The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-12-20
Passing Away.

three flOuetIS VI La c"'N .'.''
demise tells us that the old settlers are
passing away; one by one they are gong
from our midst, and but a few short years
a, best, the last of them will have gone 10
that bourne from which no travellers re-
turn" and with them will go the Only
means of obtaining the true historyoi facts
and incidents relating to the early settle
ment of La Sale county. And what q
glorious history have they to tell one
.eening with facts and incidents, the mar
ration of which would read more Ike 70
nance than truth, surprising even the
widest flights of fiction, and thrilling IN
the extreme, from the day the first pioneers
set foot upon its soil until within very
recent period. Before it Is too late, then
and the old settlers have passed away
would II not be we'll for some one to inter
est themselves and collect such facts ana
data as may be useful in compiling an au-
thenticate history of our county? As yet
we have no written work containing these
facts and incidents ittingly told nothing
of "the times that tried mems souls, nor
the story of the pioneers who brayed the
dangers of frontier life and made our love.
ly county the garden spot OF the Prairie
State Baldwin's socalled
"HIsTORY OF IA SALE COUNTY
Is nothing but conglomeration OF stun
neither history nor romance, but reads
more like the composition OF raw school
boy, or the effort of some good old country
preacher, whose aim was TO please MS
friends and give their household a send
off,"
"KEITH's HITORY OF LA SALE COUNTY
Is O whole farce in one volume! And al
though containing few brief facts and
incidents of important events, it is nothing
more than county advertisement
MArsoN's "PIONEERs OF ILLINOIS"
"The French and Indians on the Fox and
Illinois Rivers" Memories of Shabbona,'
etc, are rigmaroles Of bosh, fiction and alb
surdities, with the main points plagiarized
from Parkman, John Gilmony Shea and
others and rehashed in such u manner a.
10 be called book. (0 Any iairminded
reader will see that the little original mat
ter they contain Is the production of mar
row minded bigot, who-judglng from his
works, "for by their fruits ye shall kno"
them" say the Scriptures,-is not capable
Of writing the truth touching any religion
not hinged on the puritanical circle to
which he belongs. Historians should be
made Of more liberal stuff But, praise
God, from whom all blessings flow" Bald
wins Keith's and Matson's productions
have had but limited circulation. and
therefore will never rise very high in judy.
ment against us.
We want something of u different nature
something grand, and more iittingly told,
and, above all, facts, historic facts! There
is only one way to obtain them, and that is
direct from the old settlers themselves.
And how to do ii Is just as easy As failing
Of log" If some one will take the matter
in hand, now that the wiuter days are
come, and the nights, when old and young
will gather round the great lseneyed base
burner In the parlor, and contrast its glory
with the wood fire of the old log cabin
in the days agone; when there will be
unions and reunions and gatherings, sto.
ries told aud "old.time yarns spin, aud
talks of the early days when many will
meet for the last time on earth--for who
can tell what day may bring forth
Why, then, would not those be the times
for obtaining such facts and data pertain.
ing to the early history of Ia Sale county
IA we are now IN need of And to accom-
plish this more easily offer series Of pre-
miums in rash for Tie purpose. Say SO
much for the first, or the one furnishing
the greater number OF facts or items, 81,
narrated by some responsible person, A
second, for the most important facts ana
incidents, A third, for some other sdyan
tlges; and 50 on, making dozen or more
grades, and all TO be passed upon bya com
mittee. By this means will he obtained
that which cannot be had in any other
way, and a few hundred or Il thousand
dollars thus expended will secure the ser
vices and efforts Of many competent per
SONS, who under no other circumstances
could DE induced TO enlist in the enterprise
THE MONEY Il THE THING!
And "the mighty dollar rs the proiane
would say, "payes the way TO heaven Or
hellr' And, anyhow, won't "the bell toll
the minister preach, and the choir sing"
for money But not without it, Money
NAV be "the root of Ill evil" hut great
good will result from little of that evil
here AMI in this have We not Holy Writ
TO guide u which tells Us "A little evil
can be done, that great good may result
therefrom."
II that fossil organization, the Ottawa
Academy If Sciences" is mot dead but