A “Simple” Life Around The Piano

I was reading about life "being simple" in Dayton in 1902 from a booklet printed in 2002 celebrating Grace Episcopal Church's centennial. "Only 14 percent of the homes in the entire country had a bathtub," it read. I noticed there was no mention of pianos in the homes, but that's what was on my mind.

I took piano lessons in the '20s and '30s. It occurred to me that many of my friends or acquaintances did have pianos as well as my family. That was during the Depression.

I have felt blessed that my parents kept paying for my lessons, and I learned to practice regularly. Today I am glad I did bec...