Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-12-19
L0okey-On In Iona

Looker-On In Iona
Grinell. Nov. l9.-The death Of Pro-
fessor Parker, Of this place, suggests
that Iowa is Just beginning to lose
some Of the pioneers. or course thou
sands have gone to rest long before
this. but scattered all over the state
are still hundreds of old mon and wo-
men that came to Iowa towns before
railroads were built and when land
could be had for 81 to IS an acre. Grin :
nell has still several "old settlers" of
this kind. many Of them between 80
and 30 years OF age, the majority
liable to come down town on nice days
and while they all SHOW their age.
mentally, they are "as bright as dol
lar"
II the writer was to write his epitaph
on the marble over Professor Parker 8
grave it would be these words. "a gen.
tleman." He possessed the unusual
characteristic Of always being the same.
If trouble or annoyanees came TO him.
as undoubtedly they did. one would
never know 1t from anything he said.
He was gentleman in the commonly
used sense OF the word and gentle
man in all of his words and actions.
Hundreds Of Iowa College graduates
all over the world will bear witness to
the above. And rich or poor. young or
old men and women living here today
always were sure to meet gentle
man and gentle man when they had any
1nn live ,r,t$ Z Do h.
ably married more men and women
funerals than any other minister in
Grinnell. In JOY and sorrow the people
called on Professor Parker.
%s%
A sign OF the times. it might almost
be called "a movem ent," is the forna-
ton OF workingmens association
here TO try in some way to reduce the
cost Of living. 1t is not labor union
movement. nor is there talk Of start
ing a cooperative store. These men.
wage earners. are trying to work out
a problem. The question they want
solved, is there not some way by which
which days labor will buy more of
necessities and Injuries. The mayor
has been interviewed in regard to mar
ket place. One dealer here has made
them a proposition which some have
accepted. This dealer gives them a >
per cent discount on all accounts not
over thirty days old.
Right in this line Of talk on the cost
of living is that our present system OF
doing business has much to do with
present retail prices. 1t will be news
to the mem bers OF the working mems
association that Grinnell citizens are
paving over $4,000 a year, probab bly,
$1,000 month to have their stores de-
livered to them. Before the incorpora-
ton OF a delivery company. where one
concern delivers for all of the stores
and meat markets. the expense was
even more, this when each concern
had its own delivery wagon. AS 1t IL
here one store pays $1,000 year 10
this delivery company and knows there
is less expense than when this firm
had its own delivery wagons. It gives
one an idea of the system Of delivery
in Grinnell. When a driver for one OF
the wagons says, on one trip recently,
he stopped at six different houses. one
after the other, and delivered one
package OF compressed yeast. value ?
cents, TO each residence. Now those
six customers OF one store may think
this yeast was delivered free" But 1t
wasn't. 1t cost these purchasers of
compressed yeast their share OF the
81 900 a month Grinnell pays out for
delivering goods. Put it down as fact
the consumer pays freight charges. al
tho it is advertised that zones pays
i0h 10
rent OF these stores. the heating, the
lighting. the telephone charges and the
wages Of the clerks. The proprietors
of their own salaries the cost OF de-
livering compressed yeast cakes.
In this column In the past some friv-
oious remarks have been INDUCED In
concerning the continued ringing OF the
curfew bell In GrinnelL Mention has
been made that II was a farce and the
city ordinance compelling it dead let
ter. Once this scribe vertrred to sug-
gest an amendment that parents Of
children on the public after 9 o'clock
should be arrested instead OF the chill
dren. Here's taking 1t all back. It's a
ringing success. Inquiries today of the
proper authorities brought out the fact
that no arrests Of children have been
made since this wise city ordnance
went into effect, and no fines or conn
victions are on the city records. The
fact must be that no children are on
the streets Of Grinnell after p. m.
Another fact. These records show no
children have been on the streets OF
Grinnell since the ordinance went into
effect and the marshal began ringina
the curfew And equally good reasoning
is that no children will ever be on the
streets of Grinnell after . p. m, as
long as the ordinance remains on the
books and the marshal rings the cur
few.
az M~1-@