, 1876-04-01


on my arrival, and AS a key to unlock tht
meaning Of the nations history, II was tht
scene Ola people struggling with forces al
most too vast and too strong for thclp, thai
led them to live life imperfect AS compared
with English life, and yet one ot such en-
,crprse and inlomitable energy TINT 1t has
in it the power tn become the noblest na
tional development the world has yet seen
The life of all nations is born IL hiruships
but to none is the remark more true than t.
this. From the time the Pilgrims landed
on bleak and barren coast, to the present
it has been one long story of progress
Through difficulties only realized by thas,
who were in their midst. The vastncss OF
the country is one great thing | felt it be
fore had travelled for half day inland, as
every foreigner must. Along the Atlantic
coast is IA thickly settled and well cultivated
belt tew hundred miles to the westward
one sees the gray and black stumps of the
primcyal forest. These are not indicative
al poor farming ~ one might at first snp.
pose. They rather spoke to me Of how the
early settlers had struggled in the wilder,
ness. and built their log huts endured pri.
atons, and passed away. And how Their
children had taken up the struggle, but had
never been able to get enough ahead to get
rid Of the stumps. As l journeycd further
west, the iorcsts increased aud the towns
decreased in size. 1t seemed as thou III the
great hnd lad been garrisoned by force
too small to use it. As passed on for 5000
miles toward the Pacific coast, the larger
were the reaches of untouched swamp and
forest and the evioent severity of the strug'
gle gave sense of drsOlution. But all this
was ns nothing. compared with the vastnesS
of the primeval proires. Along the rail
lOad, through Kansas, were Occas onNl sta
tinns consisting ut water tank and depot
building. Naught else wns to be seen, save
occasional tufts ot grass, the glare OF n
cloudlcss sky, and the horizon OF mtermin,
able plain. Nothing ever so impressed me
with the idcn Of vastness. | WAS silent
witness of an injomitabe struggle. Beside
| the truck were occasionally seen the ruts OF
old emigrsnt trails, the ashes Of camp-tires.
and now and then the emigrants themselves.
These things brought home to me scene OF
the struggle of the United States to make
these vast plains no; only nominal part OF
! its territory, bur IN integral part OF its pop
ulated domain. The enigrunt trains came
/ first; then the stage coaches, when stations
were small forts and the Indians spread des'
olation. At last came the railrOad-not Il
very brilliant one, to be sure, compared with
| English rnNds, as it had but II single track
and It's trains logged along at the sale speed
Of II miles per hour. Five years ago there
was Il railroad in Denver, and to-day 1t has
| five, each telling of struggles and victories
over obstacles which feel wouId have been
deemed msurmountable in England.
The speaker then gave highly colorcd
description Of trip through Clear Creek
canyon, to fourishing towns on sites hut
lew years ngo the haunts OF the bear, and
overhung by cliffs where the deserted eyres
of the eagles were still visible.
And still, he continued, the people are
pressing on to Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico
and the Black Hills. and no terrOrs OF eli
mate, or drought, or ln'Iians can keep them
back. There is the same element ot ccaselcss
and untiring struggle everywhere. The
country gives nothing Tor nothing, and el'
emental or other disasters often upset the
calculations Of the most persistent. In Kan
sas and Missouri the SOL is 50 prolific that
corn grows nine feet high, but the weeds
grow to the same height. Ipasscd through
the country after it had been devastated by
rrnsshnpperS, when it was as destitute oi
vegetation rs il |: hal been swept by hire
but the farmers were rc'pHntlng. On my
return from the Pacific coast, passed
through the same region to find thousands
Of acres Of grain rotting under water. But
the farmers were not discouraged. In Min
ncsota there is an English colony, hundreds
OF miles from any m.rkct. They live harder
and work harder than before they came to
America. In the grazing districts OF Col
orado, the herdrrs are subjected to great
harCships, living in tents or lying out on
the bare plains, where wolves gallop over
them and bears prowl around, and thus the
sport of hunting is varied by the hunter
being hunted; and yet not man with whom
conycrsed thought OF giving up In tht
mining regions, when they found that dI'
not wish TO buy claims, they told me thai
they had to pay s2 for every dollar that the!
got nut OF the ground and that It was
struggle tor bare bread All through Mis-
souri, and Kansas / saw men ut the crossings
waiting for the train to phss, or loI'er'nS "a
the stations. AMI til looked rs II they were
, fighting the battle of life against odd'' anc
+ yet were holding on. 1t mmy be oD,ccte'
that am speaking almost exclusively o
border life. In large part Of America ther