The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1907-01-03

steep hillside as IT in very fear OF
sliding off into the valley. The black
band from north to south shows the
path of the little forest we can boast,
Galland's Grove. Grace Park. Coon
Grove. Buck Grove, just narrow
ribbon.
Looking closer. the eye grown more
accustomed. would gradually begin to
take in the details of the busy town
below. The first appearance is that
of vast chess board. The broad
bands are streets. the white lines are
cement walks. there is a mass of color
and it is only by looking intently
that the minutiae appears The eye
sweeps from east to west. From the
brick yards and the atrocious archie
lecture of the college buildings tn
eye turns with relief to the serried
ranks of pretty, we'll kept homes, on
to the back bone of the town where
church and court houes towers show
like the vertebrae of the skeleton
city, where the fiat roofs and the red
walls show the business section and
westward again pasts homes. to
the red glare of the west brick
school which seems to be the jumping
off place of the city.
But having seen all this one would
have seen but the she'll of the city,
town that is lovely. because it is
lovable. the home of as happy and
as intelligent people as the New
Years sun shown upon as the rusty
old world creaked on its axis on the
first day of 1907.
The man gazing down upon Deni-
son. would have been struck at once.
if he were at all observant. by the
fact that no section of the town APP
peared dilapidated and forlorn. That
there was no Poverty Row apparent,
no HELPS Half Acre, no plague spot of
any kind. He would have noted many
mansions. not set in snobbish seclu-
sion. but scattered about among their
less pretensious neighbors. Best. of all
he would have noted hundreds of
well-kept comfortable homes. the
evident abode of contented. well-paid
labor, of ease and comfort. if not
of luxury.
This is the Denison of 1907. Thank
Heaven. there is neither a millionaire
nor pauper in the town today. Rich
and poor. there be. but these only
in a comparative sense. Thirty-ive
hundred people within the two miles
square. Ten churches, FIVE saloons.
two reading rooms. three pool halls.
one college, one bowling alley. three
banks. four newspapers. all kinds Of
retail stores. from very big to very
little, three school houses. preten-
tious court house. a city hall. wood
en- "Opera House. electric lights,
waterworks. deep-graded streets. q
multitude Of cement walls and slop-
ing terraces. two railroads, a fen
shops and this again is Denison.
But no. not yet have we reached
it's heart. there are things which the
man above the clouds may not see.
though he wee Argus-eyed. From
his station the busy people look like
SO many ants and it seems impossible
that they take themselves seriously,
yet there are as many possibilities
for good or evil as there are beings
in the town. What the future of the
city shall be it is given them to de-
termine. We have faith, great faith.
The little town has produced great
men and great women. better still il
has produced good men and good
women. It's mission is not ended,
for it is from just such towns. from
just such homes, where dire poverty
does not starve the soul. where great
wealth does not set false standards,
where labor is respected and respect.
able. where caste does not exist, it il
from such homes we repeat. and from
the free air of the prairies. that the
great men. the workers. the saviors
of the republic and of humanity must
come. Let us set our house in order
for charge to keep we have. 1t il
ours to keep alive the spirit of tn,
republic. to preserve that broad demo
cracy which is the basis of our ma
ton. To maintain good citizenship
and good morals. Let US take prid
in our city. in is growth. in it's ma
terial prosperity. let US build hotel
and opera houses. but let us not for
get that the great mission of Deni
son, the great mission of every house
hold in liberty loving Iowa. to Civ
unto the world noble men and nobl
women.
! Here's to the Denison of 1907
great things has it accomplished
great men has it given, but create