Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1942-04-24
''Chirps'' ~
from the
Democrats Pen

gret that they were born a genera
ton too soon?" If you did, you, of
course, know they were bewailing the
fact that the years had so piled them
selves on their backs, they were IN
able to enjoy the delights Of the pres
emit day, which delights seemed far
more intensive than those Of last cen
tury-the days Of the SOS and COS.
But, I'm here TO tell you those old
days had something TO recommend
them also. In proof of that, one Of
my good friends brought me bill of
items purchased back in the Sos
1851, to be exact, and as / read it, it
made, even me, sigh for the good old
days.
The first item on this bill-dated
November Is, 1851, almost a century
ago-"35 gallons of whiskey at 25
cents a gallon, amounting to 1915.
Boy, o Boy! Why paid mean I
was with man not long ago who, /
saw, paid SOC for one little drink, a
bout two fingers. He had to buy an
other one in order to make it feel IA
Aailiar to his throat.
But, "25 cents a gallon!" Wonder
what sort of "pizen" that was. /
reckon it had the kick of a mule, the
explosive strength of TINT, the ex-
hilaration of a plane flight, and cal
culated to clay you by for, at least,
48 hours after taking. But, doesn't
that price sound alluring? Why,
when you went to the place where
that was sold, the merchant must
have handed out dipper, pointed to
a barrel, and told the purchaser to
help himself, collecting % cents per
dipper, making money at the price be
cause he knew the drinker would be
snoozing under a haystack long be-
fore swallowing eight pints. Just
think, how 25 cents against about SIS
make the old times glow with entranc-
ing splendor.
There was still another item on that
aged and infirm bill: Gone barrel of
Aour, $4.25". Just think of the pam
cakes, doughnuts, fluffy rolls, angel
cake, short cake, ash cake, and
thousand other things you could make
black in the old days., out of bar
rel of flour! Nowadays you'd have
to shell out about $1,000 for the
wheat product. Back in those day,
tho, "Old Dobbin" carried the wheat
to the mill; the miller took his toll,
ground the rest up for you, and you
went home happy. Compare the old
water-turned wheel to the oil-burning
engine of today; compare the old
mill-house on the dam side with the
buildings in Pocomoke, and you have
the answer.
We come to another very interest
ing record: 800 segars, $1.6218."
Calculate, you mathematician, just
how much that would be per "seegar"
Just a fraction of one-third of a
cent. Can you imagine the effluvia
arising from the weed that went into
the manufacture of one of those
smokes? Why, in about five min
utes your head plus your stomach
would be on the bum. Just one good
effect of those would be to make a
man swear off forever and a day. 1
don't know whether these would make
you sigh for the good old days or not.
Maybe, one of Cuba's best is more at
tractiVe.
These farmers wives ought to be
ashamed of themselves collecting 40
cents per pound for butter. Back
there in the "good old days., IA cents
was a standard price. And it was
good butter, too. No oleomargarine,
In those pats of cow product. On the
bill I have before me, SO pounds of
butter sold for $1372. Just think of
the pleasure of eating buckwheat
cakes, soaked in butter at that price.
/ eat dozen now; no telling how
many with accent butter The only
drawback would be a possible indiges-
ton
Here's another item which makes
you look back toward the old time
and weep: 1913 pounds of bacon at II
cents pOund!" You know, believe
it would taste better at that price,
don't you? Nowadays, these store
keepers make you pay 80 cents for
it. That's enough to make the pig
squeal if it were alive; it being dead,
we do the squealing. But it's no
use. The price stays put
Again, think Of this: TIA pounds
of cheese at cents a pound!" That
explains the popularity of cheese and
crackers as lunch-good one, too,
in the days of Eye olde time" Some
people preferred one of the big old
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