Predictions From 1901

 By Sophie Dawson

Just as with the turn of the 21st century, predictions of what the world will be like in 100 years occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. These are from a 1901 issue of the Ladies Home Journal. I've chosen ones that struck a chord with me, either coming to pass or way off the mark. If you'd like to see the entire article, here's the link: https://www.popculturemadness.com/PCM/wp-content/uploads/1901/12/Predictions.jpg

You should be able to tell which have come true or not.

"These prophecies will seem strange, almost impossible. Yet they have come from the most learned and conservative minds in America. To the wisest and most careful men in our great institutions of science and learning I have gone, asking each in his turn to forecast for me what, in his opinion, will have been wrought in his own field of investigation before the dawn of 2001 -- a century from now."
( I could say his first mistake was only asking men, but I won't.)

Between 350,000,000 - 500,000,000 people in the US.

Mexico will seek admission to the United States as will other Central and South American countries.

Americans will be from one to two inches taller. (I checked this out and it's true. Men are 2.4" taller on average, women 2" taller.)

C, X and Q will have been abandoned in the alphabet because they are unnecessary.

English will be the dominate language spoken worldwide followed by Russian.

No mosquitoes, flies or roaches.

Ready-Cooked meals will be delivered to homes and the dishes returned to be washed. (Can you say pizza delivery, Home Chef,  Plated, etc?)

There will be no cars on the streets of large cities, they will be underground with broad subways and well-lit, well-ventilated tunnels. Therefore, cities will be free from all noise.

Photographs will be telegraphed from any distance and in total color.

Trains will run 150 miles per hour with cooled cars. Homes will be air-cooled also.

Automobiles will be cheaper than horses.

Fast electric ships will travel on a cushion of air and speed across the Atlantic to England in 2 days.

There will be Air Ships but they won't be able to compete with surface cars and water vessels for passenger and freight traffic.

Wireless telephones will make it possible for a husband in the middle of the Atlantic to speak with his wife in Chicago.

College education will be free. Etiquette and housekeeping will be important studies in all public schools.

Store purchases will be delivered by pneumatic tube to all homes or stations similar to post offices and delivered to homes by truck.

Vegetables will grow larger and faster by electricity which will also kill the weeds. (Not sure how it will kill weeds but not the plants wanted.)

Fast moving refrigerators will bring fruits and vegetable from South America, Africa, Australia, and the South Sea Island to the US in winter.

Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries will all be as large as apples.

Strawberries and cranberries will grown on bushes.

Melons, cherries, grapes, plums, peaches, apples, pears and all berries will be seedless.

Peas will be as large as beets.

Roses will be as large as cabbages and available in black, blue and green. Pansies will be the size of sunflowers.

Few drugs will be swallowed. They will be applied to the skin and carried to the organs by application of painless electricity.

The living body will be, essentially, transparent. It will be possible to see a living heart beat. Photographs of any part of the body will be taken and able to be magnified by rays of invisible light.

As you can see, some of the predictions have come about, maybe not in the way envisioned a century ago, but others not so much. Some I hope come in the future. No mosquitoes, flies or roaches, that's a yes. Same with strawberries the size of apples, yum.

So, what will be commonplace in 2119? Check out these links for predictions for the next century.
https://nypost.com/2011/03/20/the-world-in-2100/

https://futurism.com/2118-century-predictions

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16536598

https://bestlifeonline.com/this-is-what-life-could-look-like-years-from-now/


Sophie Dawson writes mainly sweet historical and some contemporary romance. You can find her books at https://www.amazon.com/Sophie-Dawson/e/B0084POHB6

The Case of the Disappearing Mother

by Sophie Dawson

I’m sure we all who have children have had difficulty getting them to pose for a formal photo shoot. Our kids are used to being photographed. The speed of camera shutters helps with this. Imagine you are having a photo of your child or children and the shutter speed is slow, making the subject have to sit still for several seconds. With some children that’s pretty difficult.

The children of the 19th century weren’t familiar with cameras. They’d been dressed in their Sunday-Go-To-Meeting clothes on a day which wasn’t Sunday. They had to stay clean while the traveled or walked to the photograph studio. Then they had to stand or sit still. This was serious business that the children most likely didn’t understand.

 Hand tinted photo.

 Not real happy here.

 This little girl wasn't very happy her photo was being taken.

This is my favorite. His mother is really keeping him corralled.

Why the mother's are hidden is debated. Some say it's because the focus was to be on the child. Other say that the mother wasn't important enough to be in the photo. This seems a bit off to me since there are many photos of mothers and children and families.


A sad version of a child’s photo was one taken after death. It seems quite morbid to us but it may have been the only photo ever taken of the child so would have been a treasured memorial. The child mortality rate was quite high and what we would consider a mild illness was often life threatening at the time. In these photos someone is behind the blanket supporting the child.

Ever since photography began people have taken pictures of their children. I'm glad we normally don't have to take images of those who have passed away. I'm also glad I didn't have to hide in photos with my boys.

~~~New Release~~~

Pearl's Will

by Sophie Dawson

Lockets & Lace #9

Will Miller doesn’t know what to think when the lovely young woman faints in his jewelry and watch repair shop--except he wants to help her any way he can.

Widow Pearl Ward, struggling to survive, needs to sell the watch-locket given to her on her eighteenth birthday. When she learns she’s expecting, he proposes.

Will Pearl’s feelings for her late husband stand between them? Can they build a life together with his mother dead set against them?

Here's an excerpt:
Will Miller opened the back of the locket and sighed. The engraving lessened the value. The piece was high quality. The cover over the watch was decorated with a five lobed clover design surrounded by scrolling. In the clover was a thin-pointed star with a small diamond in the center. The back cover repeated the design without the stone. Inside the back cover where a photograph could be placed was an engraving. ‘To Pearl Henry, From Papa and Mama, Sept. 9, 1906.” 

Will glanced at the woman who was looking intently into the lace display. She was quite thin, honey blonde hair peeked out from under her wide-brimmed hat. She was wearing the simple clothing of a working woman. Navy skirt with a matching double-breasted long jacket, white blouse with a crocheted lace collar that spread beautifully over the blue. What he could see of her face showed a slim nose, unlike his fairly broad one. He’d have to see what color her eyes were. She lifted her hand and touched the glass of the case. A lace glove encased her slim fingers. 

Will looked back at the watch-locket. It was suspended from a gold bow-shaped pin. It would look lovely on the bodice of her jacket. He wondered why she was wanting to sell it. The quality of her clothing wasn’t high-society, but it was well tailored and didn’t look worn. 

Standing, Will moved back to the counter. She came over, waiting with a hopeful expression on her face. Her eyes were a deep green, nearly the color of pine needles. Framed with long lashes, they spoke of sadness, despair, loneliness, and desperation. 

Even though Will knew what the true value of the watch-locket was, something told him to offer more. He wouldn’t tell his father he paid more for it. He’d pay for it up with his own money.

“Miss? Are you sure you want to sell this? It must have great sentimental value to you.”
She looked down a moment, then lifted her eyes again. They glittered with moisture. “Yes, but, if it’s possible, and I’ll understand if you can’t do it, would there be any chance I could purchase it back in the future?”

She must have fallen on extremely hard times. It firmed his intention to help her. It wasn’t because she was lovely, Will assured himself. Well, maybe it was a little. He hoped that wasn’t his main motivation. His Christian ethic called for being a Good Samaritan for others.

Will set the watch on the counter and named the amount he would pay her for the locket. She lifted a trembling hand to her lips. “I’ll hold it back from display so you can redeem it. At least, I can for several months. Would that work for you?”

“Thank you. You’re most generous. I’ll try to redeem it as soon as I can.”

Will picked up the locket and placed it on the workbench. Rather than pay her from the cash register, he opened his personal cash drawer and counted out the bills. He put the locket into the drawer, near the back. 

As he turned around to go back to the counter, he saw the woman lay one hand on the counter. The other she raised to her forehead. Then, she collapsed to the floor. 

~o0o~

Pearl's Will Kindle $2.99 & Print $12.99 

Also on Kindle Unlimited

International link: myBook.to/pearlswill

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Of Jell-O, Straws, and Cracker Jack

By Sophie Dawson

I’ve been researching the early 1900’s for a book I’m writing. It is set in 1910, an era I’ve never written about before and not done much reading or study of. It’s been fun. Stuck between the Victorian era and, basically, World War I, the Edwardian era, also called the Belle Epoch it was a time of changing from the Industrial Revolution into the modern times that spanned the 20th Century.

Technological development research is always needed for historical writing. You can’t include barbed wire in the 1850’s or removable rifle magazines in the 1880’s. Neither were invented until a later time. Thus my research into what was available and in use by the general public in 1910. Here are some of the fun things I have found out that you’ll find in the book I’m working on. Sorry. I can’t tell the title because it’s part of a Multi-author series I’m involved in, and it’s still secret. BEG (Big Evil Grin)

I have to say, I had no clue Jell-O was invented in 1897. The flavors were strawberry, raspberry, orange and lemon. It wasn’t the first gelatin. The French used gelatin as a source of protein for their troops in the Napoleonic wars in the early 1800’s. In 1902, a major advertising campaign was undertaken and soon Jell-O was a household word.

We know that carbonated soft drinks were invented in the 1880’s. At least I knew that. Ice cream was a sweet treat enjoyed often. BUT, did you know that paper plates were invented in 1904 with cups coming shortly after? I didn’t. Dixie cups were the first in 1906.

Paper straws came about when Marvin C. Stone was drinking a mint julep through a rye grass straw. He didn’t like the grassy taste it gave his bourbon. Taking a pencil, he wound a thin paper strip around it and glued it together. That was in 1888. It wasn’t long before the resourceful man invented a machine to coat the straw in wax so the bourbon wouldn’t dissolve the glue. The bendy straw was invented in 1937 by a devoted father so his young daughter could sip her milkshake from a tall glass. He stuck a screw in the straw, wound dental floss around the grooves, removed both, and the bendy straw was born.

Baseball wouldn’t be the same without the seventh inning stretch singing of Take Me Out To The Ballgame with the iconic line 'Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,' at least in Wriggly Field in Chicago. The sweetened popcorn has been around since 1896. It must have become very popular very fast because the song came out in 1908. The “toy surprise” in every box wasn’t added until 1912. They went through various adaptations until they were replaced by codes to be used to play games on Android devices in 2013.

I’ve included each of these within my book. I think it’s fun to include today’s common items that date back over one hundred years. My favorite was finding out that the first individually wrapped candy was created in 1907 and marketed in 1908. They took the country by storm. My characters find it at the amusement park they went to on the Fourth of July. Tootsie Roll.

A newspaper advertisement from 1918 during World War I

Working Woman's Corset

Working Woman's Corset
by Sophie Dawson

My new release, Music of Her Heart, is set in 1869. It’s book two in my Stones Creek - Ladies of Sanctuary House series. In writing one of the early scenes, I needed to be sure what sort of corseting the main character, Gema, would be wearing and whether she could easily take it off without help. I realize much has been written about corsets, a lot negative. 

Gema is a Russian immigrant, orphaned at sixteen and taken to live at Sanctuary Place. It’s a woman’s mission set just outside of Dubuque, Iowa, fictional of course, that offers shelter, education, safety, and the Gospel to girls and women who are in need from circumstances beyond their control, or from poor life choices. 

With the opening of the West, and the dearth of women, Sanctuary House is built in Stones Creek, Colorado for the women, Ladies as I call them, and their children to move to and begin new lives, possibly become brides to men in the area. So far, two books have been released concerning these ladies: Chloe’s Sanctuary and Laundry Ladies Love.

Okay, back to Gema and her underpinnings, now that I’ve given you some background. When we think of corsets, we naturally think of the Victorian corsets of the late 1800’s. Post Civil War from about 1870 onward. Actually, we probably think of Madonna’s and Lady Gaga’s corsets worn when they perform. Not what ladies would wear back then, and certainly they would not show. Soiled doves the exception.

Stays and corsets were the foundation garments for centuries before the invention of the bra, girdle, and Spanx, not to mention control top pantyhose. They held up the bosom and created the shape of the torso popular at the time. If you have anything up top, you probably understand why women throughout the ages wore something to keep the girls contained. I’m not going into a detailed history of stays and corsets, or the pros and cons. I was more interested in what Gema, a poor woman, would have worn and whether it had a split busk or not.

A busk is a stiff rod down the center front that keeps the garment from sagging. Think of it as the underwire of the day. Until the 1830’s they were made of one piece. This only allowed the stays to be put on by lacing and removed by unlacing down the back. When the split busk was invented, it allowed a woman to much more easily dress by herself. The innovation took over and by the 1850’s nearly all corsets and stays were made with split busks.

The historic stays and corsets we see in photos and museums were most likely those of wealthy, elite women. My Ladies of Sanctuary House are anything but that. They were poor women hoping to improve their lot in life by moving and possibly marrying men in the West. They probably wouldn’t have had whale-boned corsets made of silk. Theirs, which they may have sewn themselves, would have been cotton or linen, quilted with cording or tightly rolled paper rather than bones simply because of the cost. They would have worn them until they fell apart. Women protected their corsets by wearing a chemise under and corset over over them. Those were easily washed. Corsets were not. Corsets with steel bones couldn't be washed since the rods would rust.

Here's a corded corset from 1855-1865. It would have had cotton cords quilted in for the stays, or possibly rolled paper.

https://www.augusta-auction.com/auctions/27/299/0299.jpg

https://www.augusta-auction.com/auctions/27/299/0299.2.jpg

Photos from Augusta Auctions 

Notice the lacing pulling the sides together. This was not the way a corset would be worn. At least 2-4 inches gap should remain between the edges. The waist size of a corset is the measure that is of the garment without the gap. This one measures 25 inches, the person would have an actual waist measurement of at least 27-30 inches.

The corset ends just below the waist and would have allowed for ease of movement as a woman went about her daily duties. This is the sort of garment Gema, a hotel maid, might have been wearing, although hers would not have had the lovely trapunto quilted floral sprays between the ribs.

So my problem was solved. Gema could get out of her corset, by herself, and flop it over the back of the chair like I wanted her to. 

Music of Her Heart Cover Reveal

Hi there. Sophie Dawson here.

SAS has given me the privilege of revealing the cover of my next book on their site. Thanks, Ladies.

Music of Her Heart, Stones Creek Ladies of Sanctuary House #2, is nearly finished with its first draft. I’m ready to write the climax and charting new territory in my writing as it’s a type of scene I’ve never done before. Nope, not going to give any other clues than that. 

If you’ve read any of my Stones Creek novels, you’ll know of Sanctuary House. It’s a place for women from Sanctuary Place Mission for Women to live while they are courted by the men of the town and surrounding ranches. All the Ladies have challenging pasts. 

Yes, I’m going to make you scroll down to see the cover. It’s nasty of me, I know.

Laundry Lady’s Love was the first in this spinoff series. If you’ve read it, you met the main characters in Music of Her Heart. Gema Volkovichna who was orphaned as her family immigrated from Russia and traveled across the country heading West spent four years at Sanctuary Place. She’s come to Stones Creek hoping to work and possibly find a husband. 

Red Dickerson had been given the mitten (Cowboy phrase meaning she broke the engagement) by Laura Duffle in Laundry Lady’s Love. When Gema escapes from her kidnappers, Red finds her. Three nights spent in the line shack during a spring blizzard makes for a reputation-saving marriage. 

Now, Gema and Red have to learn to be husband and wife. Does love follow? How does the Music of Her Heart play into their relationship?

I just love how his hand is on her leg. Red’s protective instincts shine through in the image.
 
For a peek at the opening scene, check it out on my Little Bits Blog. I'll post more snippets there soon.  

Release of Music of Her Heart is set for November 16.  In the meantime, if you haven’t read any of the Stones Creek books you can find them on Amazon on my author page: Author page https://www.amazon.com/Sophie-Dawson/e/B0084POHB6/

What's The Crisis by Sophie Dawson

What's the Crisis?
Sophie Dawson

I’ve noticed recently that most of my novels have some crisis dealing with a health issue of some kind. I think there are several reasons for this. One, I’m a doctor’s kid. Not that my dad talked about any of his patients or cases, but growing up medical topics were just there. Plus, I find them interesting.
 
Another, and probably more pertinent reason, is the emotional connection we as readers can have with the characters who are going through crises of health. They are common and familiar to us. We can identify with a loved one having an accident. We can feel the fear of a mother terrified her child will succumb to an illness. We know the helplessness of watching someone whither and die far too young from cancer. 

These types of circumstances pull at me more than having a bad guy or guys attack the main characters. I don’t have experience with evil in that form, so it’s not something I am comfortable writing (although I have and will). It might be those sort of situations just scare me too much so I don’t want to write them. I’m pretty much a wuss and proud of it. 

19th Century Stethoscope

Today, we don’t have the same fears as the characters of the era Sweet Americana Sweethearts novels. Medicine of early and pre-1900 was still pretty primitive. Even then, the idea of germs was not a totally accept concept. President McKinley most likely died as a result of an infection from the gunshot rather than the bullet itself. His physician didn’t believe in germ theory. 

Photo from Wikicommons

Things we take totally for granted were just being developed in the 19th century. Stethoscopes were in their infancy in the 1870’s. The medical thermometer wasn’t invented until the 1880’s and wouldn't have been in common use until much later. Anesthesia was new and often made the patient quite ill or, if not used in the proper manner, led to death. Antibiotic properties were not discovered until the early 1900’s. It took until after World War II for them to become prevalent and commonly used.

Cabin used for quarantine in Wyoming in the 1890's. Wikicommons.

The diseases we generally vaccinate against today led to deadly epidemics before the 1960’s. In my most recent release, Laundry Lady’s Love, a measles epidemic descends on Stones Creek. In some towns only 1 in 10 survived the measles. The threat of death coming to any of the children and other residents was real, and measures of containment were primitive at best. I can remember being under quarantine, restricted to in the house, with a red Quarantine sign in the window while my sister and I had both measles and mumps. Yeah, I’m giving you a clue to my age.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/measles

Even though my sons never had an illness or accident that was life threatening, as I wrote the epidemic, and some of its consequences, I was moved to tears by the fear and sorrow my characters were going through. I’m a mother. I can identify. I, not only can imagine their emotions, but I can go through them myself because illness and accident can visit itself upon us at any moment. 

Even though, in our modern world, we can successfully conquer most health issues, the emotions we go through are the same as those of yesteryear. Laura’s fear for Eddie and Mark, Hank’s fear for Laura, Hank going to Massot requesting another casket be built. Those resonate with each of us. We feel what the character feels. Isn’t that what we want out of our stories? At least it is for me.

You can find Laundry Lady's Love on Amazon.

Sophie Who? by Sophie Dawson

Sophie Who?

Sophie Dawson

For my first post as a contributing author on Sweet Americana Sweethearts I thought I’d introduce myself a bit more. Zina did a great job pulling information about me when she granted me the privilege to post regularly. She did a great job on very short notice. Thank you Zina.

My real name is Susan Ewing. You’ll find me posting as me on Facebook since I want to be “legal” and made a Sophie Dawson page rather than a personal account as my pen name. Thus, you’ll often find my posts starting with ‘Sophie Dawson here.’

Why did I choose to publish under a pen name? Well, that’s a bit of a story. I’m a story teller so here goes. You can let me know if it makes sense. The year I was born Susan or some variant was one of the most popular names for a baby girl. It was for girls born in the surrounding years also. I’ve had Susan’s, Susie’s Suzie’s, Sue’s, Susanne’s, Suzanne’s, Susanna’s, Suzanna’s around me all my life. 

When I was in college I lived on a wing in the dorm which had seven girls. (Small liberal arts college) Four of us were some iteration of Susan. I lived with Suzanne for three years. The only reason it wasn’t four was that she was a year older than me.

Then I married. We live in a very small farming community. It’s a family farm. His brother farms with us. Guess what his wife’s name is. Yep. Susan. She grew up in the area and thus is very well known. Even today, after (okay clue to how old I am) over 40 years people still get us confused. I have to explain which one of the Susan Ewing’s I am. Thus using my real name sort of left me with a flat feeling.

The last name, Dawson, was easy. It’s my maiden name. So why did I choose Sophie? I’m a Christian writer. In Greek Sophia means wisdom. I’m not claiming to have much, but what wisdom God has reveal within his word I try to pass on through the lives of my characters.

Cottonwood Series 1-3

 My main characters are Christians. They are flawed but are trying to live faithful lives. They have weaknesses. They mess up. They fail. They know that God loves them through their faults and failings. They learn. Theirs are stories in faithful living. It’s something I strive to do myself, failing often. 

Stones Creek Series 1-3

My latest release is Laundry Lady's Love. I won't say too much about it since just a week ago I posted about it on New Release Tuesday. Just follow that link to read that post. 

Laundry Lady's Love

So, you can find my books on Amazon. That link will take you to my author page.

You can find the first chapters of my books on my website. Sophie-dawson.com.

Here’s my Facebook page; Sophie Dawson Novels. I’m active in several groups. The amount I post varies as to how busy I am writing, editing and such. Everything comes to a screaming screeching halt when I get a text saying my granddaughter wants to come play. She takes priority over just about anything else.
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