Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-10-24

greater or less extent, and this II
especially true of liquor laws. W.
may rest assured that our officials
being about the same as other officials
will not enforce the law against
the mulct saloon unless the enlighten
ed sentiment of the respectable citi-
zens demand it.
The question for us to decide then
| is whether we can make the mulct sa-
loon live up to the law. If so, then
there is much to be said in favor OF
its establishment. But If not, would
anything be gained? The law will not
enforce itself on the contrary, we
may count on an incessant fight to
keep the saloon in line with legal re-
quirements. Will public sentiment be
strong enough to demand that our
officials enforce the law to the let
ter This is one Of the questions for
us TO decide, and we should meet 1t as
we do other propositions, dispassion-
ately and without rancor, always re-
Numbering that those who differ with
US are just as honest and well-mean-
ing as we, and just as much entitled
to respectful hearing on the merits
of the question as we are.
INDIAN SUMMER.
burlington Hawkeye.1
Iowa has made a commendable start
In art. After devoting several genera
tions to transforming the beautiful
wilderness into garden as fair as ever
cultivated by human hands, and warm
ed by the great sun of our universe.
the Iowans are beginning to cultivate
those gentler arts, which are the sist-
ers of prosperity and leisure. Already
do they point with pride to fine list
of gifted writer's. There are Iowa
poets, whose verses are well worth
preserving, Iowa painters and Iowa
composers are beginning to attract at
tention. And they are undoubtedly de-
stined to win a prominent place among
the devotees Of art.
Surely the conditions are favorable.
A country that inspired even the stol-
i'd red man to higher flights in the only
art that he cultivated-that Of oratory.
And that country changed within the
span Of one life from an uncultivated
wilderness to rich, and fair empire,
the home of several millions of happy
and prosperous people, surely the
theme is inspiring. And as for the set
ting, what on earth is or could be finer
than our Indian summer days? There
are tints upon the hiusides, over the
broad river, tar away In the distance
where in the haze land and water and
sky fade into one, tints tat ought to
inspire, If they do BATTLE the painters
best skill. There are notes In the
woodland and on the prairie in these
glorious Indian summer days that
could be woven into immortal music.
they do but wait the composer who
will gather them together and arrange
them in their proper form. There is
a spirit abroad these Indian summer
days, that sings all the strains, that
poets and singers have produced, since
poetry became one OF the choicest and
chiesfest of arts, and vague and indis-
tinct because new, unknown and here
tofore unconfned there are other
stains, other sentiments, that wait but
the interpreter who shall put them
into rhythmic verse or sonorous prose
for us.
Here and there we hear the COM
plaint that ours is prosaic land, that
we have no art, because there is moth
ing to inspire the artist. Out upon
thee, for a poor observer and false
one Iowa has no art because she has
been too busy with for the time being
more important things Butt she is
not prosaic, not dull lifeless and
colorless. All the germs Of great
works of art, all the inspiration to en-
able gifted artists to rival their COM
peers in other parts Of the world are
ever to be found in beautiful Iowa, and
when in Indian summer she arrays
herself in a garb all her own, and as
suhes a pose and frame Of mind diff
ferent from and more charming than
others, she inspires even the dullest IL
to no more, at least to q voiceless adj
miration of her matchless beauty,
while those to whom the gift has not
been denied feel impelled to sing the
praises of the fair land.