There are some people who yet think that those who lived 50 years ago really had better times than the people of today. Let us look into this matter and see if this is true.Fifty years ago people lived in log houses. These houses had puncheon floors; they had but few windows. The “jinnies “ (beds) were nailed up in one corner of the house. There were no rugs, pictures, musical instruments, nor non of a thousand necessary conveniences that the people of today enjoy. Fifty years ago if you wanted to take a bath, you were compelled to use an ordinary wash tub or possibly go to the creek.
Today the old spinning wheel is a rear curiosity, but 50 years ago it was absolutely indespensible. In those days the workworn housewife could be (smudged; can not read) far into the night. In those days the mother not only made all the clothing the children wore, but also wove all the cloth from which the clothes were made.
Fifty years ago instead of a horse drawn wagon, the best buggies, and the comfortable automobile, the people used the old fashioned "squeaky" ox-wagon.
In those days there were no market for anything we had to sell. Corn was worth only fifteen to twenty cents a bushel. A wagon in those days cost about $50.00. In other words one would have to give at least 200 bushels of corn for a wagon. Today if you have 200 bushels of corn to sell, you can but a wagon and put a $100.00 in your bank.
Fifty years ago eggs were worth from three to five cents a dozen; hens were worth twenty-five cents apiece, cotton was worth $1.50 per hundred. Today eggs are worth from twenty-five to fifty cents per dozen in our local markets; corn is worth $1.25 per bushel. Cotton is worth ten cents per pound. Butter is worth fifty cents per pound. Hay is worth from $20.00 to $40.00 per ton. In fact everything we have to sell is at a good price. Then too, 50 years ago, wages were poor as compared with today.
As was stated above, 50 years ago the people lived in uncomfortable, inconvenient log houses; today we have beautiful homes equipped with every conceivable convenience. Today if you want a skilled physician, you only have to go to your telephone and call any one of several doctors that you know. Fifty years ago, you would have to ride a “skewball” all night to find a doctor, and when you returned with him very likely the patient was either well or dead.
We should not forget to mention that we have better schools today than 50 years ago. Fifty years ago a school consisted of one house, one book, one bench, and one teacher. Today we give every child a chance to be educated.
God bless the pioneers of 50 years ago. They deserve to be praised for the many hardships which they endured. They were patriotic, industrious, truthful, honest, and brave. In fact, they possessed all the characteristics of desirable citizens, but this does not prove that times were better then than now.
Signed Elbert Robinson
Pocahontas Star Herald, 7 March 1924