Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-08-20
TWO FUNERALS; TWO VIEWS.
-Grinneu CORRESPONDENCE.

TWO FUNERALS; TWO VIEWS.
[Grinnell Correspondence
The writer attended two funerals
yesterday, 'bne in the morning and one
in the afternoon. The one In the morn
ing was of James Jackman. the man
who took his own life thru despon
dency the one in the afternoon was of
Mrs. Rinefort, widow of GO. In Jack
mans case, an excellent opportunity
was offered to the preacher to say kind
things and point moral. These people
in middle life had accumulated a small
farm. This they sold because their
health had broken down by unremtt-
ting toll. and the proceeds, about $4,000,
had been put into the banks, $4,000 in
the First National. Mr.. Jackman, never
strong. took his prospective loss very
much to heart Why not? These peo-
pie had accumulated this slender capt.
tai by the hardest kind of hard work
Every dollar represented back aches
and bruised fingers, for the farm they
owned was not the best. Brooding over
it his mind gave way. In taking his
own life he was wholly innocent of
intentional wrong, being Irresponsible.
His life was clean, honest. moral.
temperate and industrious. The preach
err was a Calvinist. and possibly In his
narrow and hideous creed. suicides
have no place in heaven. At any rate
he read a sketch prepared by member
of the family 1t told when and where
he was born, when he came to Iowa,
when and where he married and when
he died Here the deceased stepped
out and the preacher stepped in.
He took a text, In adversely con-
sider." He told us these We're perilous
times, indicating the end of all things.
He spoke OF the volcanic crater over
which the world was sitting; of the
bombardment of Port Arthur: the
burning of the Slocum; the disaster at
Dry Creek. of the blood, and thunder
and lightning flashes; the belching OF
cannon: the golden sunshine In me
colder, streets of the Holy City: the
tree Of life. the blessings of the river
of waters; of everything under the sun
except Mr.. Jackman. his life. his v1r-
tues and his tragic death. some OIL ms
figures of speech were as starting as
they were incomprehensible. For eN-
annie. II am persuaded that neither
municipalities. nor powers nor Things
nresept. nor thing to come, nor any
other creature can separate us from
tho love of God" 1t sounds like a
chanter from Revelations. 1t was great
hut II had no more application than the
reading of a papyrus taken from the
pyramids of Egypt. ;.
Then he became tragic. He struch
an attitude. He said again ana many
times. These are perilous times
There are perilous times In GrinneiL
he said. This city. 1t is well known,
is wide open. 1t grows in beauty ana
wealth. but indecency and vice ana
crime stalk hand in hand thru the
streets In broad daylight" Where TINS
fresh Young man. himself a non-resl-
dent. picked up such an intimate KNOW
ledge OF conditions Is not known lie
NAV be a. reader of the Grinnell Her
aid. or possibly he is disciple OF Bro
Their ulanson. Some men can often
see a dreadful state OF morals Wnere
others detect nothing wrong.
Now. no one has ever maintained
that vice or crime or drunkenness
were wholly unknown In Grinnell. All
that we maintain is that Grinnell Is
the most orderly. peaceabie, mora
community Of people In Iowa. This
fact we know to be true despite the
rantings and hyterics of such men as
this particular minister and Brothei
Ulanson. The writer has lived In OF
near Grinnell for forty one years. he
was here before either one OF these
young men We're born. He knows alb
solutely that their indictment Is libel
That neither of these men ever saw
the things they say are well known;
that they never saw anybody else thai
saw them. Vice and crime do not STAN
thru our streets; at least not In day
light. After 10 o'clock p. m. the writer
is asleep. but he can safely say thai
vice and crime do not do any consid-
cradle stalking at night, and as for In
decency / have never met her IN the
streets of Grinnell yet. a little whisky
is sold In Grinnell. Somewhat more II
shipped direct to parties. There i
u little and very little drunkenness
| There may be some women here who
are not virtuous do not know tina,
there are any. prefer to believe thai
every woman meet is a virtuous wo-
man, but 1t would be strange II there
| were not some who were not. How
my friend the preacher. and the pro-
hibition chairman, can be any better
posted than ! am, do not know.
The other evening my friend Mob
lin and / we're winding our way home
from town 1t was g.: 80 p. m. Where
+ha Iowa Canfral CROSSES Fourth ayen.