Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-07-06
LOOKER.ON IN IOWA


Toledo, July SIT has long been re-
marked that one town can always have
successful county fair, while another
equally good town, surrounded by Just
as good and as large a number OF pro-
gressive farmers. fails every time. I'm
der the head of successful fairs always
count in Malcolm and Eldora- So 1t is
with chautauQua meetings Toledo ana
Tama have just closed their second
| successful chautauqua meeting. This
is all the more creditable, for they have
not descended to the clap-trap, any
thing or anybody to draw the crowd
style of program.
Every year prosperous Iowa pays
less attention to the Russell Sage adj
vice, mot to take q vacation" More
and more men. business men, now
count on and enjoy "a lay-off." stop
page from the everyday. customary
duty and toll The number of bust
ness houses that allow their employees
one or two weeks vacation with full
pay is increasing. and even now the
houses that do not give their clerks
such vacations are being pointed out
with "the finger OF scorn." speaking In
parable as 1t were. Again, the VIM
men folks are beginning to understand
they are entitled to a vacation as well
ms the men, and 1t is daily occurrence
to find business men and others tax
ing meals at the hotel" because my
wife has left me- Now add to this the
number of towns where the early clos
ing movement is in vogue, and business
life for young and old is worth living.
There is a strange phase of this early
closing movement, and that is no town
goes back to the old way again. Bust
ness men in general, where 6:30 p. m.
is the closing hour, tell the writer that
their sales are not diminished by the
fewer hours Of trade, and certainly the
universal prosperity OF the town goes
far to prove 1t.
The other day on the Iowa Central
train south, en- route to the st. Louis
exposition were ten or dozen Japan
ese. all about 25 or 80 years of age.
They came over the Great Northern via
Minneapolis. had apartments in the
sleeper (well stocked with champagne
and other necessities) but were In the
smoker when the writer saw them. No
ticeably were their clothes, all evil
IDENTIFY of American tailor make, and
strictly up-t date. So were their
shoes. their hats, their hose. collars,
neckties and dressing cases. Further
more they were asking questions in
English Of the newsboy and passengers.
Once more their physical makeup was
a big Improvement over the Chinese
specimens we see in this country. They
were "husky" young fellows, appar-
entity able to take care Of themselves.
Well, what about it? Why this. II
we sent over to Toxic ten OF our Iowa
young men, and they should on ar
rival adopt the Japanese costumes en-
tirely, use the Japanese language,
swear words and all, naturally the
Japanese would feel complimented. So
do we. And It may be their copying
our style of fighting on land and sea,
using our small arms and artillery, us
ing some of the statijetic cultured
brains. made active in our colleges by
Japanese students has much to do with
their success in warfare. Bully for
us!"
There is Just room to mention that
at Eldora they have brass band this
year that plays tunes. AT least on the |
night the writer was In that county |
seat the open air concert was the play |
ing of tunes. All of the old familiar |
standby stick-to-us songs We're played !
and well played One could recognize |
Annie Laurie. She wasn't all mixed |
up with rag time waltz. And when
we went Way Down Upon the Swanea |
River" we didn't get shipwrecked by |
popular air from some classical selec-
ton from "a playedou opera. Neither
was the program filled with that style
OF "band music written by some
crank whose whole idea OF composition
is to give each instrument solo part,
which combined gives the nearer an
idea he is In Chinatown. They played
tunes They made their instruments
sing songs. Encore.
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