The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-10-15
M B N w O M E N
 A ND THIN G s

This is a tin can and paper sack day so Tar as the American public is con cerned. for we live out of them to large extent. and the man who could
 "rite the story of the change from the good old days when most things were sold in bulk down to the present pack age period, it would come near show Ing how the high cost of living could be reduced.
 who buys, or rather who can buy in these days of prohibitive cost, a barrel of flour, an old-time box of crackers, a sack of sugar or coffee, or rice, bushel or meal. coop of chickens. a crate of eggs, a keg of syrup. a gallon of honey, a side of meat, hindquarter of beer, a whole hog. or sheep, or kid, or lamb, or even a ham.
 was on the street car some while back and heard one passenger say to an- other so all on board could hear him, when he saw a friend with A ham. "l say, Jim. how on earth did you manage to buy whole. ham?'' It never illustrated Jim in the slightest, for he was ready with good-natured answer. saying: "Ob. it was dead easy. bought it on the in- stallment plan. s1 down and 50 cents . week for twelve months"
 I daresay some of our >old-tinA grand mothers would be shocked if they could get a peen into fba no,trx, ,od ,-;4oA
 cite of some of their granddaughters who were undergoing the slow starvation pro- cess which goes under the name of light housekeeping" which Consists in having the ability to manipulate can opener or unite a paper bag, and diges- into the stomach
 I can can to mind some of the smoke
 houses I have seen in the country where
 the mistress of the establishment had to provide for large family and a troop
 of servants. and be ready at anytime
 to receive host of friends. There was
 no hurrying to the butchers for meat, no
 scurrying to the grocer for flour and
 meal, no demand on the poulterer for
 turkeys. chickens or ducks; no haggling
 with the market man for vegetables abundance
 And with the transition of the ante
 bellum days to present times and pack
 ages it has become necessary to do less entertaining, and while many may have
 the desire to be hospitable, yet the ser
 want question in connection with the ad- vanced price of everything makes it in-
 possible to keep open house as ''befo' the
 war" came on at the end of the Civil
 war, but during my childhood and youth there were those who could not become
 reconciled to the changing order, and so got the flavor of the pre-war period I take credit for having been the prime mover in urging upon people to do their own shopping, and to carry their pur- chases home I was pioneer as a bundle toter, and when first began to go home loaded every afternoon. 1t at tracted as much notice and comment on the Lakeview cars as if I was tipsy. The transfer from the I.akeview. to the
 Mountain Terrace car always subjected
 me to much joshing from my swell neigh bors and there was talk of having a committee of husbands wait on me as ttey complained that their wives were throwing me up to them as model e.ss
 But it took only few years before the war to start some others to carry ing parcels, and then the war broke out, and labor was at a premium. and Urcle Sam got into the game with an urgent appeal fer men and women to do what they could to relieve the able bodied and thereby release them for war service- For awhile it got to be quite fashionable to convert ones self into a delivery wagon. but am sorry to state that quite a few on the signing of the armistice felt that they had been dis charged from the bundle brigade. But I got the habit fastened upon me, and it's now second nature for me to load
 myself up before leaving for home. In fact, get more joshing if happen to be without parcels than do when looking like a veritable Santa Claus Conductor Goodman, who has the night run on the Mountain Terrace car, is so used to seeing
 me with both arms full that when I steI off the platform without looking like a public dray, he cautions me to be care. full in going up the hill as I might loSe my balance and break leg.
 l I can make the proud boast that not an
 article which goes on my table has been delivered at my house by any grocer or butcher this year, for I have made all the purchases myself and been chairman of the transportation committee. As a
 among the grocery stores. butcher stalls and vegetable markets I like to buy my own groceries, select my cut of meats, choose the vegetables and pick among the fruits. It adds to my pleasure when they come on the table.
 I But what sat down to say was that a few evenings ago I came very near swearing off from the delivery business, and it was all brought about by a rotten
 paper sack went by store and bought ten pounds of Irish potatoes, .ten pounds or sugar. some can goods, and then wound up at the bakers. I wasn't over- loaded, for I am a professional when it comes to being able to carry bundles;
 but the paper sack in which the potatoes were put was rotten.H and before I got
 home wished the man who sold them