Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-06-17

| Herbert Quick In :
! When a father prepares festival
for his children, he keeps back his mos
| perfect gift for the last. After all tint
| things have been presented which az
/ lection can prepare, or filial nope an
i ticipate, the climax of generosity u
reached when the last and most pre-
cous gift Is discovered, a benefcence
conferred in seeming extravaganza o.
/; giving. In the gradual ascent to tns
apex Of projections in uncovering the
varied regions of the world to his chils
dren, the All-F'ather's masterpiece IL
Nothing mas been left undone by ma
ture to complete the WORK. First Des-
tiny covered Iowa with the waters OF
the sea- and for millions of years there
dropped to the dark levels Of this Frl-
mordial ocean the lime, the gypsum,
and the clays which form the oasis ana
provide for the renewal OF her SOIL
! There fell also the sandstones for her
buildings. when man should come 10
make them. Then the seabed rose, the
waters receded, and in the hot, moist
breath of the carooniferous era were
came he might find the suns heat
stored for him, clay for that heat -
convert TO brick, and lime, gypsum ana
clay to combine with heat into that IL
ouid rock which pours like water and
turns to living stone.
But His hand was stretched out still.
The clays and lodges and sands were
then no better than those OF any other
land. They would not do for the Mas
terpiece. So there came on the earth
great chill, and the waters were maze
into a pillow, and with that pillow or ice
the GRANTEES of the north were Srouna
up that their potash might De maoe
soil, and the phosphates were mlngleu
with the potash and thru all ran the
lime; and the glacial plo" passed over
Iowa and made of her great plain OF
smooth filth, and strewed it with black
drift fit for the pigmy plows of man.
The Destiny waited while the waters
made channels for themselves. And the
swamps dried up. And for millions OF
years the forces OF nature stored nitro
gen in the black soil. and filed it with
vegetable mold like that which de-
lighted the children of Israel when they
spied out the promised land of Canaan
and reported that it was goodly lana.
And there it lay, a great green saVan-
ma, yeined with tiny embrolderles OF
forest along the streams. lis ground
swell and unending succession OF low
and rounded hills, its ripples the shad-
ows made by the wind in the waving
grass. Destiny kept Iowa one vast
cleared field fit for the plow. Destiny
laid the Missouri along her western
border and the Mississippi as her east
ern boundary, that commerce might
find them arms of the sea for her future
trade And God looked on his work
and found it good: but in order that
il might be superlative. He tilted the
surface little to the south so that
the sun might the better work with the
rain, and both with that matchless soil
for the good of man.
Then the curtain was drawn aside
from the western continent. And still
L estiny was not ready for Iowa. Amer
lean institutions had to be developed
and somewhat perfected. At last the
hour struck for the discovery Of Iowa.
1t was like the unveiling Of a lovely
picture-a great undulating green sea
enameled with flowers, Not parched
by drought like the regions to the west.
Not sodden and swanpy like the rain
soaked forests to the east. Not stony
and sterile like regions farther south.
Not in the region of fugacious summers
OF the north-but Just in the right
place. In the heart of the empire OF
corn, the realm of wheat, the kingdom
Of the paddock, the pasture, the
meadow and good brown earth, where
winter is cold enough to rest and reviv-
ify the soil and summer warm enough
and long enough to food the world with
produce.
To the unwilling OF Iowa came all the
peoples Of America. This gives the
Hawkeye the power to understand all
America. Up along the rivers came the
cavaliers from Kentucky and Virginia,
and the woodsmen Of Missouri and
Tennessee There came also the south
ern Hoosiers from Indiana, and the
long Suckers from Egypt. Iowa was
settled as southern state. Her river
cities were southern. The first business
life of Iowa was southern, and her great
of New York WAS sent west fo make a