The Art of Living Well in 1877 Seattle
While Seattle’s pioneer merchants touted their iron stoves and fine whiskies, the local press offered practical, timeless advice on navigating life’s demands.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
To hear only the good. To see only the beautiful. To believe only the true. To take all that comes for the best. To improve what you have. To govern yourself. To be always so composed that you will never be in hurry or worry. To fit joy to all that life has to give. Let not your heart fail, but make God your constant companion.
“To be always so composed that you will never be in hurry or worry.”
While surrounded by the transactional hustle of 1877 Seattle—with its bustling wharves, saloons, and hardware peddlers—this listicle serves as a striking reminder of the Victorian-era preoccupation with stoicism and self-improvement, a precursor to the modern wellness culture that persists in the city today.
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