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Show Do Yoh Remember? . . . By MAUDE H. BENEDICT 3 DO YOU REMEMBER? . . . When the first Edison phonograph phono-graph came out in all the glory of a huge flower-shaped horn morning glories, pansies, lillies beautifully painted? The cylindrical cylindri-cal records and some of the artists recorded thereon? Ada Jones and Billy Murray sang, together, "Peaches and Cream," "I Picked a Lemon in the Garden of Love," "On Ya Way, Ba-bar" and Ada's solo, "Just Plain Folks," that brought tears to the eyes? In that era when everybody had a "parlor," used only on rare occasions, oc-casions, the window shades always drawn except for weddings and funerals? When the parlor center-table held a set of stereopticon glasses and views? Some pictures on serious ser-ious subjects, others scenes of Yellowstone park, or some beautiful beauti-ful large city attraction, comics such as "Biddie serving tomatoes, undressed," "Biddie walked into the dining room clad only in her shimmy (chemise) while the horrified hor-rified family gaped in astonishment" astonish-ment" ? When girls entertained their "young men" with songs, in which mother, father, and children join ed? Remember the glass-enclosed bouquets on Grandma's parlor table, and the singing seashells? When most of the men wore their hair parted in center, combed straightly down each side? When women were so delicate they fainted at everything and nothing no-thing a mouse, toad, worm, a runaway run-away horse, a jealous twinge were plenty good cause for a swoon? The young men were accustomed ac-customed to helping a lady in distress, dis-tress, and seemed to prefer those helpless little frightened females who were too frail and dainty to live in this cruel world! When almost every lady carried a small vial of smelling salts, cologne, co-logne, or essence of camphor, in case of a swoon? First aid procedure was to loosen loos-en her stays" (foundation garments gar-ments to you) and bathe her alabaster ala-baster brow and apply harts horn until the victim sighed, opened bewildered be-wildered eyes, and gasped, "Oh, dear, where am I? I am so giddy!" Often the fair damsel would "come to" before first aid could be administered. Probably couldn't hold her breath any longer! Boy! Did that delicate business work! Every man was all sympathy, sym-pathy, and many a proposal came shortly on the "heels" of a faint. Remember when a lady's waist must not measure more than twenty twen-ty inches and eighteen-inch waist was considered the last word in smartness? Corsets were heavily boned, in those days, laced up the back with heavy strings to stand the strain of being pulled to make an eighteen-inch waist out of a twenty-six! It required help to lace them up. The strings pulled until the wearer yelled a halt, and an eighteen-inch waist resulted. No wonder won-der women fainted! That was the Grecian Bend fashion, fash-ion, and for its time was beautiful, beauti-ful, too! When flies swarmed in stores, church, homes, everywhere, and what an innovation a fly swat was? Prior to that invention, sticky fly paper was the inefficient ineffi-cient method used to trap flies. Quite unsatisfactory it was for it was placed on window sills, tables, chairs, beds, and pinned to curtains cur-tains where a slight breeze would fan it into the room and often wave it in someone's face or hair! Many a pair of trousers were stuck fast to a sheet of the stuff. Later, when it came in long strips, gummed for action,, it was fastened to light cords, where the family continually ran into it. In autumn, when cooler evenings came, remember the screen doors black with flies? How several times each day flies were shooed out of the house everybody's house and the admonition to "hurry and close the screen door" was heard fifty times a day? Remember the fly traps made of screen wire (baited with sugar and vinegar) that were placed in back yards, and many communities communi-ties gave prizes for the most flies trapped ? By comparison, the present pres-ent method of fly extermination by anaesthetics, in the form of spray, is much more humane and sure death. Nice subject, flies, but once they were a very real menace to health and a pest dreaded by everyone. sprinkling cans, clothes line rope, water pails and such commodities commodi-ties ? Remember Gid Wood, the owner of the store the dapper, genial business man he was? Remember how all stores smelled of new calico and of Arbuckle's coffee? Do you remember that coffee came unground and each household had a coffee grinder? The pungent smell of coffee? Rain, wet dirt streets, milk-laden breath of homing hom-ing cows, and oranges on a holiday? holi-day? Do you remember ? Do you remember the hitching posts in front of Deal Bros, and Mendenhall's store, the water troughs here and there along Main street? Gid Woods' store windows one side trimmed with notions, thread, ribbon, hooks and eyes, etc., the other window featuring |