Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-03-06
TUT tuc SOurleTs
I'm DIXIE"

/
I'm DIXIE"
A ride over the st. Louis b Iron
Mountain railway to Columbus well
repays the traveler-cspecially if he
be from Iowa. The scenery, the peo-
pie, the condition of things generally,
are SO different from what he has been
accustomed to, that his curiosity and
interest are greatly excited. Along
this line is seen the fag end Of civili-
cation. The old log cabin with mud
chimney predominates-often with
that perfection of architecture in
which two houses are built near each
other and then connected with q COM
mon root, leaving an open space be-
tween them. Women appear at the
doorways or in the front yard with
hand over eyes, taking telescope
view of the passers-by. Men also
rush out from hotel bars and strike
impressive attitudes in which the
hands are sent down the pockets of
pantaloons which have been divorced
from vests above-onc shoulder is
placed against post of the porch
the Opposite hip makes sudden
curve outward, the leg of which de-
sends in q somewhat perpendicular
line to the floor, and resting on the
floor about eighteen inches from the
foot Of the post. The leg and post
support the man.
Along this route may be seen the
supposed first developments of vari-
GUS kinds OF animals. The horses
present another marked case of "de-
volution" from the valiant charger of
Job. When being led they present
that not very spirited scene in which
the mans arm, the bride reins, the
horses head, neck and back are on q
horizontal line. The hairy cattle
may be seen, apparently leaning
against the fence or some friendly
stump for "health-lift." The cattle
are evidently in midway of evolution
from the sheep to the short-horns.
They are cloven-footed-so are the
others; they are herbiverous-so are
the others; they have long hair not
wholly unlike the sheep and bearing
resemblance to short-horns; they
have horns-so have the others in
part. But whether they are in process
OF evolution from short-horns to
sheep or the reverse, is . profound
question that men of my profession
must not presume to know anything
about. Those scientists who can take
down or put together the universe as
handily as silversmith would q
clock, can, of course, tell all about it.
It is interesting to see the crock
ribbed" skeleton of our earth where
it is stripped of its cushion Of soil
and robe>o verdure, or perhaps new
er had them on. These rocky hills
and those iron mountains looming up
against the sky in the distance, kindle
some of the emotions of the sublime.
Along this route may be seen some-
thing of the primeval forests. In
looking into their shadowy recesses
the buried ambitions of boyhood that
were made all aglow by reading of a
Daniel Boone or q Davy Crockett, are
almost called to life, and one feels
like breaking away from the hum
drum Of life and, taking gun in hand,
brave the realities of untamed ma
ture. How delightful this moaning
and roaring of the forest winds. The
grand old forests are falling before
the woodlands AK and will soon pass
away, but love them still.
Passing along this road one does
not see the better part of Missouri.
She has immense resources in terrific
ry, soil, climate and minerals. She is
an empire within herself and is q
splendid state be alongside of.
Here comes temperance delega-
ton. They are flying the blue; are on
their way to convention below here.
They are very enthusiastic and the
conversation all turns upon the sub
ject of temperance. The positive
gestures made by the leading ones of
the party indicate that their argu-
ments are earnest if not logical.
zone touch Of nature makes all the
world akin" lam not sure that the
quotation just made is correct in eve
ny word, but it illustrates the point.
Those who sat apart in silence and
Loneliness are brought near togeth-
er and into confiding friendship
by mere bits of blue or
red ribbon. At Columbus, Kentucky,
q Murphy sociable was in progress,
some of the passengers stopping there
over night enjoyed its hospitality.
All along the road blue and red rib
bons are seen. A runner for liquor
establishment said that moro liquor
dealers had broken up in the last six
months than Of any other class Of
business men. He read to travel
ing companion telegram which he
had received from some town where
he trades urging him to come imme-
diately as the temperance movement
was "playing mischief" with the liq.
uor traffic. Those acquainted with
the Southern vocabulary will at once
know that my modest pencil refuses
to report his telegram verbatim.
/ How wonderfully these railroad
lines furnish the arterial circulation
of the body polite. Wherever you
touch them you can feel the beating
of the public heart. Everywhere on
these roads can be felt the rising
pulse Of temperance, and it is not the
rapid and harsh fever beat that is the
precursor of decline and weakness
but the round, bold and smooth throh
that indicates returning vitality and
health. Surely the wheel Of moral
progress has made at least quarter
revolution and is bringing up from
the dust multitudes Of fallen men
This spontaneous uprising and up
ward reaching Of men after purer
life and nobler manhood is truly sub.
lime. How Columbia smiles with an
unwarranted gladness at the specta-
Gle. May kind Providence lead or
this work until this land shall be al
renowned for sobriety as it is fol-
freedom. More anon,
: J. w. MCDONALD.
| Oklahoma, Miss, March 2, 1878.
i orevlty.
Brevity has been called the SOU
of wit, perhaps, because it has a short
soul. In the last public speech Of
Red Jacket, he said: "My speeches
have one good quality, they ART
short" DIR. Cotton Mather placed
nuor <ho dnnr 90 hin n{Hno. GIlx