Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-14
SO Cents Kept Titus Lowe
a Week, Back in School Days
Pastor of First Methodist
Church Recalls Priva-
tions Endured While
Working His Way In
to an Education.
ByLAuRA M'LAUGHLIN ENNIS


DR.. Titus Lowe, pastor OF First
Methodist church, says that any
Young man with pluck, initiative ard
stick-toitivenes can work his way
through school if he wills to do so;
and Df. Lowe ought to know, for he
"has been through the mill. lie
says: .
"When | went to college it did not
take me long to get rid OF all the
money / had, for didn't have much.
| started TO school, undertaking
nine years course, and | had less
than 500 to begin with"
One of the hard parts. which the
doctor does not generally mention,
was the fact that his father was not
in sympathy with the sons desire to
acquire higher education. and IT
took unusual courage to proceed
against the wishes of his father. But
the young man felt the compelling
power of "the still small voice" call
ing him to preach the gospel, and in
spite OF the fact that everything
needful to the requirement OF a uni
versity degree seemed conspicuous
bv its lack, he determined upon his
life course and started to school.
Tells Of Experiences.
DR.. Lowe laughingly tells today OF
his hard experiences; but to the
young Titus Lowe of twenty-odd
years ago these same experiences
lacked enduring humor. OF late
years, he never visits Pittsburgh
without hunting up his old room
mate who went through the first
years of school with him. This friend,
now a successful business man, takes
particular pleasure in entertaining
DR.. Lowe at his club. Invariably,
as they feast upon the fat OF the
land the old days are recalled and
the friend qustions:
"You recall the days, Titus, when
we used to live on SOC per week?
Grub and gasoline at SOL" And they
join in laughter at the recollection.
And this low sum was not the re-
suit of any experimental test for a
single week but was the average cost
for each of the boys extending over
a period of several months. But even
soc is not so bad if you always have
it, or so these boys thought when
the TIME came that they faced the
end of their united resources. For
three weeks, the young Lowe was
the only monied man of the partner
ship, but still they shared alike; con-
tinued in class and hoped. Then
followed the fatal day of the empty
purse!
After Panic Year"
These were the days closely fol-
lowing the panic year" and what
work college boys were able to Sc
cure received but slight reward COM
pared to wages paid today for odd
jobs. There was. however, the other
advantage to offset this handicap.
DR.. Lowe recites that:
Apples were particularly bounti-
tul that year and we could get all
we wanted for 25c bushel, and
can tell you we boys could eat a
let of them. We stewed the apples,
too; and we could buy tomatoes for
7c a can-four cans for quarter;
and oatmeal was only Sc pound"
Il expect you used considerable
oatmeal?"
The memory seemed to be pleas
ant; hearty laugh preceded the re-
play: "Did we? There was not
much variation in our breakfasts; no
catering to tagging appetites with
us! That was one thing we never
lacked-appetites! Every morning
we had oatmeal for breakfast. Oat-
meal, and that was allv'
Cream? No.
with cream, of course?" was in
terrogated.
Cream! We forgot the very ap-
pearance of cream in those days.
But we could get milk at S cents a
quart and sugar was cheap, too, S
cents pound. Yes, l don't wonder
that you laugh at my quoting prices
after lapse of SO many years, but
those figures are indelibly stamped