Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-05-02
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
Peqler


NJ can. went to meeting In
his r>fleighborhood the other
night and heard a $50 lecturer.
billed as an author. thinker and
world traveller. promise that
the good old days would never
return.
He was being sarcastic about
the good old days. pointing out
that SO per cent. or some such
figure. of the American people
had lived in slums or troopers
cabins.
That more than half Of the
population had had to get
along on an average of two
and one-third eggs and six.
point, seven ounces of meat a
week and one and one-third
new shoes year.
All this while APT families
hogged 81 per cent of the na-
tional income and controlled all
but 1894 and some odd cents
OF the nations wealth.
-
ET DON'T know where they
L get all those per cents and
seven-eighths that they rattle
off so easy" Mrs. Spelvin said.
The way remember people
were doing pretty good back
there I'm the good did days.
THE trouble II somebody
beats you over the head with q
lot Of statistics.
You feel 80 sorry over how
you suffered and II you could
just get your hands on a ball
bat you would march down to
Wall street and bust couple
OF miliionaires over the head for
treating everybody 80 ornery.
Babies didn't have enough
milk while those rich society
buns were stopping up cham
payne at Palm Beach ut $25 q
quart"
81 THINK they get the per
Il cents and eighths from tho
government" Mr. Spelvin said.
Il think they have got de-
partment Of per cents and
eighths down there.
whenever you hear about
strikes Mrs. Perkins pops back
that we only lost one, decimal,
two-oh-two man days per mil
lion workers per month by
strikes.
AT the same time we lost 81
point four man days from ma
laria alone TO say nothing of the
loss because people were ~
ragge poor they were
ashamed to go out OF the house"
"WeIl, just think back" Mrs.
Spelvin said. and IL certainly
doesn't seem like they could he
right figures.
I'm the '2Ts 80 many people
were going To Florida you
couldn't rent a doghouse under
S1O0 a month.
s"I'HINk Of how the ads used
Il to say See America First
People were tearing all over
the place up 10 the mountains
and the lakes and California.
They were buying expensive
clothes to slide down hill on
skis and sleds.
Think of Nil those country
clubs where they played golf
and got plastered.
II don't see how anybody
could say II was just the mil
lionalres that had a good time.
There were great big movie
houses In every town and swell
cafes and shows 10 entertain
the public while YOU toyed with
rare ,iandS and exotic deli
caCies.
How can they say they were
such lousy days because the
only reason they advertised to
see America first was because
40 many thousands OF Amerl-
cans were getting on the for
eigR steamboats, and going over
TO France 90 get stewed.
50 DON'T know the per cents
but an awful lot Of Amer
leans who certainly weren't
rich were having n swell time
Just the same, and II those were
such rotten days why you can
call me peculiar.
II Just love suffering and
would certainly like to sec
them back again just like they
were with almost everybody
having a new car every year.
Think how all those miles OF
swell little new houses went up
I'm the suburbs of all the towns
all over the country and swell
new schools aud how the col
lege attendance went up so 10
times -rnany kits got an edu-
cation a when we were young.
why didn't you pop up and
tell the guy all that" Mr..
Spelvin asked
II just wasn't sure" Mrs.
Spelvin said. II just remember
by ear because I was there,
personally.
You can't argue against sta
tistics 30 l figured better keep