Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-12-04
THE NORTHWEST.
KANSAS LETTER.

Years ago when / was going to school,
when the only school building in Ma
poleon was that old frame one on Clint
on street, filed with well worn furni-
ture, all over which youthful aspirants
for fame had carved their names in
letters "both bold and bright" but
which all-house, furniture and names
went upin a blaze one fine night,
ending in nothing but smoke, even
the fate of seekers after the honors and
emoluments of life,-and resulting in
nothing but ashes and cinders, among
which the "small boys" (now married
and with small boys of their own in
bIissful ignorance of what awaited
them on their return home, in part pay
ment for the torn and burned clothes
and blackened and grimy hands and
faces, delved in eager hope of finding
some relic of the old time-a fused cast
ing, or, perchance, the the melted mass
of the old bell which hung just behind
the "new" house, in conical looking,
crazy appearing belfry on the old house
and which the bad boys of that day
and age of Napoleon used to doctor"
so it could not be rung, much to the ex-
asperation of the old time principal, of
whom they did not stand the least in
awe; rushing into the school room, half
dozen of them, and carrying big boy
off from right under his nose, to plunge
him into snow-bank; carrying on
fiirtations (the big boys and girls)
right in school time and before his eyes;
he seeing, hearing nothing all the time
but trying to shear" lessons amid the
deafening din and racket. When, |
say, used to attend school, / would
take my geography and, turning to the
map of the "Western States and Terri
tories,u look with feelings akin to awe
at the map of Kansas and the Indian
territory, and try to imagine the in
finite, to me then, distance which lay
between that old school house and
those far off places, whose very names
Were SYNONYMOUS Of all that was wild,
rough and outlawed ultima thule beyond
the confines of civilization. A region
peopled by wild Indians, wilder beasts
and widest men. A region which
seemed, like the cities and lands of the
Orient, to be laid under spell, so that
civilization and refinement could never
reach it with it's Transforming influenc-
eS. AFFAs SIS
And then would trace the long oval
which, extending across the territory
down into Texas and around in a north
easterly direction till it took in large
part of Kansas within its confines, was
supposed to mark the boundaries of
The Great American Desert, and my
Imagination would be filled with pict-
ures of a vast waste of sandy desert,
sand hills, sand storms, sand, sand
every where; NO water to be hadi not
a green thing to be seen; not a live an
imal save the gaunt wolf or the swift
footed antelope. How little thought
then that should ever visit that scene
of desolation, and live in the very
midst of "The Great American DESERT
and write descriptions of the country
to the NORTHWEST, and astonish the
natives of the Maumee Valley with ac-
counts of the wonderful fertility of this
DESERT now teeming with an indus
tSious, energetic people and overflowing
with corn and wheat.
Vet, strange as it may seem, this vast
region Of country was once thought to
be, if not "sandy waste" at most, ca
pable of supporting bnt small popula
tion, and of yielding but the scanties
crops. ut may do for stock raising
but will never be a success as farming
country" was the verdict of the major
ity, who, however, knew much les
than the minority in this case. Sine
the Great American civilizer, the rail
road, has pushed itself into this section
of the State its development has beei
sorapid that it has taxed the powers o
even the Western real estate agent t.
keep far enough ahead of the truth t
carry on a successful business.
1t was thought that lack of rail
would forever debar this section fron
putting forth claims to be considere
an agricultural country. But, 18th
railroads bring rain" is a remark ofte
heard, and / begin to think there
some truth in it. But, however thu
may be, it cannot be denied that tn
rain is much more abundant. do nc
know as any greater number OF incht
per year falls, but one thing is SUR
that is, that it is better and more ever
ly distributed, comes oftener whe
needed. This is due in part to I'll
breaking Of the ground, the stirring
the soil and the raising of the va