Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-10-25

Seventy-five years ago, 1851, that
is the year the yacht America" de-
feated the English yachts off the Isle
of Wight-winning the cup that has
remained here ever since. 1851, less
than 20 years after the invention of
telegraphy, people still stood in awe
of the telegraph preferring to COM
municate by mail-slow but sure,
they said. Then, too, it was expen-
sive, for rs years ago money was
scarce and high. Only skilled me-
chanics got two dollars a day-an
ordinary carpenter or machinist got
Sl.0O-a common laborer, seventy
live cents-a good farm hand could
get as much as ten or twelve dollars
month and his board-an extra
good man might get fifteen dollars.
"Seventy-five years ago there were
few railroads. The usual manner of
travel was by stage-CoaCh or other
horse-drawn vehicle. The roads were
seldom in good condition and it was
a good horse that could go fifty miles
a day and keep it up at that rate.
Truck wagons were drawn by
sight to see a farmer in town who
had come ten or. twelve miles with a
load of produce drawn by oxen.
Such trip took whole day and re-
suited, if fortune smiled on him, in
a profit of two or three dollars.
Think of ia man, a wagon and
two oxen, all day in earning three
dollars.
'Eut then money would buy more
of the necessities of life than it will
now. In 1851 tallow candles were
used for illumination. There were
burning fluids-most of them dam
geroNs. Whale oil was used to some
extent. and old whale oil lamps are
still shown as curiosities-many peo-
pie had molds and run their own
candles.
Seyenty-fve years ago seed was
sown, dropped, covered, cultivated by
hand-the mower and reaper were
unknown. Grain was cut with a
sickle and threshed with a flail-hay
was moved with hand scythe-rak-
ed and handled by hand. In farm
ing communities IS years ago cook
ing was done in the fireplace and
baking in brick ovens. Cook stoves
were coming into use but were
scorned by many good housewives as
food spoilers
"Ready-made clothing was I'M
known. Sewing and knitting were
home duties-it was quite a number
of years after 1851 before the sew
ing machine came into general use.
Spinning and weaving We're common
accomplishments whir-r-r of
the spinning wheel and the thump-
imp of the hand loom were often
heard.
There were no daily papers and
not many Weeklies. The arrival of
the Gospel Bannen" 1.-THE Maine
Farmer" or the Portland Trans
cTipt' was an event in many house
holds. Families exchanged papers
and boarded them. Many an attic
contained files of the weekly papers.
such a file of the Gospel Banner"
and Belfast Age" was possessed by
my Uncle George and afforded us
great entertainment on rainy days
and Sundays.
THE young people of today, i'm
agine, think it must have been rath-
err a dull world-no trolley cars, no
automobiles, no filing machines, no
moving picture shows-but after all.
1 think we laughed as often and as
merrily as people do now-a- days.
There was every where always lot
of play mixed in with the hard work
and the total of human happiness
was large.
1.-The generation living Is years
ago visaged the coming of the Civil
War. There was great political UNI
rest and much excitement during
electoral campaigns. The boy of '51
was the soldier of 81 and the work
he did testifies eloquently of the kind
of people who lived in Maine and the
other states at that time.
maine was not q populous state.
It contained less than $4,000 people
not so many as live in the City of
Boston. Yet first and last the old
Pine Tree State sent over 10000 men
for the armies and navies of the Re-
public.