Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-05
PEOPLES PULPIT
Glendive, Mont,
July 25, 1909.

+ Ae~~->%<%~-~~>- s-e-s-~-~~~>-.->-> :
Glendive, Mont,
July 20, 1909.
Editor Courier:
How natural it is to feel, because
you are travelling and so many cannot
see all these things and to think that
those who have travelled over this
route did not see OF notice this or that;
q strong desire to talk to some one or
to write home and tell what you see
takes possession of one. So many are
travelling over the old Clark trail and
telling about 1t that a desire comes
over us to tell of what we are seeing.
We Iowans are apt to become swelled
up over our hundred and twelty- five
dollar per acre land, and our immense
corn. oats, sleek cattle and fine step
pers, that we hardly get started before
we begin to sit up and take notice.
Others are living and moving and IL
we do not look out will far outstrip us
on the journey. Nothing OF particular
note took place between Agency and
Des Moines.
From Des Moines to Minneapolis and
st. Paul so many strange things fly
past the car window. The great lakes
consisting Of many acres Of bright
shining water makes us want to gath
er up our rod reel and line and go to
"diggin' bait" While at home every
corner is worked, here are thousands
of acres of water and no way to drain
1t. It is great loss of territory.
We pass through small place call
ed Killarney. and a typical old Irish
man comes dashing over the green on
a steed of uncertain age and not en-
tirely unlike McAllister's famous ride
with the devil on the cruppers." The
train merely makes a halt and goes
plunging down the grade and around
the curves regardless of the fact that
we have been so near the Blarney
Stone and had strong desire to kiss
it to help us in our luck in the COM
ing land drawing, which is the load
stone" of our voyage.
Then we get settled for the night
We however, are conscious in our
dreams of a sense of great commotion
and are rudely awakened by the thrush
of the overflow of Barnum and Bailey
show patrons, and the patrons of
numerous overlooking bowls. The
time is midnight and as we are sat
upon, and jostled around generally the
long forgotten first circus ticket comes
back to me.
I had dropped corn one Saturday
and earned my first quarter, and the
next week invested the whole amount
in circus ticket. Now looking back
across the chasm of fifty years and
reviewing my numerous investments,
] am confident that l never made one
that SO completely filled all expecta-
TONS
St Paul is reached. Who has not
written about ST. Paul and the sister
city Minneapolis. with their many
i piles Of beautiful buildings and un-
equaled electric car service. st. PauPs
beautiful state house, the interior OF
which almost equals the pride OF
loWans, namely the capitol at Des
Moines, is magnificent. The old janitor
VINO showed us through can be excus-
ed In his saying that it is the most
beautiful building in all the west. We
tarry but day here, as we had many
SUCH places to see in our six thousand
miles Of travel. At the great railroad
depot, where an immense iron gate
bars your eager rush for seat, you
are met with a gruff, there show your
tickets stand back, this is not your
train Yes, I was thinking would
IKE To- stand back out Of the way
there tell ye." This makes us think
perhaps there are others going But we
see hundreds still fighting their way
through the crowd, motioning and
yelling for us to stop. AS we swing
around the curve they vanish pass
from our vision forever. / think this
is not entirely unlike the following
quotation ut will be in the great day
where the clang of the great gate will
be drowned by the cries of those left
behind
We pass rapidly across northern
Minnesota, which is fully one third
swamps and lakes. Vast tracts of
worthless territory where fellow with
not enough to pay his gun license
would soon land in the asylum. On
leaving the Minnesota line we came
to small place. as it looks from the
Ger window.
There we see many cars of the Sells
Brothers' circus on the siding and
wonder why they stop there, but on
crossing the river we come to Fargo,
che hundred miles. we are travelling
IN, ough an immense wheat field which
reaches far beyond the eye on either
side of the track. It Is strictly all
wheat with houses very far apart, and
not school house in the whole dis
lance in the country. Here we saw
who it was that did this farming. A
great camp of men, teams and farm
implements, with huge chuck wagon
and numerous blankets spread around,
showing the mode of living. There are
r me of the old time customs. No boy
with huge bottle of whisky with ripe
red .nerries floating around in it; no
wheclbarrow with a keg of beer set up
under an elder bush; no great gourd
for a measure: no tables loaded with
fried chicken and good old boiled cab
bage, and gallons Of strong coffee.
None of these. Just blank blank, blank
staring fields that say so much a day.
Finally we come to the bad lands
of Dakota. These lands are well nam
cd. Miles and miles of barren waste.
We who used to follow the career Of
the gallant Custer, do not wonder how
he came to be trapped in these hills
where hidden savage could almost
foid regiment at bay. This finds us
at Glendive, Montana, where we will
leave you for a time. We may take UP
our pen at some other place on our
long Journey.
Web F. Clements.