Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-06-01
Pioneer Life and History of
WyandOt County.
BY 4. w. DEINKLREoTF.
CHAPTER III Continued-No. 6.


Man Becomes selfish. Picneer More Worthy
to be remembered than Kings. Pioneer Lilo
Paved tie Way 10 Save the Nation. Meeting
of Old Pioneers. Nan Proud of His Work.
In pioneer life" ther. is a sameness
of feeling and an absence of jealousy and
petty strife unknown to older settle
mentS. aud to persons who have not tast-
ed of the cup of Dependence. Pioneers are
dependent one upon another; and feel
ing and knowing this there is a cheerful
Willingness. marked and visible, to assist
each other i'll their years of sorest trial.
When the avenues of communication
to the village-the schOOl-the church
were but paths leading through dense
forests. and all the pcregrinationS were
performed on foot. one had nothing
whereof to boast over anotherS nor had
the occupant of the humble cabin, when
Ill alike lived in cabins; nor on account
of clothing. when fashion controlled not
the hour; nor on account of money when
the article Was almost unknown and labor
the great commodity of exchange; nor
because of education when its opposite
almost universally p-evailed-indeed i'm
genuine pioneer lite all things seem COM
mon. and very much OF what constitutes
IL really is common!
But as years pass on all these things
change. Forest paths give way to public
highways. and on them roll the wheels OF
the family carriage. The village and
rhurch are visited no more on footi The
more prosperous occupant of the "cabin.'
rears in Its stead the frame dwelling.
with exterior white aS snow, The home
spun. faShionleSS garb yields to the de-
mandS of HariSian style, LGLsr loses itS
purchasing power, and gold. silver or
green backs ~ mark the rising man! Ig-
norance Is winI1rd at: and. whether,
with brains or without. the rising young
American must have his head rubbed
against some College wall. whether Tor
good or i'll. time soon tell; the tale. With
AL these changes man soojI changes and
many become most supremely selfish
Pride then reins the flying sJeed and on.
ward rolls the tide of class distinction
regardless of the true clements which
should give position and standing in
society.
In those earlier days when our sisters
and mothers assisted in picking and
burning bush; = in the cornfield ard po-
tato pdt"h i'm the wheat and hay har-
vest; in husking corn; in the sugar
camp; in making not only their own gar
ments but those of the ''mrn folks"; in
washing, cooking and gardening. with
ont depending on the ''hIred girl.
when the young men prided in honest
toil-resorted not to the billiard and beer
saioon- sought not clcrkships and Office
were not seen upon our streets with
cane, and plug" and cigar; then could
we say indeed that there was social en-
ioymrnt in life even when surrounded
hy all the trials and wants accompany
ing the life of the Pioneer!
Then it was that whole families, on
foot and along forest paths wended their
way to the 10y church. or meeting
house" mother and daughters with
heavy shoes, until near the sacred edifice.
when, stepping aside to some friendly
log iOr 4 seat they would exchange the
cowhide shoes and wooden stockings for
the calfor morocco shoes and snow white
hose, and hurying those removed be-
meath the leaves at the side of the log.
for use after church, all would again
proceed ENTER the church without any
ruStling of silks. wide-Spreading hoops,
ilounccs and thousand other er,ras as
now ;-quieIly take seats on boards or
four legged benches ;-sin@. without the
aid of organ or choir. as the hymn was
lined" by the minister ;-humbly and
reverentially how during PRAYER: pa
tiently await the delivery of two hours
sermon. ana with the services over; wend
their way again through dark forests
along shaded paths. TO the cabin home
there. with good appetite. and free from
dyspepsia. again feast upon pork. po
t tltoes and corn bread, and neyerso much
as a word abOut the fashions of the
day regarding dress and ornamentation
which now so sorely tries the purse o.
many not able to bear it, all tending to
generate pride, cultivate strife. and pro-
duce feelings of cOvetousness!
But pioneer life could not continue for
ever. Roads were hewn out throug
Ian la
grounds were bridged by drawing logs
and placing them side by side. against
each other, cr0sswiSe in the road. ant
covering the same, when it could be had
with dirt. and then the way was prci
pared for the COX team"i Then with
wife ans babies in the wagon, all dressed
for church or for visiting. would the faith
er. with iCng "gad''. like small fish.
ing rod, take his place on the '.near side
of Buck and at the word. and an ac.
companying blow, would Buck s. Der,
ry" start on their way. with staggering
motion, and with heads bowed beneath
the weight of the yoke. while Pap" or
foot. could always he seen. near in front
or at their side. and heard. as the coach
moved slowly on, shouting sometimes ir
thunder tones. Buck d Berry, como on
-you rasrols you"i
True. this was but little improvement
over walking. so far as time and speed
were concerned; but then there wa:
sfyle!-the opening wedge to greater
achievements as we'll as to strife. Jealous
les. and all that follow in their train
With that OK team" the surface of til,
ocean of pioneer life at once became dis
turbed. Here and there slight ripple
rose upon its bosom. Tie different wave
soon increased in size. until, ere long
rt,n1 ,nlaA rpfs,
less agitated. Yonder, in the distanc,
WAS seen 'white cap"-another. anl
still another. Soon the sound of contend
Ing waves was heard-and down, deep
in the troughs of the wilderness wa
seen the cabin of the pioneer NOPE
Higher and higher on the sloping side
were the other contendinn forces eacl
striving for the mastery The power O
the storm was still increasing-aud a
billow struck billow new combination
were formed and old ones DESTROYED, un
| til finally few, more mighty than th
rest. rose above all others. whose crest
| glittered in .he MONDAY sun of thei
! glory like silver arched gateways t.
| fields beyond of wealth and fame, an,
| these then became, for season, tn
UTTER CRUST!
| Thus in many cases the once humble
| hospitaule cabin of the common, depend
ent pioneer was transformed into the pa
latial mansion of the selfish, austere
| higotted, heartless man of the world
who would crush beneath his proud foo
! those, who, in other years aided him i
his efforts to rise, in common with al
around him. But now lie is up-his trials
in his estimation. are amongst the thing
that were, and he forgets not only hi
duty to man. but his obedience to God
an1 though forgetful of the fact, in tn
vain delusions of earth. he is soon calle
upon 70 answer the summons of the Grea
Judge, to which lie finds he must b
obedie mt, and leaves behind him a worl
of wealth which may as it often doe:
end in scenes of continued strife and en-
during arrangement, unknown in til
period and history of cabin" life.
But while these things, unfortunately
follow in the wake of pioneer life, sti
they should not detrict from the est
mate which the world should place upo
Pioneers as Il class.
Future ages will ever owe, and shoul
| ever hold sacred in memory a debt G