The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-06-20


efforts of the committees this amour
has been reduced more than $500. 600
or reduction of DO per cent on TIL
original indebtedness according to re
ports sent into the state office.
were few paved streets in Iowa small
towns. found all the principal street.
Of the old town paved and side street
graveled with clear. gravel Homes wer,
modern, well painted, neat and vel
kept. The old school house was gon,
and in its place now stands a huge
brick structure nearly covering an en-
tire block. Thus does the march of time
bring improvements, Improvements tina
converted my boyhood home into Wha
was really to me strange and un-
known city
For three days after leaving Min
neapolis, we had been driving through
one Of the richest sections of the famed
Mississippi valley. On every hand was
gently rolling prairie country, checker
boarded with plowed fields, green pas
lures and fields in which the earl,
spring crop was just beginning to TURF
the black ground green Farm homes
were large, modern and pretentious. Tc
one driving through the country ano
unacquainted with conditions, every in
dication spelled prosperity and we'll
being. But causual conversations with
friends had informed US that the de-
preston had left its mark on this fav-
ored section just as heavily as it had
elsewhere
No Longer Prairie Country.
2 In the pioneer days this entire Sec
ton had been known as prairie coun-
try. Today that term is hardly proper
description. That once prairie country
is now really heavily wooded. Around
every farm house there is a large and
dense grove. Large and small groves
and clusters of trees are found every
where; along the larger streams the
rolling country is heavily wooded with
ash and maple, elm, oak, hickory, wal
nut and willow. As we drove through
this beautiful country | recalled an
instance my mother used to tell us
children, how she and father had moved
to the Dysart country when they were
young and how on more than one oc-
casion they had desperately fought
prairie fires to save their stacks of
grain and farm buildings A prairie fire
would have a sorry time getting started
now in those plowed fields, green pas
lures and grain fields.
This entire northern section Of the
Mississippi impressed us with its rich
ness and prolificness and in it we saw
what we all agreed was the richest
purely agricultural section on the en-
tire 5000 mile journey That was around
the pleasant little city Of Hampton,
Iowa There everything spelled pros
perlty-large, expensive, modern iarm
houses and barns, silos, blooded dairy
cattle, rich black soil. 1t apparently
in agricultural wealth any
thing seen elsewhere
From Dysart we proceeded to Grim
nell to drive over the campus of Grin
nell college and be astounded by The
great improvements made by that we'll
known institution since the days when
was a student there Pursuing our
way we stopped one night at Iowa City
the seat Of the Iowa state university,
where we found a beautiful campus
and many large and handsome univer-
sity buildings. That night we stopped
tor lunch at a wayside log-cabin inn
Just outside the city. 1t was coy
room, with a fireplace in which blue
flames flickered up from hickory logs
and from which there radiated well
come warmth following our drive
through rainy evening,
But | must hasten along with my
discourse. Recital Of too many incidents
will run this series into too great a
length.
In due time we found ourselves leav-
ing Iowa. We crossed the Mississippi at
keokuk on a bridge just above a large
power dam. We then headed almost
directly east to Springfield in order to
pay visit to the tomb and to the
former home Of the great Lincoln It's
visit every American should make and
II there is the right stuff in him, he
will come away a better American.
AT Lincoln's Tomb.
Having spent the night in Springfield,
we drove to the tonb early one morn
ing 1t stands in a beautiful cemetery
= ak x dge cemetery-this sacred
ground where rests the martyred Lin
coin. The tomb is impressive, built of
gray marble. 1t consists of a large cir
nular base, from the top Of which rises
a tall shaft. The mass of marble stands
on high eminence towering over all
surrounding objects, and buried in an
environment of green trees, green
lawns. blossoming flowers.
In front of the main entrance there
s a large bronze bust of Lincoln,
beautiful in its simplicity. Stepping
within the tomb one enters a circular
chamber, from one side OF which one
steps INTO a corridor that leads by a