The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-10-24
.GLORIOOS IS IOWA
DURING OCTOBER
COT. SWAIN SAYS SIGHT is
WORTH GOOD DEAL OF
MONEY.
WONDERFUL ADVANTAGE HERE
Hawkeye Farms Are Richest in World
And Golden Opportunities Sur
round People Of This Fav-
ored State.

4OMds ckiu wi. SWAIN lIllS iuuTulu6
to a Herald reporter THE fact OF
tho matter is that the foliage of Iowa,
and especially of its grand oaks, that
one can see in almost every direc-
tion--if he gets away from town-is
an artistic exhibition unexcelled, and
it pays to make long journey just
to see that alone. Incidentally, you
may say that to see the old friends
round about is also one of the pleas
ures that come to grace life beyond
my poor words to express. There is
nothing in life like old friends; those
with whom we have been ASSOCIATED
in the various duties Of life; you know
them and they know you, whether 1t
be good or bad, or just average like
the rating that most of us would get
in a proper adjustment of things
We'll. what do you think of the old
town? Do you note any improve
ment since you were here three years
ago?s
That's one of the great pleasures
in coming back to the old town; to
see how substantially the line of pro-
gressive development has taken place
and it affords myself and wife the
greatest degree of pleasure to note
that this positive development on all
substantial lines which has taken
place in the past three years. Wher-
ever we are. or have been, the inter
ests of the old town have always had
warm corner in our hearts, and that
corner will not be preempted by any
place, person or thing from now on
to the end of the chapter, which in
our case will end in a crematorium. e
Iowa Farms Are Rich.
1T is a glory to see these Iowa
farms. Many years ago | preached
the doctrine Of the real and greater
value of these farms. In the columns
of the old Herald, -when it was as big
as a blanket, you win find that i
said, land was called a--well, not
wise man, that Mahaska farm lands
would go to 500 per acre and then
some. That was when the Kansas
boom was doing its work among our
folk,-and now today two-thirds of the
land in this county will range in sala-
BILE value at that figure. And it is go
ing to better that-put that down-and
the man who sells at present rates will
see the day within five years that that
viii bring regret to him. of course,
am talking about the ordinary, we'll
cared for and improved Mahaska
farms. Such acreage as is found in
Iowa is not duplicated in many places
on this earth; and wise is the man
who hangs on to these bonanza crop
ping lands. Iowa lands are better
than government bonds,-and sure as
they are. ! am very glad that am
an agricuiturist,-and shall be one
right along.
The fact is, that if the people gen
orally could get real appreciation of
the thousand advantages and blessings
so cheaply at their Command here, they
would never think of going away from
these positive blessings to grab after
the slippery tailhold of dreams in other
places so very much less favored. In
a material way, the millions of Europe
have the keenest appreciation of all
the great advantages afforded by not
only Iowa, but by every section of
country, as compared with the condi-
tions prevailing on the other side.
Here hope holds out its glorious prom
Use to every man and woman who cares
TO take advantage of the opportunities
SO abundantly found on every hand;
here the cast.iron rules of class dis
tinctlon are not known, and / pray
God may never be known among the
iInpediments to the development OF
the people With our splendid educa-
tional system, with all the things of
civic life making for better men and
better women, what may we not ex-
pect from the future population of the
near coming years? ! am of the opin-
ion,--of course it may not sound mod
est, but then ! am saying it just the
same-that the men and women who
have been doing things in Mahaska
for the last fifty years have put an ex-
ample on the copy book OF life that
the future men and women of the
county may well look to and also might
do well TO follow copy. Yet with all
the better developing institutions OF
the present day, they should be expect
ed TO do things in a much better way
and 10 reach condition OF civic right
eousness and uplift worthy Of all the
labor and the thought and the money
that has been put into the institutions
now surrounding them, such as our
schools and colleges and the nurse.
mother OF all that is good-the
churches.
II the young men and women OF the
present day do not develop out into
race like unto some Of the tabled PEG.
pies of old. OF which philosophers
dreamed Of, and spoke about, they will
in every way be entirely unworthy Of
that which is gone before and that
which is at hand today.
Eastward Bound Again.
I'VE shall soon be on our way back
10 our home In England. but our visit
10 Iowa IL the best that we have had
~ the ten years that we have been on
Ehe pilgrimage in other lands. 1t is