The "Good Ole Days"

A friend sent me an email containing some facts about life in America in 1906. Though I am sure this has made its rounds throughout the internet I just couldn't resist. I did a little more research and converted the various lists into commentary. Happy New Year Everyone!......Enjoy.

The Year is 1906

One Hundred Years Ago

If you hang around your older relatives and neighbors long enough you will inevitably hear something along the lines of: "If we could only go back to the good ole days". But what were those days really like?

Sure, things were cheaper:

-Sugar cost 4 cents a pound
-Eggs were 14 cents a dozen
-Coffee was 16 cents a pound
-Flour was 20 cents for a 3 pound box
-Ham cost 12 cents a pound
-Sirloin Steaks cost 9 cents a pound
-Milk (condensed) cost 12 cents a can
-Cream Cheese cost 14 cents a pound
-Butter cost 24 cents a pound

You could buy children's boots for 99 cents a pair, a men's suit for $8.89, ice skates for 60 cents, rent a 6 room house in New Jersey for $12.00 a month and you could mail a letter, first-class, for 2 cents (which is the only way people communicated over distances since long distance phone calls cost four dollars a minute or more). Sounds great right? Well, not so good when you consider that the average worker made $200.00 to $400.00 per year (22 cents an hour), though there was no income tax back then so they got to keep a lot more of it.

The cost of living might be questionable, but people are really talking about society when referring to the good ole days right?

-Women couldn't vote in most states
-Natives Americans couldn't vote anywhere
-Literacy tests, poll taxes and a host of other obstacles kept the poor from voting
-America was still segregated based on race
-Employers could refuse to hire someone based on their race, sex, age, religion, etc.

Well, that's all politics though. When considering life in America in the good ole days we are really talking about everyday life.

Life was certainly different. Neighborhoods across America had ordinances prohibiting people from moving in based on race, marital status, income, religion and more. Though pre-marital sex could land you in jail in many places, people were probably less inclined towards it since only 14 percent of American homes had bathtubs and women generally only washed their hair monthly, using borax or egg yolks as shampoo.

Life was also shorter. There was a near complete lack of environmental or safety regulations which surely contributed to the low average life expectancy of 47 years. This was also "helped" by the fact that 90%+ of all doctors had no college education and instead attended "medical schools" which where considered substandard at best by the press and the government alike. Maybe that is why 95% of all births happened in the home and the leading causes of death were:

1. Pneumonia and Influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart Disease
5. Stroke

On the upside, people were likely more relaxed in America back then. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. In those days pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."

Many claim that we respected our elders more in the good ole days. Yet, there was no Social Security, no laws against age discrimination, no Mother's or Father's days, and rather than nursing homes, we sent all but the wealthiest of the elderly to "poor house" and the like (as well as the disabled and the poor).

There were fewer entertainment options back then as well. Obviously there was no TV, game systems or internet access and only the wealthiest among us could afford a car or a telephone. However, there were also no crossword puzzles, canned beer, iced tea or microwaves. There was no National Football League; the only football back then was college ball (though 1906 was a great year for it as the forward pass was finally allowed).

Education was getting better though. Nearly 80% of white Americans could read and write, though only 6 percent graduated from High School (minority numbers were likely quite lower).

When someone starts talking about the good old days, ask them what they mean specifically. They might just surprise themselves with their answers.