Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 May 1903 — From Brainy Brawny Barney’s Bailiwick. [ARTICLE]

From Brainy Brawny Barney’s Bailiwick.

The people up in Union Tp., oanght on to Roosevelt’s idea of large families long before Roosevelt did himself. They realize that it takes children to draw money and make sobools and they have gone about it in no small way. Trustee B. D. Comer who has just made the enumeration of school -children says the woods are full of them up there, That he found as high as five pairs of twins to some families to say nothing of the triplets and many occasional single pair of twins, by “new hands at the bellows.” Families of eight and ten were nothing unusual and one woman went out and drove her children in so as to be able to count all of them, like a round-up of calves at a branding time. Very few of the fathers took enough interest in their progeny to know their-Jiumber, ages, or dates of birth, saying as an excuse, that they were not there when all of them were born, but their wives were, so go ask them. Some of their dates of birth were kept by suoh ohrouological events, as John was born in huckleberry time, Susan in hay-making, Moses when there was a big snow storm, eto. But these children are all worth the cash when it comes to a Tuition draw. But this big enumeration works a hardship to some of the less lucky corporations when it oomes to the distribution of the surplus dog fund. For example Barney paid in $58.27 to the Co. Treasurer on that fund and drew out $125.69.

Union Tp., has 10 school houses and 12 rooms. Parr and Fair Oaks are graded schools. Of these 12 rooms, the present Trustee has built and established 4 and will build two more houses this year, one double room house at Aix, and one single room house on the Otis Ranoh. The expenditure for schools in Union last year was $5,581.39. The graduating class this year will be 14, which speaks well for the township. Barney prides himself on his good schools, good township Institutes and good roads. And by the way Union has more ohurohea than any township in the oouuty, except Marion, having two Methodists, two Christians, one Baptist, one Baptist, United Brethren, and one German Lutheran. It has three towns, four poatoffices, one R F. D. and telephones galore Taking these advantages, together with its fertile soil, thrifty farmers, rosy ohildren, and goo>d looking women, make it a very desirable plaoe to live. "