The Oskaloosa herald., 1912-08-22

who ought to be hoeing pumpkins,
than there are club women IN Iowa,
playing bridge" or AZ" who ought to
be at home sewing up the gable end
of their husbands overalls Nearly
Everybody in T,xas has got salvation.
True, a great many of them got it by
the old-fashioned camp meeting meth
cd. while more of them seem to have
acquired it through an over dose Of
calomel in the bilious season.
| Camp meeting salvation seems to
loosen up the old tight wad" and jar
him away from a few coins to help
pay the preachers board and the
further advancement of the kingdom,
while salvation seems to make more
of speciality of working on the jaw
teeth and EARRING the rafters out of
the roof of his mouth.
But after all, There's only one time
In any southern cline,
That chicken or a goose
Can run around loose
Camp time"
| And this Is the season.
There is scarcely town or hamlet
in Texas that is not besieged with
from one to three denominationaI DOW
vows or tent revival meetings, at
one and the same time during the
summer months. There are three in
progress in my home town when |
left, beside a street carnival and a
picture show.
! One of my friends got converted
not long ago and quit swearing for
two weeks after the meeting was
over. During his repentant mood |
said to him. We'll, how about it. old
man, did you sure enough get relig-
ion last night" to which he replied:
Religion! Oh. I'll tell you, Wilcox,
there's nothing to 1t. | just kicked
the top out of the tent''-that being
his way of expressing sincere devo-
ton and faith-or that he was con-
verted.
Most of my work in Texas has been
in the photograph business. The fall
season in this fine is especially good.
The farmers boys market their cotton
and then get married. They always
go straight from the altar to the art
list" The next fall the bride makes
sort of reticule out of her old we'd
ding hat to carry the baby's things
in AID they come to town and have
two dozen post cards made of a colicy
infant that looks some like a human
and some like its father. In this way
the picture man is kept rather busy
Late last fall big, red-faced fellow
came in with his blushing bride and
had s21 worth of photos made He
said he hadn't any excuse for 1t at all
only he "sorter thought It was better
to get married than to freeze, dad
gum it,"
If the panhandle of Texas had
little more moisture in the air instead
of 50 much sand, 1t would be better
adapted to the use of man in a re-
deemed condition. The sand blows
some most every day. but the entire
soil only changes neighborhoods
about two or three times a week. We
call these binding sand storms, Pan
handle showers" They are often so
bad you cannot see a house on the
opposite side of the street | have
photographs to prove 1t, too During
storms of this kind prairie dogs dig
their holes nine feet in the air-but
| haven't any photograph of that
AS rule we have enough rain to
make good crops, but not enough to
keep the sand out of the atmosphere
or the apple butters-------...-----.,---.--
The Panhandle Is developing rapid
ly, but there are still thousands of
acres of fine farming land that can be
bought for $50 or less per acre, that
will produce moe dollars per acre
annually than your 5000 Iowa land
In point of Improvement, however,
and place to- live, Mahaska looks
like the garden of Eden in comparison
and Oskaloosa like the new Jerusa.
lem. That's the truth. But Texas
has many fine advantages In climate.
natural resources and productive soil,
Come to Texas"
III. G. WILCOX.