The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1874-01-15
THE WESTERN LAND OF WONDERS.

If the scene of Rip Van Wrinkle had beed laid
by the immortal Irving amid the eternal silence
of the Rocky Mountains, and in this climate over
which Morpheus Somnus can surely claim pc
culiar power, it would not have seemed a strange
event that a man should sleep twenty years. A
calm, subtle, all-pervading influence seems to
steal over one, locking the senses, hnshing the
passions, soothing energy, quoting aspirations
overpOwering ambition, and compelling one to
yield to sleep quite too often TO accomplish much
in this wOrk-a-day world You hear the same
strain on every side, al sleepy" Break
fast wait, while guests dream and cooks doze.
The liter righteousness of the cool nights seems
to extend far into the honrs of rosy day, and in
deed, scarcely to cease until night again regains
her power IL is scarcely possible to lie brilliant.
The scintillations of genius cannot flash forth,
nor the spar<es of intellect CLEAN while half the
people in the room are rubbing their eyes in
stupid endeayor to comprehend what you have
stated 80 sleepily as not to quite understand
yourself. 1t seems mesmeric influence Incl
dent to the country, and one is led to wonder if,
in this, may not lay the secret of much that
seems almost like magic here.
Old settlers of year nine months laugh at
the with which they fell into a belief of the
wonders of this land of wonders, and, in turn,
how soon they can induce strangers to believe
what wOuld he utterly incredible at home. When
they tell you little crag, apparently var in
height and quarter of a mile distant, is a half
a mile from base to summit and five or six miles
otf, you will only smile in general acquescence;
OF when yOu learn that a neighbours hOuse, to
which yOu had contemplated short stroll, knit
ting in hand, two three miles away, no
shade of surprise will rufie the serenity of your
countcnance
In fact, to make no demonstration of astonish-
ment is the first lesson one learns here. Nature
is so rcpletc with wonders, and strange expert
enccs in life so common, that very quickly one
comes to feel that nothing is incredible. To be-
lieve all yOu hear and repeat il to the next stran-
with additions and on IN ia
will not endanger your reputation for veracity.
nor will you run any risk of being doubted.
Munchausen seems tame and CULVER common
place. If the authors of the Arabian Nights had
lived in Colorado Springs, they might have been
able to write really fresh and original book.
At least such seems to be the common opinion
of the inhabitants.
Indeed, it cannot he doubted that nature has
been very lavish of her gifts here not only in the
magn!fccnce of the scenery and the beauty of
landscape, but in the wealth of mineral produc-
tions, the splendid watcr-power, for manufactu-
ring purposes. the fucst pastoral and grazing adj
vantas1s in the world, including not only the
vast plains for feeding purposes D2t climate
so eqnable as to make sheltering almost uunecce-
sary, few of the resources of the country shown
Amid the almost mccarthy grandeur of the
mountain Businesses, awaiting only the mandate
OF man, lie hid the metal: iron, gold, silver, lead
quicksilver and coal.
Agricultural interests will for many years,
perhaps rank only second in Importance, owing
to the aridity of the climate making irrigation
necessary; yet this is accomplished with much
less difficulty and at less expense, than one would
on large tracts about one
dollar per acre. Mining and manufacturing in
ferests, however, together with raising of sheen
and cattle, will have to be depended upon as the
principal resources of wealth, and when atten-
ton is turned more exclusively to these, a per-
manent basis of continued prosperity will exist.
Tho exports of wool and hides have amounted to
over million of dollars from the Territory in
the last year. When these are utilized by home
the interests of the country will
Of course he proportionately increased.-Cor. ST.
Louis Globe