The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-27
.,,,,t Commercial Club Host
4" friends From Rural
II n;ctricts at Meeting at
Hotel Iowa.
FRIENOLINEss
~ Merrill Of Missouri Asso-
cation and e. O. Lynn OF
Donnellson Made
Speeches.


Donnellson Made
Speeches.
luncheon given by the CONNER,
ne ~ ~ the /. ners at the Hotel
clup o,clocE .ilis afternoon was
a 2 re- like convention than so
wv sunction. and no more IKE
sormal dinner than taDer,
w ravival, 1t reminded one most
,lsss reunion in commencement
= ' ahout fifteen years after grad
I, ,On iook;ng and listening ct the
gs in the hotel lobby before lunch
stranger could not have guess,
mho we're the managers or the
w. even IL tall man with a
saant face very long legs and 8
- .ho,,t as strong as q SPARROW 5
o,in,b nm on the desk once AMI
|. an announcement, which hardly
yhody heard, and TO which noDooy
i the least attention
The superlatIve soeaabiilty.
Everybody was too busy talking to
hsr about announcements. A fuil
hour was spent there in the lobby.
: lobby was fairly crowded, and
erybody was talking at once to at
ii two adjacent men To De
nd even by an adjacent man, ir
necessary for one to talk loud.
everybody talked loudly and In
pased the din that prevented easy
bring of anything said.
and nobody stopped long to hear
yhody else. The lobby full OF men
re milling around all the time like
tle before q storm, and the man
M a good story to tell never had
10 to get beyond the third sentence
lore he had new auditors and mad
begin all over again
'The man who wanted to stand still
d look on and listen had no better
|ance in that crowd. Every few
bonds he was grabbed by the arm.
the front Of his coat, or at the end
the influence OF reckoning
ger five feet away, and heard:
ii want you to meet Mr.. Hershey
somebody else.
All the NeIghbors Were There.
tt was a veritable whirlpool Of in
bductions and q carnival of good
bling there in the lobby for half an
bur.
|And the whirlpool carried notsam
humanity from three states all
)yed up. so that the next man might
from Gregory, Missouri. from be-
h Warsaw, Illinois. or any place in
Fe county, Iowa, and was as apt to
from so many miles out Of Nau-
y, Kahoka, Argyle, or any other OF
E many towns large and small with
twenty miles OF Keokuk.
II seemed as natural as auld lang
ne to see Joe Fry, now OF Warsaw,
liking to his old associates among
e farmers of Lee county, looking
: somebody up his way in an auto
Dbils to take him home after it was
over. There was Winters, OF Greg
y and big delegation from Mont
Sc, and long list OF other names
miliar to all who read The Gate
ty. Keokuk was represented by
mixers. manufacturers, merchants
lolesale and retail, corporation
anagers, and all other lines Of work,
cept doctors. That no doctor was
cessary was appreciated when the
ry got into the dining room and
" the menu.
A Talkfest and Good Eating.
II was luncheon rendered friends
I'M out Of town by Keokuk men to
ar !. w. Merrill talk on an import.
subject connected with farming.
was patriotic luncheon, and hence
Is sugarless. About $50 men sat
me tables arranged back anG
u IN IN the big dining room.
mere was an attempt to sandwich
guests between the Keokuk hosts.
uhere were not enough Keokuk
N 10 accomplish that, since some
lnem mad invited as many as seven
ess. The food was all on the
'ies when the party entered the
ing room, and there was not an
tants delay in beginning the meal.
M along the tables there was
iunuation Of the talkfest begun in
ioopy-and now the auditor could
get away from the talker, If he
nleu 10 leave; and the interesting
'efsations were not constantly
.ea by introductions and, greetings.
u y, less than half an hour, M. q.
!, ,.ice raped on the table with a
:. handle, and in a half minute
H. MT MT Merrill was beginning his
MerriiIs Talk.
WAT course is wise to pursue in
az al. 10 improve farming and farm
';an In this community was the
!. yect discussed by F. w. Merrill.
:. Tue northeastern Missouri Agricul-
~ association, today.
i.e question Is a vital one from
= 'act that agriculture Is for the
70, ume in Its history given a ma
10, "a, recognition" he said. "The
phe OF the city. the business man.
,o s,aIiker, the Industrial and COM
,ai interests throughout the coun-
n , , citizen in fact, is taking a
= interest in the source of his
supply When you begin to de.
: ~ man OF the things which
oeen his merely for tho aakinx,