Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1905-03-29
A Former Rockbridger Writes
From Illinois
MULBERRY GROVE, H., Mar. 20.

. MuLBERRY GROVE, ILL.,, Mar. 20.
: EDITOR GAZETTE AS your pap
er IS the only medium through
which | ever near from the CID
home, thorght:I would write you
a letter today as it is too rough
> for any outside business. failed
to get my papsr Of the 9Th and
was afraid you had dropped me
also, but the last week issue came
0. K. ! have been west now 9s
years, and the winter Just ended
was the coolest I have ever ex-
porlenced. was from zero weather
to ~ below for nearly two months.
Fruits all seem to be killed, especial
lypeaches, go our visions of peaches
and cream next August have van
ished like the politicians majority
the morning after the election, for
Il teen degrees below zero always
Kills the peaches in this State, Ill
almost wiped out the quail ard
prairie chicken but the English
sparrows come out all right.
l see from your paper that the
subject.of better schools ie advocat-
ed very strongly at this time in
Virginia. Now this State has
good school laws. The trouble
with US is so many teachers that
they take our schools so low
that the good, capable teach BIS
are looking for something else to
do Every young lady who has I
TO work for a living would rather
try for a second grade certificate Il
and teach at $40 month than hire G
to do touse work. We have three t
directors in each district and they
DO all the hiring Of teachers and G
often some of them have no chill
lren to send and others think edu. b
'ation a small matter, so they en- d
,loy the lowest bidder regardless p
IT qualification, and in that way G
'ur schools are going backward in
tead of forward. We are taxed @
cry high for school purposes. B
these three directors can assess
rom one to three dollars en- the N
hundred dollars worth Of property, Of
Though we are only taxed on one X
fth Of our property. The assessor "
ere takes property at full cash
alue and then takes one ffth for 10
axation. We have money to 10
ire first class teachers and they +.
o in some cases, but they do not
many districts. &C
The worst curse We have in Pc
lis State 10 our divorce laws. We 40
aye a small county and we have
70 courts, the County aud Circuit, .
holds In March and September
i'd we will average ten cases every i5l
urt. The family ties should 90.
the most sacred thing on earth In
1t here many persons seem TO eqs
airy with the thought on their ma i,
md that II ibis don't suit they NJ W.
. GET a divorce. / call to mind =
zen l was serving on the grand {
ry Of two cases. I knew al par BIZ
IS that we're divorced upstairs ere
d aau e down to clerks office and w ",
re married to other parties in viii
teen minutes after the decree
3 granted.
see the old soldier boys are
ssIng away very fast in Rock
dge, and the same is true here TIN
tn the Federals. will have to
| you how they treat Us old
ohnnies hara,N There are only A
-ea OF us left now in this town l.
p, The Grand Army always b
a supper every season and al ID
Us invites us old Confederates cure
we just have good tine tel F.
our trials sIa hardships in 1t
array and l give them one or W
, old rebel songs. Some of the inc
rmest and best friends eFp she MAJ
n fought against four years. conf
must elose and If this does not ONT
its way to the waste basket ! FeOs'
write again. rem rem,
w. i. iLooN' pinn