Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-01-12
Looker-On In Iona

Eldora, Jan. 12.-The ten days Of be-
low zero weather Iowa has just exper-
fenced brought out the same old story
of "the worst weather we ever have
had AS usual. on the first cold day
the farmers stayed ut home and the
storekeepers had a day OF rest. Many
mothers kept the children at home.
! When Sunday came, strange as 1T may
seem, several people did not go to
church. It was too cold. So they
stayed in bed until p. M, ard ''let the
pipes freeze up because the furnace
! fire went out. The usual number of
churches and school houses We're burn
ed because of detective furnaces, flues
and janitors. Railroad delays and
wrecks occurred because somebody did
! not use unusual caution necessary
when it is below zero. In many towns
! coal dealers got down to the bottom
OF the coal bins, and were using the
v Tres to hurry the cars of coal ordered
two weeks ago. The usual number OF
persons We're frozen TO death and about
the, same number of frozen cheeks.
| ears and noses were reported and. in
ali cas- SEES, they are going to cover them
ur hereafter.
And ten days after ii il; still below
zero in Iowa. Farmers are now in
town every day, filling the feed sheds
With teams, and the stores with their
women folks and children. They even
now are 10 be seen loafing and talking
on the sunny side of the street. School
children are all On hand and they no
! longer stay in at recess time. The boy
that owns the pony has had him hitch
cd 10 two ho..'s s!c6s for several DAYS
10 below zero. Many dogs have been
pressed into service from the kind
that holds up his tail ard drags the
sled ten miles an hour. barking at the
top OF his voice, to tine big cur that
takes a boy on each side to lead him
and drag the empty sled. Sleigh rides
in bob. straw to sit on, and crowded
with Young folks singing Way Down
on the Swanee River are out in the
streets evenings, and yet 1t, is. 10 be-
low zero. Get used to 1t? We are used
to it.
II is claimed there are twenty men
ever so wears Of age Lying here in Ell
dora. Some of tfem ought to, be ar
rested 70. shove!ing the snow off the
sidewalks, for there aue several able
bodied men here under 81 years OF age
that can shovel their own, walks and
if necessary the walks Of the octogen-
arians. They rlay think they are as
young as ever. but don't MAKE such
mistake. The dates Of the stones In
the silent addition to the city east OF
town show moro old people leave us
between December and March every
year than any six months. earlier or
later. And on some of these stones
should be written "shoveed Off his own
sidewalk" went up town after his
II ALL" "waded thru six feet Of snow.
walked half a mile to his daughters
and at least one case, went to church
10 below zero" Sit by the fire, let
some one else lay in the coal or attend
to the furnace, and then we will have
you here next winter when it goes 10
below.
And here is a good place to put IN
print-in substance. what ievel-head-
ed doctor said to the writer the other
day. 1t is along the same line Of TAX
ing care of yourself, and not In the
least contradictory with the preceding
ragraph He said there is lot OF
farmers who commit suicide every
wear by moving to town and trying
and succeeding in doing nothing but
eat and sleep. These men on farm
com PEELED their horses, COWS and other
stock to get out in the fields or big
barnyards every day and get some ex-
ercse. And the horses not at work
were fed much less. But the man that
has made full hand on the farm sud
Gently changes his mode of life by NOV
ing to town. eats and sleeps more than
ever, and expects to live to be 80 and
shovel off his own sidewalks. This
doctor breaches the doctrine, common
sense. He says that every farmer that
m owes to town ought to burn wood and
saw it all himself but he objects to
any old man saving cord day wi1en
it is 10 below zero. Should have sawed
a little every day this summer and fall
and put it away for 10 below zero. And
if he feels like snoyeling off the side
walk. shovel few feet and go into .he
kitchen and smoke your pipe awhile
before tackling it again And when
YOU go UP town, 10 below zero, bundle
up and stop into Smiths store and
talk over the weather and then go to
the postoffice. Eat less, dress warmer.
walk slower and you will avoid the
winter dates on the tombstones.
- Ill., a