December 21, 1917 -- Christmas Greetings, Prohibition, Sam & Daisy Spooner from WA

Spring Brook Farm

December 21, 1917

Dearest Brother ‘O Mine,

            A Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from each of us, Herman included as he asked me to say it for him though perhaps he will get around to send his New Year wishes himself  We hope that this letter will arrive on Christmas day to give you its message of Good Will then as I suppose that the Christmas boxes and gifts from various sources, or at least most of them, will be received before Christmas and probably opened as soon as received unless you all plan to have some kind of a “grand opening” Christmas day. 

            So much, much love for the day from each of us and remember that we will be thinking of you especially even though we may be doing for others.  Papa and Mama will either have Aunt Nellie and the girls up here or they will go down there. I don’t know for sure what I will do but, as I told you last Sunday, Mrs. Julius Weber wanted me to go over there with Herman and perhaps I will do so as they surely need all the cheering up possible.  I do hope she will change her mind about the Christmas tree as the little children will miss it so.

            Telephone messages comprise a big share of my news lately.  Had a call from Wonewoc today, man’s voice wants to know if it is “Sherwood” and then if it is “Ella.”   I say no that it is Susan but he says he can’t hear.  Woman’s voice asks if it is Susan.  When I said “yes” voice says that it is Aunt Daisy and that Uncle Sam will be up on the afternoon train.  I ask if she is coming but she says that she will come later but her father is not well just at present.  (Uncle Sam says that he “don’t think he will last long.”)

            Was cleaning out and rearranging the bureau drawers for the mittens, string and so forth when they called from Wonewoc.  Expected to clean the pantry as soon as I had finished that but “the best laid plans” etc. 

            A soon as dinner was over I started in to do the sweeping and dusting but had barely started when I saw a woman coming up the path.  Consternation and exclamation to Mother about “It never rains but it pours,” but open the door with bright smile and cordial welcome to a perfect stranger.  Proves to be one of the workers of the “Forward Press” activities (The Prohibition Press at Madison).  She is renewing subscriptions to the “Campaigner” and working up sentiment for a dry state and nation.  If only the “Prohibition Amendment” would be ratified immediately so that the U.S might go into the war as the “cleanest” nation in the world for the country will be physically, mentally, and morally clean when “booze” is no more and it would be a fine thing for our soldier boys to be able to remember such a country and to be able to come back to such a country when the war is over, for in spite of what has been done and is being done in Europe, moral conditions are terrible in many places and none too good in any, although I understand that the U.S. is going to try to make an agreement with England and France where by they may have “dry” and “vice less” gone around each of their camps there as they do here in this country.

            Well, Uncle Sam arrived (Papa went to the train for him) and we have all visited and visited until time for us all to be in bed.  (I had the sweeping and wiping up of floors all done when they arrived home but no dusting or other work done because of our visitor.) 

            Uncle Sam says that before Washington went dry that people said that Prohibition wouldn’t prohibit but he says that it is most certainly dry, dry as a bone.

            Did you ever expect to see or hear of your family eating oleomargarine in place of butter?  That is what we did last night and all thought that it was about as good as butter in taste and the price, well, butter at 50 cents per pound and Troco (oleomargine)[1] at 35 cents a lb stood side by side on the table and as one can hardly tell the difference in taste I rather believe that two third or more of our “butter” will be “Troco” from now on, for awhile at least.  Perhaps you have seen “Troco” or seen it advertised.  It is supposed to be made of Coconut Oil and is pure white on the packages but color comes with it so you can color it if you wish.

            We have been visiting with Uncle Sam as hard as we could all the evening for he must go tomorrow morning he says as he only has two weeks off and the trains are all so late that he will have to start back a day earlier than he expected.  They were 26 hours late into Elroy he said, that is 26 hours later than they would have been if they had been able to come straight through from the Coast.  Owing to a rock on the track on one road and a wreck on the other and so forth they had to be transferred to other roads when they were just starting. Reached St. Paul 16 hours behind their schedule and had to wait 8 hours for a train and then lost 2 hours from St. Paul to Elroy.  He will visit with the folks at Elroy for a few hours tomorrow then get a rig to Mauston.  I don’t know whether he will go form Mauston to Beaver Dam or not but he wants to go to Beaver Dam, Milwaukee, Chicago and I don’t know where else but he says that he don’t believe he can get around to all the places under the circumstances.  Aunt Daisy will stay with her folks six or eight weeks and will make us a visit of a few days when it is possible, but from what Uncle Sam says of her father’s health I doubt if she will visit around much.

            A Merry, Merry Christmas dear and though we can not have “peace on earth” at this Christmas tide we can have “good will toward men” whether friend or enemy.

            So much, much love and all the hugs and kisses that I would give you if you were here.  Our love and prayers for a Happy Christmas. 

                        Mispah[2].  Your loving little sister

                                                            Susan R. Sherwood.

 

 

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[1] Troco oleomargine was created by mixing pureed coconut meat with pasteurized milk.  It apparently had some of the taste of butter but it was mostly coconut oil.   http://www.amazon.com/1918-Troco-Oleomargarine-Butter-Coconut/dp/B005DH5CJ4

[2] “The Lord watch between you and me while we are apart one from the other.”