Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-04-30
L0oker-On In Iona

huOUaIU, AQTll SV--Mduy udNcAhe
men now on tho road, remember when
there was just an Iowa prairie where
the present town Of Kanawha Is now
located. Since the day Of its birth 1t
has had steady growth, but this year
In the way OF public improvements Tit
will Guido itself. A new bank building
two stories. 4Sxs0 Is contracted for. An
opera house will be finished in the near
future. Twelve residences have been
or will be completed in the twelve
months. A $4,000 school house is also
one of the things q kanawahian boasts
about. All this on an Iowa prairie, say
twenty five years ago.
The school board Of Kanawha at the
time Of the writer's visit had taken
"the bull by the horns" No children
weresto be allowed to attend school UNI
less vaccinated. In adjoining towns
there had been many mild cases and in
the county there was one case, ''old
fashioned black smallpox The ma
jority were with the school board, but
here and there was heard the remark
I'D rather have my children have the
smallpox than be vaccinated." One of
the leading physicians said II these
anti-vaccinationists could see the case
of continent smallpox in the country,
they would change their minds.
Horses by express Yes sir, it's
quite a business. No sending horses
by parcel post. One thing the express
companies can do without competition.
And shippers take kindly to the idea.
The charges from one place in Iowa to
New York are $500 car. The express
cars are SO long and big the shipper
puts in ten to twelve more head than
when shipped by freight. Only half
the time is used on the road. which of
course, puts the horses on the market
in better condition. So, many horse
dealers cheerfully pay the SO per head
extra charges to send horses by ex-
press.
In some towns the horse livery stable
seems to be holding it's own. A livery
man at Hampton claims 1914-15 the
best year since he started in business.
But many towns now have only ga
RACES. It's to ride on the cars to the
next town, hire an auto, or walk.
Where two or three travelling men can
go on a trip at the same time to the
same place, 1t is not much more expen-
sive than to hire a rig" bu. when the
knight Of the grip charges up the ex-
pense report, auto to Nextown 81"
and makes such entries several times
a week, the bookkeepe1 looks sad. An
other reason why the livery business
Is playing out, is the country "jitney."
If the livery man could get all the
trade he could add an automobile or
two to his stock Of horses and still do
well. But in every town Is a man with
a Ford who does not object to earning
an honest dollar by letting some trav-
cling man ride with him. said travel
ing man to chip in dollar or more,
Just to pay for the gas.
Men who travel in other states say
no state in the union has as many big
school houses as Iowa. In the territory
covered by this scribe there is an cpl
demic Of building $4,000 to $4,000
school houses. Towns of 500 people
vote 8 to 1 for $4,000 school house.
And the consolidated school Is gaining
everywhere. Sometimes it takes two
elections to bring it about, sometimes
a lawsuit adds interest to the effort
for the consolidated school. At Ellis
worth one Of the women teachers
drives the school bus She lives with
her brother at the outskirts Of the
consolidated school district. The men
folks hitch up for her in The morning.
She gathers under her wing in the big
covered bus twenty Jr more children,
takes them to the big school house,
sends the team over to the feed yard,
teaches the young idea how to shoot
during the day and in The afternoon
takes them home. When a school
ma'am" can drive a bus several miles
a day teach readin', writin' and 'rith-
metic, domestic science, which involves
making pies, cakes. and boiling pota-
toes, (some not having taken a course
in domestic science don't know how,
show the little ones how to sew, head
the class in the gymnasium, and Incl
dentalIy see the young ones all have on
overshoes and outer garments before
the bus ride, why it seems minimum
low pay for school teachers is not far
out Of the way.