Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1915, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We had a pleasant Christmas with Mary and William, Rupert and Ula, and Ula’s mother from Ames, Iowa.” On Jan. 1, 1916, Moses wrote, “January 1st, Ula and Rupert with the Kauffman family from the city took dinner with us.”
Before we enter 1916, I want to take a chance to review the year 1915.
It was the first full year of WWI, but the United States decided to take a neutral role. The same year of our stated neutrality, the RMS Lusitania was sunk on passage from New York to Britain by a German U-boat, killing 1,198 people. The United States remained on the sidelines, with the average citizen only reading of horrors occurring over seas.
In 1915, the United States House of Representatives rejected a proposal giving women the right to vote, and our country would remain in the hands of men for quite some time. Regardless of lacking any ability to participate in an election, women trudged on, establishing the Women’s Peace Party. The WPP, an American pacifist and feminist organization, was established in response to WWI. It later became the American section of the International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom).
The United States occupation of Haiti began that July, the same month that the steamer “Eastland” capsized in Chicago; 844 lives were lost. Hurricanes hit both Galveston and New Orleans, leaving 275 dead in the wake of their destruction. Lassen Peak, one of the Cascade Volcanoes in Northern California, erupted, sending an ash plume 30,000 feet in the air and devastating the nearby region. The Imperial Valley earthquake shook southern California and the Pleasant Valley Earthquake shook north-central Nevada. Although the world seemed to be crumbling, the Rocky Mountain National Park was established for future generations to enjoy.
In 1915, the world population was estimated at 1.8 billion; 100 million people lived in the United States and more than half were under 25 years old. The average life expectancy for men was 47 years old. Half of all US families lived on farms, and the number of horses and mules on farms reached a century high that year. There were approximately 2 million cars, and not many places that one could easily drive a vehicle.
About 85% of men over the age of 14 worked in the labor force. The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year, with mechanical engineers earning $5,000/yr., dentists earning $2,500/yr. and veterinarians earning between $1,500 and $4,000 per year. A good accountant could earn $2,000/year. 18% of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic helper.
Two out of every ten adults could not read nor write. Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school. 90% of medical doctors had no college education, having solely attended medical schools. 95% of all births took place at home. The five leading causes of death were diarrhea, heart disease, stroke, influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis. After infecting dozens of people, Typhoid Mary was quarantined for the rest of her life.
Only 14% of homes had a bathtub. Most women only washed their hair once a month, using Borax or egg yolks for shampoo. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Sugar was four cents a pound and coffee was fifteen cents a pound. Fuel for cars was only sold in drug stores. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph, but most Americans walked everywhere. There was no easy way to communicate long distance, as only 8% of homes had phones. A postage stamp was two cents.
Onward and upward, tomorrow I start exploring the year 1916 in the life and times of Thomas G. Moses.
To be continued…
