Mr. Forest’s reply to this question sounded very cheerful and confident, more so than anything he had thus far uttered in my presence.
“The Radicals may rise and overthrow the present government, they may change many things”, he said, “and they may not meet with much resistance, because the great mass of the people simply tolerate the present rule, have no love for it, and will not rally to its defense. But the experience of our Radicals will be very unpleasant if they attempt to separate man and wife, mother and child. Almost every mother will fight like a lioness before she will give up her children, and I know one man who does not care a straw for the overthrow of the present government, but who would fight to his death before he would yield to a separation from his spouse. For a good and loving wife always has been, is, and always will be the greatest blessing of God, and no man of honor and courage will permit anybody to rob him of her”!
CHAPTER VI.
“Now, Mr. Forest”, I said when I again met my predecessor as professor of the history of the nineteenth century, “please tell me how much is the average yearly income of every inhabitant of the United States of America”?
“The average yearly income was figured up to be $204.”, Mr. Forest answered.
“Two hundred and four dollars you say. Is that all”? I queried with astonishment. “I expected from the statements of Dr. Leete and his style of living that it amounted to at least three times that sum”.
Forest smiled. “How much was the average income of the people of the United States in your days”? he asked.
I was forced to admit that I had not the faintest idea.
“It was $165.”, said Mr. Forest, “or about twice the average amount earned by the people of Germany or France”.