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A GbAllaii VAT1 tit.à 4)4; tiSS
A Depression Victim Jtory
hesearch by: Mrs. /Jolley Thospson
Augusta
slates by: Airs. Lsila A. Aarris
4upsreising Atitor
aeargia Ikrittrsi Project
Area
,testauratour
Q.
64Y iiroad
igaroh
Ui.,J144,1 Of VJOTIOlt L44%:4J,zi
lane or iugusta'a smankiost sating ia40-00 ropresen a a spite-
taoaiar oome-back made by Jobi arrell, one or the town's pioneer
restaurateurs. In his own worn*: "it aus beau fur beyond my
expectatious. nowever, it ha -s been a most Jute:sating experienoe
all the way through auu it aus taught as mmoh.
"ray ups and downs have beet: Very similar to all others vino
have tried to MIAtain restaurants Uaring tee trying years of the
a-sox:Lamle reeession. icept going frog bad to worse
until all reaoaroas were exnausted ant tne duors had to be clos-
ed to prevont lmtainsut disastar.
°Ay aandparents 04140 to :,...aerica irtx, 1r laau in la54.
f4tner was born throe years later. 24 otaer was originally a
.i.'rotestant, but latar was Joined the 0 tnelle J.:waren. i have 4
brothors, sistorms anu 4 hair -sisters.
All el: my clueAtions whisk luoiuded a commaroial ocarse,
was obtalueu at tae C4tawie Jrotners' y rat4er was
tne suderitondont t one or tne Textile aills at that time *nu
L15 helped ma tl get aob t tne wawa place.
'er1Norking tAare rar some time obtaino4 a position as
bookkeepi$r wita the Johnson ior tails at trietts, Leorgia.
This :dlant manufactured wrapping paper as well as many other
kings, all or which were made trod,: wood pulp. Blare was a pulp
miii lootee about nine miles from that city.
'1 stayeb there for a yevir and then we to woriz for tile
Abbott &risk ono Tile ‘.;olupany. Then I aoved book to Augusta and
was employed in tne Pransportation bepartment or the ;eorgia
Railroad k;ompany for the next tures years.
"At the end of that tia A aocepted a more lucrative posi-
tion as 1,ivision itete Glork with tn. Juuthern hailroed.
ID 19U4 I married miary Vinson .t.nold, who tad moved to
1.ugusta from davennaa as a very small child. All of her educe-
%JOU was obtaised usre olso. 4s aalle seven onildren, four girls
and three boys.
ooL after my *ariaci secured a position as bookkeeper
with t4s 3rown Jewelry ,;aiapany, Auil;usta's moat prominent and
successfnl jewelers. I Kept books to: them for 14 years. Then
one day an accident happened wnich neesssitated drastic changes
in my metnod of making a living. A heavy or closed on the fore-
finger or my right hand, severing it completely. rats not only
rendered me incapable oi following ay OOOSOLL vooation but it left
me in a hignly nervous condition which lasted tor quite a long
time.
"A friend idins wuo was all experienced restaurateur ask
lid me to go int.) business with, aim. kle had built up quite an
enviable reputation and we enjoyed a splendid patronage for about
two years. We called aur place jeacoci's Aesteurant and made sea
foods our specialty. The business velAure represented au origi-
nal investment of ,00.QO
"ilfter 4 0041ftle Oi years A:. Veecock, *no was getting old,
sold his half interest to me and retired to his eountry estate.
'Mon i beenme aseactisted in businens witn Ar.
was also all experienced restaurant man. tar tne following
several years we erated a very prosperous buslusss.
At this tiae tne or.8.a 4nr was on ant Zamp hatuock had
been establianed at nuoista. Tne sol ,iers tunas:acid us a very
fist erinki patronaL:e and we also enjoyed t a cream or the city's
tree. entered ta tne very best people and served the finest
roads obtainable. ;:e secured excellent prices for our service
win our iirokits were nnst gratifying.
uring 1414, wnien wuJI our very beat year, grass sales
41. tu.stri2U .0UU tat).
e realized a net profit of 447.0U0. U,
after Javernment, -Ante, city, 1/4:aunty, and various other taxes
haa been paid.
"rriees on ell eounn,elties were very nigh during the war
and salaries increased aecordingly. Trsde was exeeptionally
good inall lines of busilloss anci tor suite sums tille we operat-
ed a thriving business.
natant 1921 priees began to dran but we still maintained
t e mime salery standard. as we nen in our manner years. Uoney
OUAO in slowly. in 142L aritt; 192$ and profits far the next decade
nidounteu to ebaut 45Quo per annual. nuring tails tine our receipts
decreased from 4;500 to abant 00 per day,
-in 14'44 tals whole seetien was rlooded and all crops in
adjacent Vie Lti.5antlered considerable damage. nne to the
aigh enter damage, cotton (r?p.d to iv con.ta s vouA4.
ar :JAMS an ootteh ral,ed a ill4a as 4b oe.ts a ,q,uhn.
%;attonase oil was very high ii ori loias sold ror 4C sent*
a pouh struu4e ma it may I*O i14 is higher flow twin
it wa curIztg the ,orld ar. i'Lls or °ours*, iu due to _overn-
sant coLtrol• aeof, also, is uliaost as aleA AOW ei6 iu that
Um: of ihtlated prices. 2he ,4,-,vernment can't be blad-etk ror
tais, twover, as it was kAlrely providePtiel, beiu4 bTou&nt
about by trio istrouu droucwht experienoed turou.lout tle
est. In its aux* mo4y ecttle died because the cb'ailtry was
left d:Airely without !trasing ad 'utter ficilitieN. s mar-
ket Vika ttua meprive#i of a 0,,roat porota6e of ita aortaal beef
output.
This norious situatioL hi,coositato4 6over.4meLt iLterbeh.-
tion, 1ie rati4Ot t -at vu, -0.. 11. or4 oi cloys were slipped
to te Jetj.t 3.A4 t. kna.: OI %,1044 aied al%ri)aza. '.1.140$41$ tiamt
fine:Uy roac_ind their cilsk.;luatioLs waro extely Z.hiu riad uniit
for war4at Jrd were kWAIS kuu(i;W:ed LIA Various
purts of country to ea f:..ot,sha.td Jaa; alauNsatered oahaiht;
ih goverii4eat eb,Laliu.J.ed acia.4orIes ill Liners-% **cations
oi tne coautry. 'ithe ted 1;c4.a.; ::-.;,1/44 4..k/c.vi6U004 W
(;11A.v1i;a Wli'Jue; WaultiUAG*.
ia,Lt; you .ye JVn X.4-larre4.12' iliterrUPWat
141 au hvokt wudorind; how to _igh price or oottaassed oil
arected your WAglilcau.
"Weill" lie explai ed. "Aestsuraats use great quantities
or cottonseed oil for 000kiag purposes. it is also used in a
KTOACt many other ways. ^tor instance, IL mayealtaiso, salad
oils, ete.
"Forty years ago. it, coutinued. "Farmers t. away
the seeds out of their cot4en, frequeatly uslug them taXUI
ditches and weeneuts on their land. noweVer, it dida't %aka
them very loug to learn the great value or eottenseed as a
fertiliser. tdey were makInz compost or thoMp alx1rit;
the seeds with seiu and aeeayed vegetation.
o you see, that prices, hig,n or low, affect us* all
rr less or the kind of Duaisess we operate. It is indeed a
true sayia6 that no of us OWL live to ourselves.
!".in lifal my partner died. I carried on tee business for
several years but thes the depression -game on in full blast
causing such a curtailaest or busluess tout i was forced to
close my doors *La seek more luerative eaployaent.
.ortanately, before very loag secured same governmeut
work which kept me busy for tee seat eigateea mouths. ;,:t the
end oi that time i aud retrieved my losses sufticiently to open
anotoer roetaurant.
r'ortainay ass orld kur was tile primary cause of tae eco-
nomic depression, but believe taere were otaer contributing
factors. juring tee war period when money fi wed freely, people
were ago& with exeitement sad spent mosey lavisali. aster on
they scummed to becouie absolutely reekleas aha tise she formerly
aad known only the bare nasessities or life aow bout luxuries.
Men the depression 011A0 with its resultant panic.
"exi tsilbricaha were taA:eh from their jobs and &ant to
?ranee,ahv vooanoies ware apeatea walen were filled immodiataly
by wen, both aarried ahasix,Je, and (Men young girls4 aen
the boys Game back there were very tew openings add these were
not aufilcien y remuner tive to warraLt raisihg taailles. Cons's-
gnehtly ttore has been a startling diaeresis. LA the aumber of
marriaccs and i4 the- birth record. i boltava ix early marriagea
arid large ftlmilies which in my opinion would go a long way toward
solvin6 our eeohoftic problems.
s i. tolc VOL, ay titertal .grandfuther came to itteriea in
16b4. fie went t work Sal the trta aailread shops as a oar
inapect:Ir. At tat tie this position carried with it a salary
ol 0.25. 0 ont. today the same job pays
a book/mer nukes abolA 476.00. The only way
the Oil:;arsace is that womex nava never entered
40.0u a month ana
eau account tor
he 04.1* inepeetor
nolo, wtio tt10 zur_et is overrux, with smaan bookkeepers.
"1 Lm timly 01 ths °Anion. J.;.4 stated eaphatioally. "That
a woman's plum, exoept fixere it is abaolutely necosaary for her
tk rilak a living, is in the hme. There are many girls working in
.tor sa aucz in o:alces who do not need the money, but who work tur
very sasa.1 salLries to obt_Ala Las luxuries they coulan't airord
otaerwise.
"I orni see very little dif-i'ereaeo in the cost of living AOW
wag before the World tro.but L. believe the low prices or some
cokamodities offset the nigh prices of otners. A* course certain
articles are more expensive. or instnoe, silt stockings' ana
()osmotic's. i estimate taut OOVI oI my dau6aters spends from five
to 412.x dollars a month for her hose. I. believe it cost* mare to
maintain a girl from her knees down and her shoulders up, twit it
does to cloth* her body. t few years ago woman folk washed and
curled their hair at home. how, tae beauty shops are full practi-
cally *11 the time.
"-fter having reared a large family, r. Yarrell," I asked.
"I:tor *hula you say the morale of the youn6 people or today eompare
with those of a few years age"
tt'4e11, I believe their morals are just as good as ever and
their ideals axe squally asgj, but they are much more frank
natural hot so mid-.vistorian.
"The ever Lzereasinr number of divorces is deplorable. zie
WOUt Oh. Lai laws are responsible for them to great extent,
but selfishness is also a dominant factor. V ere seems to be an
inability to udapt ones self to conditions and an unwillingness
to make ooncessions in order to keep the tome intact.
"I do not believe wart will csase and peace coma to tile world
aggin until the ice's ideas for its restoration are carried out.
F%qlr children nave had the best we could afford in the way
of eduostioa aad all el thew Lire a credit to us.
A.a you KnOw one ot our boys is in the insurLnoe business here
and another practioes law. Two of our girls also hold posi-
tions nor* and a third in tesmaing Uecapational Therapy at
erovideases Rhode Island, after having entrap of temporarily
mental defective anti acute alconolie patients at belt/more,
Maryland. uur youngest son is still studying at the University
oi toe:aria*.
have never traveled abroad but I neve seen quite a
bit ot our own opuntry. I have been in practioally *Very state
east of the iiississippi.
tt
.111 kr. parrell," i said, "After Aeixiug all you have
told us L agree with you that zAt one time you were really *aught
in the depression and at a loss hio to malt u new start. lowever,
as oue looks at this very aio-tos-date place you now have, you seem
to aave found au eiceilent way oat."
"You are rik;4%. ae said with pardonable pride. "Alter 1
ones gkdned a kootaold my suooess was beyond my greatest eApeota-
tions. Sut I do really try to please my patrons and give them
not only the very best foods obtainable but also see teat they
have tae ultimate in service.
'1lhiie I was Lloiu the government work I told you about, I
was always an tae alert for something more remunerative. I ave
ti2e matter much consideration be'4.ore i decided to make another
venture into rue business world. kinally I was convinced twit
with my experieuce i could in make good and opened at my
present locatiok.
"I am sure my past experience lass been beneficial in a great
many ways. I have learne‘; how to overcome many obstacles that
obstruct the way to sueoess. hui4 these conditions which (taus
d my failure return at some future time, snail be muob better
fitted to meet the pitua peouliar to t,he restaurant balsinees.
ernaps the greatest lasso- was that a period of bidh prioes will
eertainly be followed by tailing prices and failing busihess. 1
rirmly or the opinion that each ot Us snould exercise great
care in building up a reserve capital siainat a possible return
of the soonomic depression.