of l.. has fallen off)y
Pd. for gloves for Miss Custis. $2.26';
..Handkerchiefs for Miss Custis, $500:
-Four months music tuition for Miss
GUSTS. s62.20.'
Some of the items listed in this ac-
count which, according to the prices
we are accustomed to pay, are very
expensive, are:
tin ice inolds. Observation-Disclosures $3.50
/ yd. muslin for Mrs. Washington 1.66
215 pounds of loaf sugar. 60.15
But. in contrast to these. there are
also many items which appear sur
prisingly cheap, as. for example. the
payment of S9.33 for George Steptoes
Washington's quarter bill at college: 40
cents for the repairing of shoes for
"Oney." and 81 for set OF earrings
and necklace for Miss Harriet Wash
ington. not to mention So a month paid
to one servant for months work. and
SIS given to another for "a quarters
work"
Linen. according to Maj Jackson's
accounts. appears to have been gooo
deal more expensive then than now
for we find that Mrs Washington IN
vested s2662 for pink cambrick Tor
the Presidents shirts" while cotton
handkerchiefs for the BLACK servants
cost - cents each.
-
An interesting sidelight on the life
OF Washington is thrown by the many
references in this account book to tho
money given in charity. Hardly page
of the financial diary but contains the
q entry Gave a poor woman 81" or Gave
a distressed Mason So" while among
the other Interesting items Of this ma
ture are: Gave to two Turks guinea
each; Gave toward building Dutcn
Roman church in Baltimore. So; Gave
to two Frenchmen who brought letter
from Mos delafayette, $40.
Scattered throughout the pages OF
Mai. Jackson's account book are also a
number of items, interesting mainly
because of their quaint or unusual ma
ture. OF these. the following are iair
examples: The freight of a saddle OF
mutton from Baltimore by stage. $l-I6
cpd. d, Timmfns for soup. $1,000 Zone
could get a lot of soup for SIS these
davs,. "Pd Marcy for dressing MIS-
Washington aigrets, $26.44 PAD LOT
livery lace, s59.33"; "Pd- for eight pair
of silk hose for the President and Mrs
Washington, s1494": Subscription to
the New York Magazine for 1871, $Z.2a
81 gallons of sperm oil lot ianps
s24 &c." Gave G. W. 2. Custs $o1L'
and many others.
Ant what is probably one OF the most
interesting records connected with the
financial life of Washington's time is
the menu, with prices, of the nrst
Fourth of July banquer ever served, on
JuIv 4. 1875. at which Gen. Washington
and his staff sat down.
The diary of one of these omcers
states that the meal consisted of Lee
of mutton (5s 3d). Loyn of veal (IsD
Roast of Beef (6s SD, Cabbage, beeti
and beans (5s cd. Peas t2s). Potatoes
(2s) and Blacklist and Lobster 1bs Sd)
"a total expenditure of fl lbs Sd oil
about IS in our present currency.
Unfortunately, the officer fails &c
state how many partook of this ban
ouet but from the other data available
1t would appear that living as a whole
in Washington's day was little, IL any
cheaper than it is at the present time