Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-04-13
The West End of Iron County, Mo.
NUMBER THREE.

Twenty-three years ago, the popula-
ton of this district averaged small
fraction above five to the square mile.
To-day it is below four.
For twenty-one of the twenty-three
years. the average annual death rate
was a small fraction above three.
But in 1890 and 81, la grippe sowed
crop, all of which has not yet been
reaped, but 1892 broke the record and
rolled up twelve deaths.
Within few years the district has
suffered severely by death. Such men
as DR.. Samuel Lucas, A. c. Crocker,
Peter Pauley and John Mcmahon, when
taken away are not readily replaced.
The prevalent drift of the population
to towns has taken many. But emf
grafton does not always weaken COM
munity; it sometimes unloads it, and
enables judicious men to substitute inn
proved implements for mere manual
| labor.
For example, when by using a self
binder a farmer can put his grain in
shock for seventy cents an acre, and his
hay in his barn or stack at one dollar
and twenty-five cents per ton, by using
the moving machine and horse rake, 1t
does not pay him to continue the old
system of manual labor. By depriving
them of work, class of men are turned
loose and must remove.
| A few years ago, Belleview Valley
saw a nice example of that idea. In
one harvest, fourteen self binders were
running in the valley, which turned
adrift seventy men. OF course this idea
does not obtain to the same extent in the
West End of Iron county, because there
lis not so much grain produced there,
but it holds good in proportion.
In order to use improved implements
effectively, the farmer must clean up
his ground. This does much good.
But with diminution of population,
it is pleasant to record an increase of
Intelligence among the people.
Twenty-three years ago there was
one post-office in the district, and mail
service once a week. Now there are
five post-offices, and admirable mail
service three times week.
There is sufficient supply of stores,
corn-mills, saw-mills and blacksmith
shops If the owners of saw-mills
would rig up annexes to their mills in
the shape of hoop factories, the pos1
oak on the Ozarks will supply material
for millions of sawed hoops which pay
we'll.
Many of the people are taking the
right road to success, by going out OF
corn and hogs and into grass and cattle.
Ground worked year after year ir
corn, is liable to be washed away, and
hog stealing absorbs much of the profits
of pork.
There is a tax lien war going on in
the district. arising out of civil incon-
venience of gigantic proportions. But
out of this war it is proposed to keep.
Doctors are somewhat scarce. This
arises from the fact that there is less
demand for them than formerly. The
community is isacquiring large amour!
of medical knowledge, free from tech
nicalities. Less attention is being Civ
en- by the people to curing disease, and
more to its prevention. People live
more nationally now, than formerly.
If it is true that what is wanted in the
State must be put in the common school,
that system needs reconstruction In the
West End of Iron county, and perhaps
elsewhere The objective in school
teaching, is to enable the pupil to think