The Big blue union. [volume] (Marysville, Kan.) 1862-1866, 1865-09-30
An Important and Interesting
Communications.

d. w. Wilder who has been leading
journalist in this state and who became
well known aad much liked by the peo.
pie of Kansas while he:was the presiding
and controlling genius of the Leavenworth
Coserratire, is about to or has left Kansas
to reside in New York. Without wish
ing 10 aatter but for the purpose if possible
of adding force 10 his valuable sugges-
tions and observations, we will say that
Kansas has few if any men, who were or
became idenlically Kansans, that are capa-
bic Of or better calculated for writing such
an impartial communication as the one
from which we extract. He is keen OBJ
server, of the most active and accurate
comprehension, quick in conclusions and
generally very correct; good reason
with good memory, and we'll Informed
in what is requisite for fourishing and
healthy commonwealth, in other words
good political economist. Before leaving
the state he was requested by friends to
write something about Kansas, which he
did, ard we are g'ad bis letter has been
given SO large circulation throughout
| the state as it will receive in the Conserra-
tive. Had We the power we would lift
every thoushtless, plodding, groveling,
whining, despairins man into the light of
consideration and on to the plane of com.
prehensive intelligence and there retain him
until he had committed TO memory the text
and the lecture.
There is more truth crowded into the
same number of words than We ever be-
fore saw emanate from a Kansas brain.
The down-east Humanitarian Colonial
ton. Civilization. .Christainization- -Emigra.
ton society would exhibit little practical
sense if lheywould publishthe letters in pam
phlet form and fur nish all who are here
with one and one to each and every one
who contemplates coming. Had we room
we would publish the whole etter-we give
that which strikes us as the most import
ant sat ~ -
"Our farmers, however, are wonderfully
lazy and amazingly careless. If they
were as Industrious and povldent as the
farmers Of New England, few years on
ly would sntice to place them in an atti-
tude of easy independence. There, there
are no rainy days, and every day and
night of the long winter is devoted to hard
work or mental improvement. When the
boys and girls get home from school
they braid hats, sew straw, bind shoes, seat
chairs, and thus earn enough at evening to
pay the "ahoe bill" buy books and hun
dred little luxuries. Hundreds Of our best
public men thus passed their boyhood, and
some of them, like Amos Lawrence, The
odore Parker and Horace Greeley Gall
benefactors of Kansas, as it happens
were not ashamed to tell of it when they
became eminent. But contrast such life
Of constant industry and benefcent econ
omy with the habitual laziness of western
communities. Here nature has given
everything and our people live in unplas-
tered log honses there nature extends On
ly pittance, but the common people have
good houses, books and pictures, and their
children good schooling. If shower
comes up in Kansas, work ceases for that
day; ifit rains week the lugubrios prairie
man believes he shall not save a tenth of
a crop. A dry season is "famine y a wet
one 'shood'' In older States The amount
of moisture and dryness would ouly lead
to redoubled energy. Croaking benefits no.
body; or as Samuel Weller once remarked
Tears never yet wound up clock or
worked steam engine" Kansas, being
situated nearer the centre of the continent
than any other State, will probably be sub
ject to some inequalities of climate not yet
''lad down in the books" But during
an experience Of eleven years since the
Territory was organized, we have probably
seen our dryest and our wettest year, and
neither has been serious enough to create
ground for alarm Tie drought of 1860
came npon people who had no stock on
hand. Parts of Missouri and Iowa suffer-
ed as severely as we did, but the public
never heard of Missouri or Iowa ''fam-
ine." The best crop of corn l have ever
seen in the State was raised that year by
Mr.. Nichols, in Leavenworth county, and
good crops were grown in favorable local.
tiles throughout the length and breadth Of