Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-05-30
A Few Days Among the Farmers.

: to go to Belleview. The morning was yer,
:. pleasant, the air calm and balmy. The hills
$ the mountains were covered with dense
1 foliage, and everything looked so beautiful
: L felt like repeating the words, "Every pros.
e pect pleases-only man is vile." Ash rode
7 along [ took notice of all the changes thai
mad been made or taken place since I was
. through that part of the country, for it has
3 been quite number of years. l could but
contrast the difference between the frs,
time ever passed along that road, half a
century ago, when the highway went wind
ing In and out among the hills and holows,
almost impossible for teams. Now, most
of the way, the roads are in splendid condi-
ton, and the face ofthe country has changed
so hardly knew where l was. Fifty years
ago, as you passed along the road, you
would come to farm surrounded by woods,
shut IN from all the rest of the world. After
passing the farm, you would go for miles
without seeing another house. At that time,
Belleview Valley, although it had good
many farms, and some of them were quite
large, each with its large families of negroes,
and all the necessary buildings, which made
| quite a town, yet such farm or plantation
was isolated from all the rest of the world.
When on the top of the high hill this side of
Judge Palmer's, l stopped to take look
away off to the north and west What a
| beautiful sight [ saw spread out before me.
The Valley spread out before me for miles
and miles, with farm after farm Joined to-
gether, all as one. l could hardly believe
my ewes. Was this the same valley used
to ride through in days gone by: and was
this the same country I had hauled through
the first Wheeler & Which Thresher, back
and forward, through winding ways, from
farm to farm, when you bad to have guide
to take you on our winding way? What
times | did have with that machine-the roads
so narrow, the woods so thick, the turns so
short, the stumps so high. All now has
changed. | saw no slaves or negroes with
that same old mule, ploughing the corn. |
saw no great schooner wagons, with their
four horses, and driver riding the near
wheelhorse. Everything is changed. But
| saw large fields of corn, with men cultivat- |
ing them with double shoyels and those
two-horse walking cultiyators that clean a |
row at a time.
In my trip saw but few places that looked |
nat ural. How natural, though, that old |
spring, with Its stone springhouse, under |
the old elm tree, at the old Jamison-now
Palmer-place. How many times l have
stopped to get Il drink of its clear, cold |
water, when a boy carrying the mail. How
good it seemed to sit under the elm's wide
spreading branches and drink of the cool,
refresh hing water, on some of those hot sum-
mer days, and listen to the songs of the birds
in the top of the tree! And in place of those
old log houses and negro cabins, and log
stables and cribs, are now fine houses and
large framed barns.
AS l passed along / came to the old
Smyrna meeting house. All, how natural it
looked. The same old oaks all around it, as
of old, when on my return trip l would see
the people from all parts of the country
coming on horseback to church. Now, how
ever, as 1 rode up to the old church, saw
no signs of the old-time well worn path to
the church door. l saw no signs of the
teeth of horses on the bark of the trees,
where they mad been hitched in years gone
by. l saw the door was shut, and no signs
Of life as in days of yore; but l saw graves
OF the dead, some Of whose faces came up
fresh in Wholesome of those who were al ,
ways to be found at the regular church APP
pointments. And how fresh the faces of I
some of the boys and girls of that time come
Lrooping into my mind-and now those same c
boys and girls ace the parents of other boys
and girls, and grandparents of still other
boys and girls. t
After looking around while, l mounted
my horse and rode on, with the thought,
Have all the church going people ded:- ,,
ire they all dead, that they have forsaken
he house that so many of their parents held q
so dear to their hearts?"
AS l rode on, | soon came in sight of a
beautiful little town, with two handsome
churches nestled down where, in my time,
t was forest. What change time makes |
Here were stores, nice cottages, beautiful
yards, with such roses and all the accom-
panying conveniences of life. Here l found j,
our old Prof. Scott holding forth, sowing the
seeds of knowledge. AS my horse had been !;
imping for some distance, l rode up to the ,
village blacksmith shop and had the shoe re.
moved and reset, which helped matters very G
much. AS [ ride along it seems as though ,
he country had stretched out in every
direction: the forest had moved away back r
% the hills, and some of the fields reached
ar up the side of the mountains. New 9
farms, new houses, with large barns, in every :
direction. And when looked for the old
-Oads on which used to haul the thresher, I
could see no signs of them. ALI had been
cleared away, and large fields Of corn, wheat
md oats, large meadows of clover, had taken
he place of the forests. And when reach
ID the place of my destination, l asked,
where are all of the old people 1 once
knew? the SloanS, where are they?'' 'Gone,
Ill gone! Some have removed to other parts; S
some are dead" "The AleXanders, the e
etc.!' Most of them scattered
md gone" There are few families left of b
he old stock, as / used to know them: the 4
Russells, Meyers and Palmers are about all. S
And so the world moves right along, re- o
sardless of any man or men. And now when
have the time this rainy morning to stop !,
o think of all the good times have bad
With those same people IN the years long :,
zone, find them just as kind, just as full of
owe and human kindness. as those of other y
lays. How glad they seemed TO be to share !,
heir good things with your correspondent, -
md to make his stay pleasant and comfort
bile. T. Z. Il. b
We are showing a new line of Satteens,
Ihallies, Ginghams, Embroidered Dress
Patterns, sc. D. F. REESE s. BRO.
From GOOdland.