GEORGE SHERWOOD DICKERMAN

This historical quotation is surprising to us over a century later. We are surprised at the very large revenue from the then relatively low tax rates on alcohol and tobacco and many people who did not pay their taxes at the time. Also, the incredibly small appropriation for the military. WWI was only 4 years away. Generally, until the Second World War, the Democratic party did not advocate large military expenditures and the Republicans were more isolationist and opposed almost all defense spending. After WWII, the Republican Party flip flopped and became the champion of military readiness and defense spending.

Many ministers and others looked at the migration of the rural population to the cities as a national issue of morality and decay. They fought a losing battle. See {631005} for his puzzlement and its details.

In most of American history, population has moved from the rural areas of the country to the cities. After WWII there was a movement from the rural areas to the suburbs as well as the cuties and movement from the cities to the suburbs. The assumption that the schools were not as good in the cities would be challenged by many and in the next 30 years, there was much educational reform in the cities and they had the best schools in the country. Until the movement to the suburbs, the educational attainment of city children was (and is today) much better than that of rural children. Dickernan and many others could not understand the movement to the cities because there was vice in the cities. They rarely considered the social, cultural and economic advantages of cities and generally assumed that people—especially children—could not resist the temptation of vice in the immediate vicinity.

The same ratio of religious establishments to those that serve or sell alcohol is often the same in the modern city as it was in 1913. This was alarming to many civic leaders—religious and otherwise. Calls for prohibition and regulations limiting saloon hours (especially on Sundays) were common.

In most of American history, population has moved from the rural areas of the country to the cities. After WWII there was a movement from the rural areas to the suburbs as well as the cuties and movement from the cities to the suburbs. The assumption that the schools were not as good in the cities would be challenged by many and in the next 30 years, there was much educational reform in the cities and they had the best schools in the country. Until the movement to the suburbs, the educational attainment of city children was (and is today) much better than that of rural children. Dickernan and many others could not understand the movement to the cities because there was vice in the cities. They rarely considered the social, cultural and economic advantages of cities and generally assumed that people—especially children—could not resist the temptation of vice in the immediate vicinity.

The same ratio of religious establishments to those that serve or sell alcohol is often the same in the modern city as it was in 1913. This was alarming to many civic leaders—religious and otherwise. Calls for prohibition and regulations limiting saloon hours (especially on Sundays) were common.

Many ministers and others looked at the migration of the rural population to the cities as a national issue of morality and decay. They fought a losing battle. See {631005} for his puzzlement and its details.

This historical quotation is surprising to us over a century later. We are surprised at the very large revenue from the then relatively low tax rates on alcohol and tobacco and many people who did not pay their taxes at the time. Also, the incredibly small appropriation for the military. WWI was only 4 years away. Generally, until the Second World War, the Democratic party did not advocate large military expenditures and the Republicans were more isolationist and opposed almost all defense spending. After WWII, the Republican Party flip flopped and became the champion of military readiness and defense spending.