Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1902 — Incomes of Boyhood Days. [ARTICLE]

Incomes of Boyhood Days.

"I ran across an old account book the Sth er day,” said a leading business man, “which was interesting as showing the sources of boyish Income thirty or forty years ago, and also as showing the difference In the values of certain articles’ at that time and now. “I was reared on a farm In central Illinois, and at that time all the old Junk on the place was regarded as the property of the boys, and the sale of it produced the money necessary to properly celebrate the Fourth of July, attend the circuses, and so on. “The old account book was not very well kept, but it is legible and covers nearly two years atx.ut the close of the civil war. I find recorded In It the sale of 152 pounds of old Iron at cents a pound, six pounds of old copper at 20 cents a pound, and eleven bottles at 4 cents each, all In one day. A circus must have been coming. “At another time appears an entry of greater magnitude. It reads: ‘Sold two mink skins at $4 each, one mink skin at $3, two mink skins at $2 each, nine coon skins at 25 cents each, and fourteen ’possum skins at 10 cents each.’ This was probably the result of a winter’s trapping. “Another entry was: ‘Sold four young mocking birds at $1 each,’ and I recall that there was a considerable trade in wild mocking birds In our locality at that time. Dealers purchased the young birds from the country boys, reared and trained them, and sold them in the cities, a good singing bird bringing $lO. The farmer’s boy had many sources of Income, and the foundations of numerous fortunes were laid on the odds and ends which fell to the share of the enterprising youngsters of thirty and forty years ago.”