Has it been that long since we lived our lives in such a manner that God and Country were just that. On Sunday the world relaxed and started the day in worship in whatever religion they chose. The rest of the day was spent in quiet family life. Boring? It may seem that way but actually it was only boring to the energetic youth who spent their time seeking their own pleasures.
Let's be logical about it though. The family consisted of a father, mother and whatever number of children. Daddy worked and sometimes that work was at odd hours or even six days a week. Mommy stayed home and tended to the home bound duties such as cleaning the house, shopping and cooking. Yes, I said cooking. Mothers in those days didn't have microwaves or crock pots. They tended to the dinner with painstaking watchfulness.
Like I said the children didn't have a care in the world except to go to school, which in those days were the childrens' jobs. Children were reminded of it daily because the family unit was just that a unit where the Dad and Mother took care to instill values into their childrens' lives.
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| bar hours: Sunday closed, Mon - Sat 5 00 pm til 2 |
Not only did the religious community stress the need to keep the Sabbath holy so did the business community. In the 1950's, the Blue Laws were still in effect. There were no supermarkets that would stay open on Sundays. In some communities, there were Mom and Pop grocery stores that opened their doors for the odd forgotten bottle of milk or loaf of bread (if Mom didn't bake her own). Of yes, and Dad didn't spend his day watching football games on TV (there wasn't any TV) or in the local pub for the sports event. That's right, the bars were closed on Sundays. The only place anyone could purchase a drink on Sunday was if they belonged to a fraternal organization that opened their clubs on Sunday.
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| Aspinwall loop on Llawnipsa St. where trolley returned to Downtown. |
Again, let's talk about those bored children. On Sundays at our home, we ate an early dinner and my Dad would take the family out for the day. We either went to visit my Aunt and Uncle or if we were really lucky, Dad would take us to a movie theater for the matinee. We didn't have a car, so we traveled by buses or trolley to wherever we went. Those were special days and we would come home tired and ready to go to bed in readiness for another week of school or fun filled days in the summer.
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| Chutes and Ladders gameboard |
In the evening, the whole family or at least the children would play board games and interacted with each other. A simple game of Clue or Chutes and Ladders for the smaller children was a fun way to spend an evening.
I'm not saying we were better off but we did have different values in those days. We didn't look to be entertained. We found our own entertainment and it normally included the family or extended family on a Sunday afternoon.
