The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1883-07-17
UUR KANSAS LETTER.

IuSu" ouu We VIII uaNe w COuiSsS VI a
feeling Of disappointment. This is ow.
ing in part to our lives having been
spent among the everlasting hills" and
partly to want OF consideration when
reading the high wrought descriptions
Fof the prairie which some writer's IN.
dulge In. In the frst place such de-
scriptions are generally extravagant and
secondly, If true they would only be 90
during part OF the year. 1t must be
remembered that verdure is essential 10
beauty on the plains. Come here in
April as we did when. the country visi.
BILE for miles around is clad In dull
brown, and with no variety in scenery
to speak of-and it you have INDUCED
in poetic fancles about the beauties Of
western scenery your poetry will fy
higher than kite The first autumn
frost kills the native grass. Without
leaves the trees, where there are any,
look scraggy and dwar6sh, and so all
winter everything looks brown and
bare" Early in spring the dried grass
Is burned off and as soon as the sun be.
gins to be felt new grass springs up fresh
and green and all nature gradually as.
sumes its summer attire, and then and
not till then you may reach for your po.
etfy. just now l presume everything
is at its best in point Of appearance -
Meadows are covered with rank grass,
the fields of waving grain are rlpening
for the harvest. The vast corn fields
are putting in their best licks now, hav-
ing received an impetus from the "wet
SPELL" which / hinted at in my last, and
which proved suitable reality. For
about three weeks 1t was too wet most
of the time to plow corn and the farmer
viewed the rapidly growing weeds in dis.
may, for week now the cultivators have
been kept busy, the hot sun is "doing
FOR" the uprooted weeds and things
look promising
In this part OF Kansas the cultivation
OF corn is matter Of some moment, for
here corn is king. or course it follows
that beef and pork are prime m nisters.
During May and June every effort is
used to urge forward the corn that the
crop may be assured before the hot dry
weather sets in. Thus it will be seen
that farmer that has sixty, eighty or q
hundred acres OF corn in wants to spend
most of bis time in 1t now. No single
banded farmer thinks of raising less
than the above amount and as many
more acres as his home force or his
ability to hire will admit of. A neigh.
boz across the way from Us has l60
acres in which he and two grown sons
expect to cultivate. He has been utili
ziug the wet spell by hauling to market
! the surplus Of last years crop amount
ing to about eighteen hundred bnshel.--
Another neighbor hasa surplus OF 1900
bushels on hand. Corn 10 selling for
36 cents per bushel. but the price Of
horses, cattle and hogs is about the same
as iu Ohio. The supply OF cattle and
hogs does not nearly meet the demand
as the amount Of old corn yet in crib
would Indicate
The above was written. for this weeks
issue but was not sent off in time and
now we've been TO the 4th OF July
Would you like to know how the nation.
al birth day is celebrated out in Kansas ?
Will try to condense enough of yester-
days proceedings to add to this. We
went to Ottawa, the county seat of
Franklin county. the 9th annual ses
sion OF the S. S assembly o! Kansas
and Missouri had been in session in
Forest Park since June 26. This de.
serves a passing notice. 1t consists of
q course of normal instruction for Bible
students. Sunday school teachers and
all who care to receive its benefits. 1t
was under the direction of Rsv. j. L.
Hurlbut the popular leader in Sunday
School work and conductor OF the nor
NAL department at Chautauqus, N. j.
Mr.. 81. was assisted by corps of eff
cient aids as lecturers and instructors in
various branches. The entertainment
given in observance of the 4sh was un-
der the direction of the Assembly and
the State Temperance Union, who divi.
ded the time between them thereby CIV
ing the audience delightful variety
u 5 Senator Colquitt, of Georgis, was
to have delivered the oration but at the
last moment telegraphed his inability to
attend. From the crowd Of celebrities
from this and other States, drawn to.
gether TO hear the distinguished Senator
it was not hard to select an alternate
Rev. DR.. Hendricks, President OF the
Central College, Of Mo-. was selected
and IL the crowd was disappointed Il
was only In the name Addresses were
also delivered by Rev. DIR. Campbelle
President OF the State Temperance Un-
ion, Mr.. Bennett, Eiitor Of the Prohi
bitionist, Mrs. Clara Hoffman, Presiden,
| Of the Christian Woman's Temperance
Union OF Mo Rev. DR.. Brooks and nc
less parsonage than that fearless win.
dicator of Temperance, Ex-Gov. St
John. What list of celebrities to heal
in one day! Music was furnished 0y
the o tawa cornet band, assisted by 6
grand chorns of Ladies and Gentlemen
who had been training under Prot Sher,
win, during the session OF the assembly
The whole thing was on grand scale
The crowd was variously estimated al
from ten to fifteen thousand. In all thi:
immense crowd and on Independence
day too, there ,cas not a drusk man to b
seen, no violating. no disorder, and lie,
me say here. that when you hear people
say, as l have heard before leaving Ohio
that prohibition in Kansas is failure
tell them it is one grand mistake. There
are few cities and towns where they
are trying to dodge the law and permit
saloons under municipal law, among
them the capital city, to it's shame be Il
| said, but the legality OF such proceed.
ings will be tested in the near future
when In oil probability the saloon keep,
er will have to seek a more congenial
cline. In many places there has not
been saloon for 8, 4 or years. In
Ottawa city containing between five
and six thousand inhabitants, there has
not been saloon for five years, the 4th
of July being the 9th anniversary since
the authorities ordered the saloon closed
never to be reopened.
This letter am aware is long enough
but want to say something of the beau.
| ty of Forest Park where the festivities