Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-22
CLARINDA Il

Correspondence of TuE BEE.
CLARINpA, Iowa, June 20.-We had
three days of clear weather and began to
think the wet spell was ended, but last
night, without warning or provocation
the rain poured down in torrents. The
constant rains will certainly shorten the
crop, though the soil of this county is of
such a character that the fields may be
worked almost Immediately after a hard
run, so that there is hope for a fair crop
yet. Farming is after all u very un-
certain venture. 1t is a lottery, not
much better than Gen. Beauregard's at
New Orleans. If the plant is not dam
aged by the deluge or drouth, it must
rain the gauntlet of insects, blight or
early frost, and is never safe till
harvested, and her the specu-
lators and railroads gobble it. Yet
how true it is that all wealth
comes out of the soil. As the
babe draw, its whole nourishment from
the mothers breast, SO does this busy
population of ours suck all life and lux
ury and prosperity out of mother earth's
ample bosom. You can't think of any
business that wonld be worth ''shucks"
if the crops fail, unless it would be the
undertaker's. These wet days make mer-
chants faces as long as a hoe handle.
AS the farmers chances brighten the
merchants faces begins to smile. The
farmer then, ought t. be at the top of So
ciety. He ought to be better educated
than the minister, for he stands nearer
God in nature; he ought to be better
clothed and richer than the lawyer, for
more depends upon him than upon the
courts; better housed than the banker,
for he creates that which makes the banks.
He ought to dictate the financial and
commercial policy of the nation. But
he don't. He don't even run the county
convention.
The Methodists here are charmed and
excited by a woman preacher, a Mrs.
Robinson, revivalist. She has been
preaching and holding religious services
night and day for two weeks. Sundays
the house will not hold all who flock to
hear her. She is a gifted woman, and
no doubt inspired. With a most pleasing
voice, an unlimited flow of language.
She appeals to the emotions rather than
the intellect, and wins the ~unbounded
admiration of her own sex. The Presby-
terians with honorable exceptions, show
her the cold shoulder for they oppose
woman's preaching, because old bachelor
Paul did, and because, l am sorry to say,
a spirit of jealous rivalry exists between
the two leading churches here. But Mrs.
r. is doing good. She has blended the
warning factions hat sprung up in the
church during the building of the new
church. [Say, isn't it dreadfully incon-
v~enient to call both the building and the
organization a church," But she has
made no converts yet, l believe. Her
harvest is not quite ripe.
City attorney Parslow came near be.
ing drowned Monday. He was out in
the west part of the county with a buggy
and team from Capt. Beerm's livery
stable, and in crossing the swollen Tarkic
the bridge went down under him. Pars
low crawled out of the back of the buggy
and saved himself. One horse was
drowned and the other so near it that i
was barely alive when rescued.
M. w. Russell is building a fine resi-
dence, to cost from So, 900 to SIC, 900, OF
a commanding eminence in II southwes
suburbs.
Editor Ridenour, of The Democrat
fell on an icy sidewalk last winter anC
broke his leg, on which he is still limp
ing, for rheumatism and other things SCI
in and retarded the healing process. Fl,
now makes out a bill against the city foi
damages, and will probably bring suit fol
50, ZOO. At the time of the accident he
was a member of the city council and or
the street and alley committee.