Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1911-09-14
INTERESTING LETTER
Rev. 5. M. Smith Enjoying Vacation
On Atlantic Coast Country, where
Fish And Oysters Are Plentiful

small self all he sees and hears. The
joy of travelling is in being abe to tell
them of what you have seen and heard.
When one crosses the United States
he realizes what a great country we
have, and he also finds out that al
though each state is part of one great
country, yet its nature is different and
its people are different in habit and
customs. Travelling west from Iowa
we realize the wonderful opportunities
for progress that lie in the undeveloped
country, but when we go east it i'm.
presses one with the thought that so
far as agriculture is concerned its best
days are past. Illinois, of conrse, is in
its prime. Indiana was sorry picture
to US as we rapidly passed through it.
Little shriveled up corn stalks four and
five feet apart, and some fields even
worse than that. Around Logansport
they told me corn weuld not go ten
bushels to the acre. Ohio was a better
scene to look upon. While corn was
only about one third Of q crop. tobacco
seemed to be in splendid condition.
The red soil of West Virginia and Vir-
ginia has produced fair crops. Here
land can be bought for what you might
say "An old song" The call of the
West has been too much for the eastern
farmer. He has left the easy going
gait of the east for the strenuous life
Of the west, thus large acreage of West
Virginia and Virginia land is offered
at 1926 to $50 an acre.
The drought has been general. All
along the line they complained of lack
Of rain during the month of June, July
and the first days of August.
1t lis impossible to pass through the
eastern states without admiring the
magnificent country road. Our own
River to River Road is fine but / really
believe we will have to bow to the
roads Of Indiana and Ohio, composed
as they most are, of crushed stone, pro-
yiding solid bed, rain or shine.
Passing through Chicago we saw the
sights of the whole journey, vividly
portraying the rapid progress of aerial
navigation At the same time, three
aeroplanes were gracefully flying over
the city, but in my hands was a CHI
cago paper telling me that just "a
hours previously, the science of flying
had claimed two martyrs at this same
sviation meet.
Passing through the Mountains of
West Virginia, one is impressed with
the thought of the needs of some of our
fellow citizens. In the United States
there are four classes of people that call
for development in mind, hand and
heart. They are the ignorant Immi-
grant, the Red Race, the Negro and
the Mountain White. West Virginia
has very large class of the last named.
These people have lived for genera
tions in the valley and on the Noun
tain Sides, with no schools no church
es, their homes broken down sheds,
constantly engaged in family feuds,
content to live in ignorance, in novels,
and away from their fellow man. The
mineral wealth of West Virginia has
attracted large commercial concerns.
Towns are rapidly growing in this
mountain district, church organizations
are providing mountains with schools
and are finding material for the max
ing of the best men and women among
these long neglected people.
North Carolina is once OF those South
ern States cursed with the great race
problem. The people of the north do
not understand what problem this is.
Admitting the prejudice of the white
toward the black the white people of
the South have serious proposition
on their hands. In some portion of
North Carolina the negro race will out
number the white race three to one.
can see marked difference in the
demeanor of the negro now as COM
pared with five years ago. He is inso-
lent and mean. The educated negro is
by far the hardest to deal with, in this
respect. He feels himself a very SUI
perier individual and proceeds to make
it just as unpleasant as he can for his
ignorant brethern of the Black Race
and also for his neighbors, the White
Race.
Eastern North Carolina is the easiest
place on the face of the earth, / believe
to make a living. The people work
only about two OF three months in the
year. Wages are very low at the bust
est periods of the year. A good la
borer can command a days wage of
$1.00. Cash pay is the smallest pro-
duct of this country. Very little of
this is needed A man can support his