The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-09-08
EDITORS OBSERVATIONS.

Mason City to the Negroes ten
years ago was unknown and unheard
of, but now we have colored popu-
lation of $50, beautiful new A. M. f..
church, one good Masonic lodge, one
chapter of Eastern Star, one X. OF r.
lodge, one Knights of Tabor and
Daughters of Tabernacle, each doing
we'll; two barber shops, one shoe shin
ing parlor, three expressmen, one
chiropodist and several gardeners and
farmers. Mr.. John D. Reeler, one OF
the early pioneers in this city, who has
been a resident for fully twenty-five
years, lived in Des Moines and until
recently run fine tonsorial shop, has
now opened chiropodist office in the
National Bank building and is doing
we'll. He owns beautiful home. Ye
editor enjoyed a nice dinner while
here with Mr.. and Mrs. Reeler. Hor-
ace and Harvey Spencer, cement con-
tractors, are still here and doing big
business. They are good, active
young men and have won their way
among the best white people in this
northern town. They are both mar
ried and have lovely homes. Mr..
Henry Sims is an influential citizen.
A. L. Renix is still working at the
same place. He owns a beautiful
home. Mr.. T. Davis is still running
his shining parlor and is doing well;
He has nice home and his amiable
wife and children make the home life
pleasant. Mr.. Davis formerly lived
in Ottumwa. Virgil Warren is still
employed by the Mason City Bottllng
Works. Virgil is very popular among
the employees. We think that he can
make more pop in one day than we
editor can drink in one year. G. W.
Edwards is doing we'll. Also W.
Smith. J. T. Bass runs barber shop
and is making good. R. w. Brown is
working at the cement plant. In fact
there are many Of our race working at
the great cement plants, which are
the largest in the United States. Mr..
and Mrs. B. H. Young are still en-
ployed at the barber shop. He and
his wife are successful young people,
formerly from the West Indies. Roy
Bates is doing we'll. Mrs. Fred Wright
and her mother have bought beau
tiful new eight-room house at 3O4
S. E. Twenty-first street and they are
doing we'll. Mrs. Wright deserves
much credit for push and energy. she
has won the respect of the best white
citizens here. L. E. Banning, L. W.
Tyler and A. Leggins are all doing
we'll. Mr.. M. Pease is railroad
brakeman for the Chicago, Milwaukee
& St. Paul Ry. Co., the only real col
ored brakeman in Iowa that l know
of. Thos. Allen, formerly Of Des
Moines, is running a rooming house
and restaurant.
Our next stop was in Waterloo.
Here what we said about Mason City
ten years ago we can repeat that only
five years ago there were only two
colored families living here. In fact
it was once printed in the papers that
colored people were not allowed to
come to this town nor were not want
ed, but now fully $50 are living here.
They have two churches, new A. M.
E, church built by Rev. A. Bess, called
Bess Chapel, and a Baptist organiza-
ton, which has recently purchased
house formerly owned by the city, pas
tored by Rev. J. H. Bowles, who is
doing we'll. They also have good
Masonic lodge and Eastern Star. The
lodge has bought nice lot and built
new Masonic hall, in which they
meet in. On the ground floor they
have rented out for a grocery store.
They have a new X. of P. lodge here,
one barber shop, one pool hall, two
restaurants. Mrs. S. c. Smith is the
Oldest settler here. Her husband re-
Gently died. She owns a beautiful
home. Her only child, young lady,
lis a student at the State Normal col
lege at Cedar Falls. j. D. Hopkins,
formerly of Ottumwa, is in the res
taurant and pool hall business and do
ing we'll. M. D. Coyle runs restaur-
ant. VIM. Hawkins and Mr.. Lasley
are working at the same place. =. D..
Ashford is a leading citizen. He owns
a nice home. There are many buying
their homes. Geo. E. Smith and VIM.
Smith are both doing we'll. Otis
Logan and VIM. Pearson are doing
we'll. We next called down at Cedar
RAPIDS. This is known as the parlor
citv, a beautiful clean city with about
800 colored people, with two churches,
the A. M. E., and the Baptist, pas
tored by Rev. j. W. R. Norcross.
These churches are doing as we'll as
could be expected, considering the sea-
son. Mr.. VIM. H. Milligan is still gar
dening on his beautiful farm one mile
from town. He says that his berries
and fruit are not as heavy a crop as
last wear. Marshall Perkins is still
running his restaurant, having a
large trade, nearly all white. He owns
a fine home Mr.. L. W. Lowery is
still on the U. S. mail service as a
carrier. He has a lovely wife and
baby. J. w. Lowery, his brother, is
working at his trade, automobile re-
pairing, and is doing we'll. Mr.. Thom-
as Jackson is still running his barber
shop and pool hall, having a good
trade, He owns a valuable home.
Mr.. H. H. Laudle owns nice home at
8O1 H street West. His sons are high
school students and great athletes, es-
pecially as runners. Rev. o. Ford, a