Going back in time, there were a variety of ways in which families earned money to survive. Some will recall playing the numbers. There were no legal state lottery games, back then; we had “street numbers.”
Those that patronized this system selected numbers through a variety of methods and played their numbers with the aid of a runner or writer who then carried the number to the banker, or “the money man.”
Often, the number was from a dream that was interpreted in the “Dream Book.” Others would obtain their numbers from the hymnbooks at church. Then, there was the “speakeasy,” a place people frequented to purchase alcoholic beverages when bars were closed. If you were around, back then, you recall that in some neighborhoods, speakeasies enabled the operator of the establishment to “make a living.”
Continue reading The Philadelphia Tribune here, courtesy of Alonzo Kittrels.