Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-07-25
KANSAS BOYS. :"


Web. Wilder, formerly of Elwood,
now of Hiawatha and the World, de-
ljyered the address on the Fourth OF
July at Wathena. His theme was
"Kansas Bows" that is "old boys" of
1857. You will find it all i'll the Troy
Chief of this week: we only wish that
the Champion had room for il all, but
in these piping campaign times that Is
impossible. 1t is all bright, tender
ahectionate even-in speaking of the
"bovs," but here is a passage which
NAV be called lovers description OF
Kansas. Romeo never said anything
finer TO Juliet:
'.That gay party is all gone; only
one left. probably, to tell the story,
Twenty-Five years afterwards. They
died on battle-i fields, on land and sea
oh. how many hundreds of the boys
are dead, whom we then knew III this
beautiful naked territory, lovely rs Il
cultivated park-these endless, nndn-
lating fields Of green, the deer, the
buffalo. the Indian, Bob White, the
prairie chicken, the fords, the coca
sional delicious spring, the eternal
ham to eat, land always tasting good,
the Kansas appetite that the health
ful prairie brings to ail her travel
lers. and keen enough for shark
to envv-thc Indian trail lo
follow. and hard TO follow-a narrow
beaten path when you found it, GOV,
cred over with 9rass-the old military
road. winding away so peacefully, s
black bnt hieatiful ribbon on a ground
lcf green-so graceful were lis curves
and folds. that the ribbon seemed tt
have dropped from the sky and To b'
floating there on the lovliest lawn
that the eve ever gazed upon. Littl,
. threads OF trees following the creeks
the skv touching the horizon every
where. as if cut Oft, the immense eX
r panse open on all sides before YOU
aot a house to be seen: one cottonwood
tree miles away. and known "a a land
mark TO every traveller a few Indian
Oh looping ponies, disappearing owe
the divide. their size greatly enlarged
as the suns is when setting. When
: ever YOU stop on the prairie 10 luncI
h or camp and gaze around, there Is
a picture such as poet or pant
err never succeeded in transfer
a ring TO book or canvass. Nc wonde
a il facinated the boys who came in her
from the mountainous north, and tina
lis spell is potent with those pilgrim
while life lasts. We ought TO hav
o saved state park in Kansas, 1000
c acres broad-the prairie rs il cam
from the hand of God, not a foot o
an inch desecrated by improvements
If and cultivation" II is only men
a orv now. alt has gone, gone with ia
i. bows who made il free, gone 10 tn
u Elvsian land. the land
d hope, and home, and imuol
= tality" If we ever should reac
that home in heaven for whose sw't
rest we tundly hope and pray, iher'
y in the company of the forgiven. na
we not trust To see the dear Old Kan
sas faces, the boys of long ago. Il
l. boys so long sleeping here and on 9th,
- fields. where Kansas boys marche
y and Kansas influence triumphed: Ma
l. we not meet and greet the Old, oi
a BOYS. ever Young, on the immort
n camping ground of those who live
=, and wrought and died vii
81 honor. and whose lives and loy,
10 are more dear 10 us than any cartl.l
possessions? fancy that the pionccI
will all have good homes in Ina, Fat
ID cr's spacious mansion: that those VIII
IA, died in making homes here, died 10
fore they had them. will not be TO
nc gotten in the day of fiual redemption
nj and if fellow don't have soldier
It. warrant, guess they'll let him hom
IA stead a claim-get quarter with
little stock water on it, a little Tin
u bcrr in the bottom. for the sheep, an
er the goats too, and hillside for q du
out -Alchison Champion.