History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

63

to know whether she will have a handsome husband or not as the well
deserved reward of her efforts to build the yarn systematically upon
the spindle; nor is the boy now required to break his arms and his back
by making a reel of himself for granny to wind her yarn from.
In the lesser affairs of life we find striking contrasts. The boy of
fifty years ago was happy to possess a pair of indifferent skates that he
could strap to his stogy shoes and skim over the crystal surface of some
of our lakes or over the mill pond, which looked a great deal larger
then than it does now, and many of the older boys will remember the
vexation of trying to make the heel corks stay in place. Now they have
patent fastenings and they go on of themselves, and they skate in rinks.
and go on wheels as well as runners, and where we used to slide down
hill on a board, we now have the toboggan. In the matter of music,
too, pianos are almost as plenty now as jewsharps used to be, while
gingerbread as the classic feed on training days is wholly unknown, as
are training days, too, for that matter.
India rubber was first coming into use fifty years ago. It was then
made into a coarse overshoe, wrought into webbing for suspenders, and
also relieved from embarrassment the modest young lady who blushed
to speak of her garters, which thereafter became "elastics."
And then the average boy was happy if he could get a bit of rubber
as a foundation to build his ball upon. Now it would require many
folios to indicate the infinite variety of uses to which it is put. Next
to rubber, perhaps, if not before it, in the variety of its modern uses,
is paper. Fifty years ago it was used only for writing and printing, and
in a very coarse form for wrapping. Now it is found in all grades of
service, from the collar of the dude to the coffin of the sage.
There are other contrasts between the long ago and now. Then,
if we wished to communicate with a friend at a distance it could be
done only by letter with a mail once a week and postage two shillings.
The letter must be folded and sealed by its own fold, as no envelopes
were in use. If the letter comprised more than one piece of paper, even
if not overweight, the postage was two shillings on each piece. As
quarters were distressingly scarce in those days, it may well be conceived that friendly letters were comparatively few. Visits of a few
miles were made on foot. Persons frequently passed a period of sickness and were dead and buried before friends at a short distance even
were apprised of their condition. Now we are in instant communication with friends far away, by telegraph or telephone, while the railway
places us by their side in a few hours even though hundreds of miles
distant.
I have sometimes queried whether affection is as strong now as in
the olden days, and whether the sentiments of love were not more deep
and abiding when the distance was greater between us and the objects
of our regard. Human emotions are drawn out by trials, and it seems
as though the yearning for communion with friends that can be gratified
only at rare intervals, if at all, serves to tone and intensify the affections and attachments. The lady who is the possessor of a pair of
singing birds knows that the music can be got out of them only by
their separation. We are mixed up with so many more people in modern