Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-09-24
Looker-On In Iona


the Minnesota state fair made a speech
saying among other things, Another
important duty YOU owe to yourselves,
TO your children. and to the welfare of
the state, is-if 1 may use the express
sion-to conserve your children for
Your farms and for rural life and to
prevent them rushing from the farm to
our large cities in such great numbers.
Our census statistics show that, in re-
cent years. there has been an abnor-
nal increase in our urban population
at the expense of our rural commune
ties. This. I believe. all conservative
men. all real friends of the republic,
not saturated with the spirit Of Mann
men, regard as unfortunate. In most
cases the farmers boy. who abandons
the farm for city life. makes a mistake.
A few succeed. but the majority fall by
the wayside and live to regret their en-
trance into the vortex of overcrowded
city life. Farmers, the remedy for this
is largely in your own hands. You
must make farm labor and farm life
more pleasant and attractive. You
must give the boys shorter hours and
more holidays. Give them an ample
every day education and supply them
with books. magazines and newspapers.
Do not rout them out of bed before
sunrise and make them work until
dark Give them good board and good
clothes"
Conditions in Minnesota vary but
little from those in Iowa possibly ex-
ceptfng a few of the northern tier of
counties. SO that the above is equally
good talk for Iowa. He fails to touch
upon the real cause OF leaving tho
farm. It's the drudgery, the continued
labor of the farm. that Is the cause
of the boy leaving the farm" An in
telligent young farmer, one that is
making money, speaking of this sub
ject, said: my brothers, three of them
are now town jewellers. One left be-
cause he got tired of milking eight cows
twice eveyr day or 730 times in year
For such work and the days labor in
the field father paid him $40 a month
and board My other brother got tired
of raising potatoes. Same old thing
every year, ten acres of potatoes. They
were not lazy. but two years at Ames
! settled the farm business for them
They left home. / have stayed. So far
have made and saved ten times as
much as they have. ] milk those eight
COWS and / put in those ten acres OF
| potatoes and am tired too. One oil
my brothers now earns 500 a month as
a travelling agent. 1t takes me a long
time to milk out 800, OF sell potatoes
to get it, Read between the lines and
it seems he wishes he had left the
| farm"
! The newspapers are cultivating +:
rich field. by commenting on tha
bridge whist church trial down to A1el
/ There's some fine points involved.
seems the lady that was to be Church
ed" commented rather freely on tn
preachers enjoyment and Indulgence
in what is known as light gossip. Shs
played whist. He seems to have OBJ
jected, that is, seriously so in his of
fetal capacity. An interview with an
other preacher on this subject is tina
there is a division of opinion anon,
tkeh ministers of the Methodist churc1
regarding card playing, and livel.
discussion viii ensue II Mrs. Doug.a
} appeals to them. While all frown o.
| card playing and playing for prizes
many think there is no more evil Il
CdIu pidyfIlS III 1lOQerBliOll lIIttdl UileF
is in tennis or croquet
II do not believe our church rule
intend to exclude women like Mf:
Douglas from the church." a prominen
, minister is quoted as saying. "In m
own church the most devout membe
have, the one who is always first a
the prayer meeting, a competent stew
{ ard in the official board, president G
! the Ladies' Aid Society, q teacher j
4 the Sunday school, devoted unothe
I and a true woman in every sense Of th
word, occasionally plays cards. I re
greet that she does 1t, but she is a mode
! in every other respect, and ann nc
going to start trial to Dust her fro1
the church"
' Another churchman 10 quoted a
e. claiming, that whist IL a game {
science same as checkers or chess. b,
admits that bridge whist Is gambling
t Probably she means when played Il
4 prizes, Then comes Q non-churc
t member and claims, that auctio
n bridge, the latest craze is more of
), game Of science than plain whist. No
4, let this scribe say that whist plays
:. with the boards. is entirely witt
It out the element Of chance, 81 each sic
: plays afterwards the identical cards {
1t there opponents.
IT On good authorityxhe writer Is to
y that one dealer here has ordered 2
: 'automobiles 10 be s5aeltxered duril