New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1927-07-30
MODERN Children
find LIFE EASY
Youth Of Yesterday Forced to
Create Own Diversions

dren' are vacationing at this or
mat resort in the mountains or at
the shore is SO frequent in the sum-
fner period each year that the fact
has come to be accepted and ex-
pectcd. 1t carnot fail, however. to
call to the minds of many men and
women who were children a decade
ago, that they would have consid-
cred themselves fortunate in the
extreme to have been allowed to
nave week or two away from
home. enjoying the cooling breezes
and disporting themselves in the
manner Of present doy youngsters.
In New Britain 20 or 80 years
Ego. the families whose mode of liv-
ing included an annual trip to a
vacation place We're few and far be-
tween. True. there We're some who
rot only enjoyed the pleasures and
luxurics of the seaside and noun
tains. but owned summer homes
whore they spent two or three
months, and their children conse-
quently did not know the discom-
forts of the city on hot day in
midsummer. The majority of fam
lies, however. had children who
knew full well how the home town
looked and felt from January to
January. Those children are prob
ably now the parents of youngsters
who are familiar with the locale of
many resorts in Connecticut and
elsewhere and have considerable to
say in the family council at which
the selection of the vacation place
is made
The children of the 20-year-ago
period. that is, the many who knew
IF the seashores and mountains only
through photographs, did not per-
nlit time TO drag, however, from
June to September, and it is possible
that their vacation fun was as
wholesome and beneficial as that of
the kids" of today, albeit it was
much less expensive. Much of the
sport Of those days is unknown now,
as the progress of the times has
produced other amusements and
CIduSSu Tic COlultlOllS SuIl
the bringing up of the rising gen.
Grafton.
To begin with, every child Of the
so-called middle class went barefoot
from the day school got let OUT to
the day it opened, with the eXcep-
ton of an hour on Sunday, when
religious services demanded the
wearing Of the Sunday best
clothes. including shoes. And how
those shoes hurt for that hour Sum
day morning. Like the man who
asked 10 be hit on the head because
it felt so good when the pain
stopped. the youngsters in 1900 and
Whereabouts could not reach lone
soon enough after church to yank
off the stiff, shiny leather fixtures
OF torture. Not everyone wore shoes
on Sunday, either, for the black and
blue stone bruises and the cuts in
the big toe often would not permit
of anything near them and so many
a foot went uncovered Sunday as
we'll as week days.
~
the forenoon. either in SOME fellows
yard or OH the street. and not every
player had glove. either. In fact,
the fellow who had a glove often
went without it because he felt
more sure of always having it If he
kept it home and out of sight. A
length of wood, barrel stave, or
stick mother used for pounding
the wash clothes often served as
bat and if records We're kept they
would probably show just as many
home runs We're made and equally
as many widows broken as there
gre nowadays even though the lively
ball that the big leaguers talk about
had not been thought Of.
In the afternoon, the gang had
the daily swim. Sometimes they
went to Luther's. other times to
Stockholm's or Mine Foot" but
they went without fail. And they
went by foot, every inch of the way.
No life savers near them, nobody to
show them the fancy strokes, yet
they had their fun and enjoyed it.
Towels? The warm sun answered
the purpose. Bathing suits? Well,
the ole swimmin' hole was back in
the woods, you see, and anyway
there was nobody but fellows about.
Frequently. when New Britain
had a team in the Connecticut
League, the gang would take in a
,l,i,- l,, .iy ri
Field along Plainville Road and
waiting outside for q foul ball.
Whoever retrieved the ball was ad-
mitted to the game and the trick
was to be in the bleacherS before
the umpire started play. Once in a
while. OF course. it would be neces-
larry to wait until an inning or two
had been played especially if the
gang outside was unusually large
but as rule most OF the bunch
would be inside before game time.
The only peek at the seashore
those "llids" Rad was on the day of
IN excursion to Savin Rock or
Lighthouse Point The mutual aid
association of a factory. or a fra
ternal organization gave the excur-
sions, and what a treat they We're.
Adults tickets sold for rs cents or
| dollar. and children's tickets for
30 cents. FiftT cents to some young
sters today might buy their candy
for a few days. but TO the boys and
girls a decade ago. so cents meant
The price of an excursion ticket, and
then, TOO, there was the matter OF
pop corn, peanuts, soda pop, flying
horses and other necessities of the
day to be paid for. A dollar bill at
least was nece ssary and if ever any
one obtained more zeal pleasure and
enjoymsn through the expenditure
of one greenhack than did those
Youngsters the fact has escaped rec
ord.