Mexico Missouri message., 1905-07-13
LETTER FROM THE EAST.
R. 7. Steele, Formerly of This
County, Takes a Trip.

Asbury Park, N. J.-EDITOR
MESSAGES: Leaving st. Louis at
$3.50 p. M, nothing wds seen be-
fore daylight next morning, which
found us in Northern Indiana, west
of Fort Wayne. We were in n
valley where the crops of wheat,
oats, clover and timothy were sim
ply immense. Corn was small but
clean. Wheat was being cut and
oats, green as grass. Both in
Northern Indiana and Southern
Michigan and most of the way the
south edge of Canada the land is
flat everywhere, but the same rich
ness of crops continued, everything
being later as we went north.
Next morning found us at Syra.
cuse, N. Y, there, the crops in
the narrow valley thru which the
train runs, were unusually poor.
Small grain and grass looked like
they had been water soaked aud
chilled all spring Some corn had
been plOwed once and some not,
but all was hOpelessly weedy. But
we could see only narrow strip of
country, bounded by wooded hills.
The fields thru which we passed
in day light from west of Fort
Wayne to the Hudson are Overrun
with nasty yellow mustard.
Very few good cattle, as we in
Missouri understand the term were
to be seen along the route. In In
diana and Michigan the Jersey was
much in evidence, with Il fair
number of Holsteins, while in
Canada and New York the HOl.
stines seemed to prevail, and, all
along white and thin. .hanked reds
were in the fields.
All thru this Elevel country, in
Indiana, Michigan and Canada, the
prepOnderence Of small, dmgy,
poor hOmesteads was the subject of
frequent remarks on the train.
There were, of course, some good
houses, but the small, cramped
three, and often two, roomed hOus-
es were so numerous and so ont of
keeping with the richness of the
crops as to suggest laEdlordism,
that supreme economic curse of
civilization. This feature impressed
the MissOurians, who, in even the
rough parts of the State, are used
to seeing so many fine, substantial
and tastily kept homes. Society
should, and will. gradually abol
ish the privilege Of a few of its
members to live at ease, by charg-
ing the rest of its members for eX-
isting on old common mother
earth.
There was loud and deep grum-
bling when, on the second morn
ing, the occupants of two sleepers
found they had been side-tracked
during the night to enable the
heavy train to make time. Nothing
could now get them to Albany in
time for the boat and they would
lose the ride down the Hudson.
But when we found Il special
ready at Albany and we were
rushed 80 miles and caught the
boat, the unanimous verdict was
that the wabash had acted like a
gentleman"
OF course the ride down the
Hudson, thru New York Harbor,
the docks, the big ocean steamers,
the boat ride past the Statue OF
Liberty aud other noted places on
the way to Shady Hook were all OF
vast interest to the excursionists
but of no interest to your readers,
Can you send my MESSAGE for a
time to No. II Warren ST., Sailors.
vile, II. ], Don't know how LONG
l may stay but expect to get tired
in a short time. Mary. my daugh-
ter, will go from the N. e. A. to
Cold Harbor. L., to study in
the Laboratory and / shall visit a
sister have not seen for so
years. r. 7, STEELE,