f
KPeeKly "Kbemawa JUtnerlcati
VOL. 12
APRIL 15, 1910.
NO. 40
Story of a Coin.
A cent-sus of "Uncle Sam's" coins,
taken at this time would show the one
cent piece to be very much more numer
ous than any other. This is the small
est in value of American coins general
ly and erroneously called "penny" is
growing rapidly in popularity. Not so
very many years ago it was required in
no such numbers or in such proportion
to other coins as it is now. Even after
it had come to be much more generally
used in the eastern states, the middle,
western and southern states still made
the five-cent piece colloquially and in
correctly called "nickel" the smallest
popular coin. Nearly everything was
sold for even "money"' five cents or
some multiple of five. The public did not
care to bother with odd cents. The sys
tem was all "very simple and convenient
and as easy of computation and compre
hension as the "5V of the- multiplica
tion table.
Everything ran on smoothly until in
the midst of the community which had
been content to conduct its business on
an even money basis, there appeared the
"cut rate" store. It offered to sell fifty
cent articles for forty-nine cents and dol
lar articles for ninety-eight cents. Where
"nickels" had previous sufficed to make
change, one-cent pieces were demanded
in numbers." At first the -. public was
disposed to look with dislike on a tri
fling cut in price of only one cent or two
which complicated the matter of making
change. It appeared to be a cheap bid
for patronage. But by and by it came
to expect the cut rate prices whose very
oddness made them appear as if they
had been reduced to the last cent possi
ble. Then one-cent pieces began to fig
ure in every transaction and they contin
ued to come into use more and more un
til now they are an ever-present factor
in "business." A street-car "fare,"
which until recently was deemed to be
synonymous with a five-cent piece, may
now mean some other amount of money.
In some of the eastern states, particular
ly in Massachusetts, some suburban
line?, finding a five-cent fare insufficient
for the maintenance of their roads, are
permitted to charge six cents. In Cleve
land all street-car fares are three' cents.
In New York city the Manhattan Bridge
Thrce-Ont Fare Line is preparing to
run its cars from Flatbush. Long Island,
across New York to the Hudson River.
The paynent of a three cent fare neces-