Author’s Note: In this upcoming essay you will find out how some little things can get in the way of friendships. Please see if you can make any connections.
What do you think of the 1930s? The story, President Cleveland, Where Are You?, is a story about young boys who try hard to find President cards in caramel chew packs to win the ultimate baseball glove, signed by Lefty Grove. Money was rare in the 1930s because the Great Depression was happening and there wasn't much money to give and earn.
Cowboy cards came first in the bubble gum packs like the caramel chews. A little 11 year old boy named Jerry had been attached to these cards with his friends, buying one after another. They were 5 cents a pack, that’s an ok amount of money to them, but nothing to us. I remember when I was little candy would have little cards or something in them for the kids. All of a sudden, the cowboy cards had changed to president cards and with caramel chews instead of gum.
In this time of year, the Great Depression was going on. That’s why they had coins and the most expensive thing brought to you in the story was a dollar. Rich men would get about $30 a week and have about $1,600 a year. My great grandmother had gone through the Great Depression, and it was not easy. I had read all types of books and little stories on the great depression.
When all the president cards had come out, the school was getting smarter with all of the presidents because on the back of the cards there would be little biographies about them. People would be talking on the streets about all of these amazing facts. Usually when something new in my school happens, the school talks about it for a couple of days. Finding all of the cards couldn’t be that hard I thought, but I was wrong. There were only about 36 presidents in the 1930s. I am used to 44 presidents.
In 1932 President Roosevelt was elected, and again re-elected in 1936. Also in the early 1900s there would be very big families, so Jerry had a brother and two other twins in his family. Just picture now we have all of these fashion expensive clothes and these poor people had hand-me-downs all their lives and couldn’t get new clothes for a while.
Pa’s birthday was coming up and the kids all pitched in for the gift. They ended up getting him a nice blue tie. I always get my father a gift for his birthday. Jerry had found a love letter from his brother to this girl named Sally he liked. Jerry’s brother had told Jerry to never tell anyone and all Jerry wanted was a President Roosevelt card. Jerry’s brother had told him that down north there were a bunch of cards that he was looking for.
Jerry and his friend were talking about how they would even spend 5 dollars for that one card. Jerry had taken the 5 dollars from his friend and went to the north side. Jerry actually bought a card from someone for 5 dollars, and I didn’t think that was very smart, because he could have just paid 5 cents for a card there. Jerry had gotten back and told his friend about how he used the 5 dollars for the one card. Jerry’s friend was pretty upset, because it turned out to be that the 5 dollars was for an emergency. At first I knew it wouldn’t be a very good idea. There wasn’t anyone who won the glove and Jerry just sat until a good feeling came to him.
From this story I learned that little things, and some big things, can come between friendships. What did you learn? I am not sure how Jerry or his friend will get 5 dollars back, because money like that was rare for poor families to have.
