St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-16
THE JUNIOR PIONEERS.
First Annual Reception ana supper
of the Association Last NIshi.

Last nipht the occasion being the hrst an
nraI reception and supper OF the junior
Pioneer association of Minnesota. About
three hundred invitations had been issued
and fullv two hundred and fifty guests were
present in response thereto. They were
received nv President Willis and recep-
tion committee composed of MeSSrS. NJ.
/ Bell William O'Gorman, James ).
Burris. Edward Dahl, John X. Sloan
and w. L. Woodbury., who extended the
courtesies of the association. The orcleS-
fra struck the warning notes of the supper
march at 9:15, and the well-laden tables,
prepared under the direction OF the we'll
known caterer. O'Neil. received the alten-
ton of the association and Its guests
After an hour had been spent IN the t!loi-
ough discussion of the material comforts
provided. the company was caiieu W oiIloi
by President John W. Willis, VINO; on oe-
half of the junior pioneers, eAIeiueu liio
hand of fellowship to the guests anu oaue
them welcome in the following aduItSS'
NJ, Friands. The first duty which dcvolyes
nnon ne-and a most pleasurable duty-ls 10
bid YOU welcome, and this do win the W
most heartiness and sincerity. Inc neAc op-
LEGATION which am expected 10 Iulill - ~
present an explanation or the ialuIe atiu w,
iects of the organization which acts as your
entertainer this evening. The existence OF
the Junior Pioneer association Is que 10 the
earnest desire of the younger generator VI
those vino resided II Minnesota during hef
..nioneer DAYS 10 renew and perpetuate
friendships of former years. ana 10 rlEet
firmly the ties which bind together men VINO
cherish. in common, recollectionS OF the
formative era Of one cOmmonW ealtn.
Another object Of our organization
is to treasure up the TRADITIONS Vi
former times and 10 celebrate the achieve
e with
horn only of a sense of participation therein;
the ability to say of such ACHIEVEMENTS as
Aeneas said in speaking of Trojan history
IA part whereof | myself was.
We were not aged enough nor suHlclehtly
near to the aborignes in the date Oh
OUR INTRODUCTION TO MINNEsoTA
IN enter the. famous ''Old Settlers associa-
lion. and vet, since we believed that we had
a right 10 share in the honor which belongs
to the early history of the state. we nave
banded ourselves together, not only WIN the
formalitieS of organization as a society," puI
also with the ties OF mutual reSafu anu liz"
ternal interest.
We hope that the success of our society
will yindicate the wisdom of its foundation
We are grateful for the kind interest which
has called so many OF our friends togeIner;
and now pausng only to reiterate with added
fervency the salutation-right welcome
ask your attention to the remainder OF the
addresses noted on our brief program
The first toast on the program was The
Old Settlers, to which Hon. w. L. Murray
had accepted an invitation to deliver the
response Owing, however to an uneX-
pected meeting of the city council, the city
attorney was unable to be present and re-
spond and sent his regrets. Mr.. Murray,
later in the evening, accompanied by the
entire city council, made his appearance
and Joined in the festivities OF the OCCASION.
President Willis then, i'll a few happy re-
marks. introduced, i'll response TO the next
toast. How Shall We Make History, Maj.
r.. NJ. Newson. who addressed the COM
pany as follows:
History is the outgrowth of events. Events
are the offsprings of the laws of nature and
the deeds of man, and the combination OF
these elements has not only made this coun-
try but all other countries on the face OF the
globe The pioneer who goes out INTO the
forest OF the far West aud cuts the hrSt tree
which is to be the beginning of the first cabin
inaugurates the first step in history. \ sue
cession OF these events produce a village, and
the village grows to q city and the city
to a metropolis. and thus on to a
state. and hence from one degree to another
events transpire to make history. y little
over forty years ago Il log cabin stood where
Ingersolls block now stands. Then only a
IA few whites, not TO exceed three, composed
the Caucasian population OF st. Paul.
Twenty cabins soon dotted the place, and
then "A saw mill came into existence, and
STEAMBOAT AND STAGE COACHES,
and frame houses and hotels, and schools
and churches. and civilization and culture.
Rarbarisn was driven out on to the frontier,
and the feet of commerce trOd in the moe
casiu tracks of the Indian. Following came
the il on horse with its long train of cars, and
the little hamlet OF three white people in
1888 numbers 10000 inhabitants with a
wholesale trade OF nearly $l0U. 000,0 900 ana al
most as many railroad trucks as gridiron
Chicago. Verify can l say, How we make
history!
But there was motive power back of all
this. st. Paul didn't grow without inteIli-
gence, without energy, without pluck. Min
nesota didn't gather into her arms 10000
people without an effort. 1t was the young
men of twenty-five and thirty years
ago who made hstory-who made St.
Paul-who made Minnesota. Some of
these old settlers are here tonight and when
they look back sc years ago and recount the
trials and laborS of their lives, and mark the
progress of the then little city which has
grown 10 grand metropolis. now they may
well and justly eXclaim: How we make
history! But their work is nearly over; one
by one they are dropping by the waysde;
they are going, going, going, How we make
history? VINO? You, the juniors. You
who must soon fill up the ranks that
we soon must leave. How will you
make history? Will it be by an honorable or Il
dishonOrable career? viii it be by a life of
manhood or IL life of shame? You must not.
You will not dishonor the memories of the
brave old pioneers of early days. st. Paul
will not stop growing when they are gone.
When You have finished your work. if God
spares your lives, the little city of 100000 in
habitantS now will have close to 1000, 900
then: and so in thirty years your heads will
be gray, your limbs unsteady, your eyes dim,
your steps tOttering. your ambition gone, your
work done. To the brave young hearts gathered
here tonight let me say. fill your life work
with deeds of honor, good deeds, manly deeds.
worthy deeds, so that our children can say:
'See how our fathers made history
The bells are tolliug! muffied drums are
beating! solemn line of men is marching
What means it? Aye, the last cid settler of
1S49 is dead. The members of the Ramsey
county pioneers are fewer than they were
only a short time ago. Death has promoted
them TO the front rank, and gray hairs and
bent forms mark the stragglers as they fill up
the row made vacant by those gone
before, and move silently forward
to the city of the dead The once
vigorous Juniors follow, and back of them is
another society organizing to push them to
the front. Dust to dust; ashes to ashes;''
and the forty-niners have made their record ;
and as the Juniors return believed with the
memories of their fathers, they resolve to do
their part in the great battle of life and to
leave to poSterity unmiStakabe marks of
their history.
PIONEER DAYS IN MINNESOTA
was the next and final toast Hon. John
b. Brisbin, who had agreed to respond 10
it, was not present and sent a letter of re-
greet to Secretary O'GOrman, i'll which he
stated that unexpected business which he
was unable to postpone, neceSSitated his
absence from the city. and suggested to
them in his absence the following toast:
The Early Pioneers of Minnesota. They
yet speak for themselves. Behold the men:
Henry H. Sibley. Norman W. Kittson.
Henry NJ Rice Edmund Rice nranmi