The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-07-08
FLOATING AWAY.
Dis am de ribber ob Jo1dan.7


sleeping car on the Denver and Rio
Grande introduce himself to my at
tention the other morning as we
were flying south from Salt Lake
along the banks of the river. Why
should that negro have selected NE
of the dozen or more others in the
coach as the special recipient of this
Dit Of knowledge, when j, more
than any OIL all of them, knew our
western impious river with the
oriental sacred name? a boy more
than a quarter of century ago, |
made mud pies upon its shores ard
regarded the river as a mighty
food, against which nothing could
stand, exciting the awe, II not the
admiration OF all bahGlders. A
youth l learned to half despIse
the stream, for l could Did
defiance tC its currents and laugh
at its depths, swimming from shore
to shore and performing such &C
quatic antics as thUughtless lads
are prone to. Later the Jordan
has commended itself as the most
useful industrial enterprise aud
institution in the Salt Lake Valley.
Were { not for the river, insignia
cant as it appears, with the five or
six canals which it-feeds, twO.thiIdS,
the larger half Of the valley might
as well be Topped off and trans
ported to the famous plains or the
Bite Greek where mlls5 and milt 5
of congenial, worthless soil could
be found. General Howard, Of
Christian and Freedmen
bureau fame and nOto-
riety occupied the next seat
intently porting over the Bible. AS
nearly as L could judge from the
place at which the book was opened
the old soldier was reading OF the
baptism of our Savior in the Jordan
eighteen hundred years agO; hence
it might have been appropriate fol
the porter to give to Howard the
information that was generous y
offered to me. However, the intel
ligence WAS graciously received and
acknowledged, as were many Other
morSels Of similar instruction from
my cOlOred friend.
Speaking of Gen. Howard and his
Bible practice, reminds me that iny
mind has been suddenly and hope
lirreyocabJy changed with reference
to this distinguished soldier. Ii
common with newspaper readers
generally my opinion of the seeming
Ipiety Of the general has not been o1
the most exalted character, for
have never thought him sin
Cere in his religious preten
Isions and devotions, believing
rather that his pretended sanctity
was assumed q cloak Il
real sins of omissirl and commits
sion. The newspaper have, unWit
tingly perhaps, Doe this brave anl
able general injustice, by calling
him coward, by alleging that he &c
layed to read scripture and pray
while the Indians were numbering
and plundering in his advance, an(
| by saying other cruel, hearG!esS ant
untruthful things about him. On
cannot look into General Howard
face and believe him a fraud OF
cheat in any sense Of the term. H
is a Christian and | firmly Beliey
an honest one; he reads the biol
and prays because he loves 80 do SC
believing these things Geces
sary to a correct moral life, ana t
the requirement Of salvation, 0
preferment or heavenly favor i
the great hereafter. He has bee
unfortunate in some of his under
takings, as for instance the FreeG
mne's bureau management; bu
Las it ever been shown that Will
the poor negroes suffered los!
Howard proited from theI
misfortune The general was DC
a great success as an Indian fghte
and in this he is by 40 mean
alone. Indeed, have we more tina
one general in the army who Ia
achieved ,,reatness or won prou
distinction 8 a successful slayer {
savages? Custer might have bee
> great ii he hadn't recklessly failed
Who but Crook ever succeeded i
furnishing the Apaches? Who be
sides Crook is really successfl
, indian fgnter2 General Howar
may not possess the qualities who
are necessary TO the military her
. though l sincerely believe ne is
wise and safe soldier who wouI
win Of ener through the exercise
his slow and cautious judgmel
than others would from pursuing
e hsstier course. But enough of til
Scared, manned veteran who's
1t grey hairs and arInless sleeve shOu
protect him from the thOughtles
but nevertheless wicked assaults
> the Newspaper fellers," too mao
al Of whom write to fill spat
with little regard for facts.
To- The Denver and Rio Crane
Railway trsverses no prettier cou
1t try, and none richer agricultural
d than the ninety miles of the Gre
1t Salt Lake and Utah valleys betwet
d Ogden and Spanish Fork Canyo
Mountains are never pretty. III
1t highest, the rOckiest, the mC
10 shapely of them are but awkwar
ugly masses of earth and stoI
Re heaved up, broken, and rent out
1t shape; while trees and meadow
1r running brooks are not mere
" handsome, but the prettiest as We
d as the best parts of nature. In Il