"The Good Old Days ~ They Were Terrible!"

This book should be required reading for any of us who have romanticized life in the nineteenth century. It is great to imagine our ancestors leading a simpler, more uncluttered life than ours, but the people who lived through this period in history had to deal with conditions that we would classify as deplorable. When we answer questions that people ask about ordinary (non-military) life in the nineteenth century, oftentimes our answers may make things sound better than they actually were. We base our answers on readings, most of which do not deal with the actual living conditions, because those conditions were considered normal for the time. One can only look back at past conditions and see the improvements that have been made.
The Good Old Days - They Were Terrible! covers all aspects of nineteenth century life such as air, traffic, housing, rural life, work, crime, food and drink, health, education, travel, and leisure. Some of the following examples will give you an idea of how many areas of nineteenth century life are covered.
Pigs roamed freely in cities and created dirt and a penetrating stench that could make one's eyes water. In one year, 15,000 horses could produce enough manure to cover an acre of ground to a height of 175 feet. Smog (a phrase coined in 1905) was widespread in industrial cities. Garbage lined streets in cities and towns, and gutters were often filled with excretement and dead animals. Summer in cities were torture for rich and poor alike. Smells increased, insects abounded (there were no window screens), and disease ran rampant.
Traffic was no picnic either; streetcars were cold in winter, hot in summer, and always crowded, and warnings were posted to watch out for pickpockets. It was difficult to even cross city streets. There were no traffic lights and little regard for others.
Housing for most people left a great deal to be desired. Noise was also a problem for anyone living in cities. If windows were left open, the noise was deafening, but if windows were closed during the summer, the air quickly became stifling. Fire was always a problem. Homelessness was also a recognized dilemma during this time.
Rural life was romanticized even then, but life on the farm was in reality one of extreme hardship. The family worked as many as 14 hours a day just to exist. Mud, manure, stench, insects, lack of hygiene or sanitary facilities, isolation, and loneliness were all an accepted part of rural life. It was said that a farm woman was the draft horse of endurance; her work was endless just to clothe, feed and raise a family. Water was often contaminated, and food was scarce in hard times and monotonous in the best of times.
Working conditions were unsafe both in the city and in the country. The hours were long, the pay small, there was no workers' compensation for injury or death, sweatshops were another form of slavery, child labor was the norm, and unions were just beginning.
Crime in the cities was rampant. It was recommended that one carry a handgun for protection. Juvenile delinquency and prostitution were also problems. Graft in public office and the police also created additional crime.
A great deal of the food could not be considered safe for human consumption. Many foods were adulterated and sometimes were poisonous. The diets of the rich and poor alike were not very healthful. Foods even from the country could not be declared safe, especially if the item had been exposed to heat, insects or ill persons. Of course, resistance to much bacteria was greater than ours is today, but still a great many people died from bad food.
Health care was minimal and epidemics were almost expected in the summer. Doctors were ill trained and surgery was in its infancy. Hospitals were less than conducive for recovery of the sick. Mental patients were often maltreated and caged like animals. Drug addiction was a larger problem than we would expect. Opium addiction affected as many as 100,000 in 1868. So many soldiers returned from the Civil War addicted to drugs that it was called the "soldiers' disease."
Education was limited and the school atmosphere was dismal. Teachers were ill trained, discipline was harsh, conditions of the schools could be terrible, and teaching methods were not conducive to learning.
Conditions made travel difficult, no matter what mode was employed. Trains were dangerous and accidents were a daily occurrence. The immigrants who traveled to the United States in steerage faced squalid conditions, and many did not survive the trip. Immigrant trains to the west were not much better. Travel overland in wagons was also dangerous and very expensive. Commuters from the suburbs faced poor service, crowds, dangerous conditions, and rising prices just as today's commuters do.
Leisure pastimes existed, but gambling was widespread and sports were crooked and unregulated. Theater was available, but a great many people did not take the time to enjoy it. Hunting, especially in the West, was wasteful. There were few recreational facilities, so children were not occupied and tended to caused trouble. Bums and drunks frequented parks and made them unpleasant for visitors. Beaches were crowded and dirty, and the water was polluted.
The picture of the nineteenth century painted by the author was dismal. I know that life was not all bad, but after reading this book I also realize that life was not as rosy as we sometimes picture. We will never have a truly accurate conception of nineteenth century life, but this book can open our eyes to the less pleasant aspects of life in that time.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn more details about the period. The book mostly covers the years after the Civil War, but the earlier years saw no improvement on daily life. We can use this information to accurately inform the spectators we encounter in living history situations.

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