Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-12
Thayer Paints the Gloomy Side
of the Picture OF Life in
Rural Districts
MUCH WORK AND LITTLE PLAY
Every Member Of the Family, Old and
Young, of Either Sex, is Helper
Farmer Earns All He Gets-churches
and creameries in the Vicinity of
Radcliffe.
Special to Times Republican.

Radcliffe, Oct 12.-The high price OF
all farm products makes the average
city man envy the farmer his position.
OF Independence, but there are many
hardships and drawbacks that are I'M
known to the man in town who walks
to and from his place of business, the
working in rain, tramping thru mud.
and other things of the same order.
One man on 100 acre farm. will,
no help except what he gets from his
wife, must, IL he does not feel we'll, d.
his work just the same. II he is up
nights with sickness In his family or
among his stock, he must he up ana
doing at daylight, and these cold'
windy days he is not sitting by the
fire, but is out in the field where the
wind gets full sweep, sitting on his
pillow and occasionally walking. And
again, one little thinks how much of
farmers time is put in on the roads to
and from town. or the amount OF labor
required to deliver grain to town after
1t has been gathered.
In conversation with farmer here
today, who lives eight miles from town,
he informed me that 1t required forty
days time in making two trips day.
or thirty-two miles per day. or l,2So
miles of actual travel, to deliver his
grain to market Is 1t any wonder
farmers will vote taxes or take stock
| in inter,irbans so as to give them
closer market point?
Hired help is scarce. and work must
be DONE I drove past place where
a woman and her daughter were load
Ing manure on a wagon. thought this
strange, but on going further down the
road met boy, probably IL years old.
coming with another wagon, and out
in the field was the father. The wom-
en- loaded the wagon, the boy drove
from house to the field and the father
did the unloading.
Stopping few miles on asked for
the men. Away threshing." was the
reply. "Will he be home at noon" l
asked: ~ will call him up on the
phone and see" After getting him on
the line, she asked "Will do the
chores this noon," and "Will you be
| home early or shall do them tonight
also?"
He had told her the machine was ont
of order and it probably would be late
before coming home. There was no
complaint on the wife's part, she took II
as a matter of course that she must
do the work if her husband was away,
| which consisted on feeding about sew
enty-five hogs and milking seven cows,
to say nothing Of taking care of three
small children.
These cases are not exceptional, but
are to be found on most any farm.
The women as well as the men have a
great deal to put up with, and go on
smiling, where any other class would
lay down and quit. He deserves all he
earns, and when he acquires sufficient
to quit the farm and live in comfort
in town he usually does so, and for
one, don't blame him.
The country around Radcliffe is
largely Scandinavian, and two things
they are long on are creameries and
church. Dotted all thru the country
are churches, and the shadow Of the
SplF6 VIII Ae1AA VA -
creamery. The creameries are all well
patronized and the churches as we'll.
In nearly every home Scandinavian
church papers are taken and read. The
children probably put in more hours
schooling than any of our foreign pop
ulation, because, aside from attending
the regular county schools, they have
during the off months, schools where
Norwegian is taught, so that they can
and do speak one language as well as
! the other.
GEORGE r TIIAYER.