The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-11-24
SHALL l MOVE TO TOWN

4F Af
near church and prayer meeting A
sufficient answer to this is that as a
matter of fact people in town do not
attend church any better or even as
we'll as the farmers in the country.
The habit of church going is peculiarly
country habit, and while it involves
in the case of old people more or less
sacrifice, and more in the country than
in the town, we doubt if the retired
farmers discharge their church duties
as we'll as they did when they were in
the country.
The fifth and last argument is this:
81 have earned rest, and intend to
take it, Ii by rest is meant the oppor-
tunity to do nothing we do not believe
any man ever earned it, and if he did,
he is very foolish in claiming it. Rest
kills men; moderate and wisely directed
work never does. A man is good deal
like machine. He rusts out much
quicker than he wears out. If man
who is past middle age expects to live
out his days, he must keep his mind
active. He must have something to do
in which he is vitality interested. Look
around at the hale, hearty old men,
whether in town or country, and you
will find that they are almost invariably
men who are constantly thinking and
| planning, who take an interest in all
things around them, and are especially
interested in young people. The re-
mark is often made that this man or
that man who is in the seventies or
eighties is as greedy for money as he
ever was in his life. These men are
grossly misjudged. Ordinarily they do
not care for money. They are simply
working to prolong their lives. They
know that if they quit work the under
taker will find a job before long. They
understand that the mind is the essen
tial part of man, that the body can not
live long after the mind ceases to be
active, and hence they find pleasure in
carrying on their ordinary work, not as
drudgery, not for the purpose of hoard
ing money, but simply for the purpose
of prolonging life and enjoying it.
Herein lies the great objection
against retiring or moving to town. The
retired farmer in town is a fish out of
water. He is usually previously disap-
pointed. When he was in the country,
the groceryman and merchants We're anX-
ious for his patronage. They were
glad to see him and still gladder
to see his wife and daughters
come into the store. candidate
4 for office would frequently run out
on the street to shake hands with
him, ask how things were going in his
township, inquire after his crops, his
live stock, and his wife's health, and
in various ways give him to understand
that he was good deal of a man in the
county-a man of influence and power.
When>he moves to town these classes of
). people drop him out of their thoughts.
He is no longer an influential man in the
township. They know he is disappoint-
ed in the cost of living in town; there
fore, that he is disposed to economic.
They regard him usually as hindrance
in the way of securing public improve
ments, and, in fact, as rather an undesir-
able citizen. His life training has been
. different from theirs and he is driven to
associate with other retired farmers.
j Nearly every one of them has his own
disappointment, if he will confess it,
which disappointment does not decrease
by comparing notes. There is a con-
slant danger of drifting into the habit
of sitting on store boxes and discussing
finance, declaiming about the shortcom-
ings of tenants, telling about the things
they did when they were boys, and
about the big crops they grew on the
farm, none Of which tends either to
Iengthening days or substantial com
fort.
There are cases when the removal
to town is wise one and about the
only thing in fact left for a man to do
, The mans own health sometimes de.
mands it; oftener the health of the
family. What we wish to impress upon
the minds of our readers who think Of
moving to town is this, that it is one Of
, the most important moves man car
make in his entire life, and that il
should only be made as last resort
, and only then after thorough investi
, cation of the effects which retirement
will have upon his old friends anG
neighbors with whom he can talk freely
and fully.
We confess that our own opinions OF
this matter have changed with years
We once advised very dear friend O
ours to sell his farm and move to town
: Two OF three years afterwards he tolt
! us that he believed that we were entire
= ly honest in our judgment in consider
ing his own best interests, but that h
:, was satisfied that it had shortened hi
, days, and in this we are firmly convinc
: = ed that he was entirely correct. We d.
= :. not advise our readers who are contem
. plating this movement not to move t.
: town, but we do say that it is a ste
that should be taken only after the mos
o serious and careful considerations
u lace's Farmer.
=--------------------- -
y In a paper presented to the state con
is ference of charities and corrections a
l. Sioux City Judre Kline of the stat
e board of control makes partial repor
is on the Investigations by the board int
v tuberculosis in Iowa. During the mont
le of September blanks were mailed to al
y the physicians in Iowa, 1882 in numbe
rs and up to the evening of October 2!
Is 1904, replies have been received frol
- zoe Of ,,,hnn, R7Q ronnntod no onco