The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1920-04-08
A Rejuveratcd Town.

Ida Grove which a few years ago
had the reputation Of being one Of
the sleepiest towns in Iowa, has re-
Gently come into national recognl-
ton by reason OF its enterprise, so
that The Country Gentlemen sent a
special representative to that city to
! write up the place. AS usual, this
man found here human dynamo,
who seemed to be the center OF the
! force which was making the whole
! merchant who quit sleeping to dream
day dreams and to do things. Since
| waking up, Ida Grove has paved
sixty blocks with asphalt, and now
| boasts a town without a mud-hOle,
even having the alleys paved. it
has forty acre park, natatorlum, a
fine forty-eight room hotel, small
mess of two hundred thousand dol
lars per year. 1t is the manager. of
this store, John Linsey, who has
been the king-pin in Ida Groves re-
juvenation. There is so much in
his interview with the representative
of The Country Gentleman that
might be of service elsewhere that
Some people say there is no
chance in country town, no OPP
portunities for young men in such
towns. John Llnsey says: There
never was in all history such a day
of opportunity as this day, this year,
tiles are everywhere. A young man
needn't have a dollar, nor anything
but good health, a clear head,
energy, ambition and gumption,
that was my mothers name for self
confdence,,,,-to get on in this good !
old world
Speaking about the farmers and |
-, ind
THE farmers are prosperous and |
days, and they have gone ahead OF |
the little country store. which has |
stood still, not seeing what is going |
on Then he took his interviewer |
out into the country and showed him |
what he meant-first to prosper !
our farmers home, up-tc-date in all
village store, carrying the same kind !
Of goods it carried twenty-five years F;
ago, and the storekeeper doing in |
his char waiting for customers to |
come in. and grumbling between !
maps at the aggressiveness OF the |
mail order house and at John Lin |
sey, too, for stealing away his trade.
pened to wake up: "A few years |
ago Ida Grove was in almost as bad |!
condition as taht village we just ,
left. A few Of US saw the changes |
that we're taking place; the motor !
car and the motor truck, and the F.,
farm tractor coming in to help the ,
farmer make bigger crops with less !
hard work, and be more prosperous. !
We saw him building new homes and |
furnishing them like city houses of
the best class. We saw him hiking
in his motor car across country to
bigger towns than ours, because
they were cleaner towns. with bet
ter stores. We saw that farmers
were living better. dressing better, +!
reading and thinking. and that a !
rotten town couldn't get their bus |
mess for long
Ida Grove woke up, put it's foot
on the accelerator and caught Up |
with the farming community. r.
How that town is managing to i
keep up with the procession is indi- !
Gated by what John Linsey said at |
the close of the interview 81 give !
about as much time working for the |
community outside my store as | do !
to business inside. A merchant ,
cant build up a business just with :
in four walls. A man in business,
making money, most of it from
farmers, has got to give back some.
He must help make his town the
best town it can be for farmers to
come to. There is no other way. A
selfish town cannot expect big bus
mess or growth :