The Meeker herald., 1888-01-14

especially since the war, found homes
and citizenship in the West, for they
have, and most OF them are now hold
Ing Federal Offices. lLaughter.l 1t Is
nevertheless true that from New En-
gland has come the great, the over
wheiming influence in moulding and
controlling Western thought. Zap
plause.l
New England thrift, though hardy
plant, becomes considerably modified
when transplanted to the loan OF the
prairies; the penny becomes the dime
before ii reaches the other ocean; Ruth
would find rich cleaning among our
Western sheaves, and the palm of fore
handedness opens sometimes too freely
under the wasteful example which
nature sets nll over our broad plains;
but because the New England ancestor
was acluisitivc, his Western descend
ant secures first of nil his own home
Applause The austere and serious
views OF life which our iot-fati,ets
cherished have given way To n kindlier
charity, and We put more hope and
more Interrogation points into our
theology than our fathers did. but the
old Puritan teachings. snftcned by the
years and by brighter and frccr skies,
still Keep our homes Christian and our
iiomr-llic pure, And more. far more
than else. the blnoi which flows In our
veins, the blood of the sturdy New
EnglaDj"fs who fought and conquered
for an idea. qiickcned and kindlci by
the civil war. has iuhu-d aud imprcg.
mated Western men with u patriotism
that ov-rrid.s and trauscrnis all other
emotions. Pioneers IN "a new land. lay
ing deep the foundations of the Young
c1mmunneaitl,s. they turn the furrnws
In nviffin foll. aud fI"n the seed which
they plant there grows. renewed and
strengthened with each succ-.ding year.
ar nniylng devotion To republican in.
s,itu,ions (which shall nourish their
children ani their ciildi.n's children
forever. Prolonged applause.
An earnest people AMI u generous :
The civil strife male nothing right ;in,
"ht "t'hh h'Et't's ''i
that was riTh, before; simply settled
the question of where the greater
strength lay. We know that
who ",-ron-.
ny fore-. hath overcome hut half hl. fo~,''
and II more remain, Ia L. done. IL must
come because the hearts oi men are
changed: II Is u tale that is told. and
commerce AMI enlightened s.li-intrrcs,
have obli,cra,rd all lines. Aud Yet you
must forgive u, II before the account Is
finally closed. and the dead. and the
we. and tho tears are balanced by ~.
for SON. Southern leader to tell MS that
renewed participation In the manage
sncnt s.s sw.,v- .t ss,.. ~-s,os, ~asr,~-
with " TIC admission That ih~ u, srss'~,
Of tho right of secession is settled. not
tfcauss, the South WAS vanluisi,ci. hut
because the doctrine WIS and IL wrong.
lGrrat applause.
We are n. plain people. too. and live
far away. We iini all the excitement
We need In tie two great political par
ties. and rather look upon the talk Of
anybody In either party being better
than his party. as sort OF cant. The
hyprrrfi,icai faculty las no, reached ns
yet. aud We leave Ia YOU of the Eas, the
exclusive occupancy OF the raised dais
upon which IL seems necessary for tile
indep-ndan, voter 10 stand while lie Is
counted. tApplansc and laughter.
We arc proyincini: we have no dis
tinctiv- literature aud no grca, poets;
Our leading parsonage abroad of late
seems To L. the Hon. buffalo Bill'
tlaisht-rl. and We use our a,ijcc,ivcs ~
rcckicSsly that the t-oli,. badinagc in
iulgc,i In toward each other by Your
New York editors to us seems tam
aud spiriiic,s. l.aucht.r.l In mental
achievements We may not hay. fully nc
guircd the usc Of the fork. and are ''hu,
In tn. gris,l- and not vet hardened into
the i,ou. 81 mpnlf-.d " ". stand to-
ward the East somewhat as cuuntr, 10
city cousins: ab'ut ns New io Old En'
gland. only We don't feel half ~ badly
about IL. and on III. whole are rather
pleased with ourselves. tLpught.r.l
Their. Is not in the whole broad West u
ranch ~ lonely. OF 81 remote tha, pub
lie s.hnoI IL not IN reach of II. with
generous help from the East. Western
colleges are elcvaiinR and directing
thought. and men busy making states
yet lind time TO 1--we manly lives and To
lend u hand. All this NAV not lie
aesthetic. but IL Is virilr. and 1, leads MP
and not down. Great poets and those
who So touch til" hearts nf men tlint the
vibration gees down the age. mii-t often
find their inspiration when wealth
brings leisure To u class. or must have
"lcarned IN suffering what they teach
in song" We can wait for our insprel
ONES: wien they come. the wnIk Of this
generation. obscure and commonplace.
will have paved the WAY for them; the
general intelligence iiiIus.d in this half
century will. unknown or forgotten. yet
live in their numbers. and the vivid i'm
aginations of our New England ances-
tors wasted In depicting the joys and
torments OF the world to come will
modified by their tears, bcautify aud
ennoblc the cares Of this. Applause.
There are some things even more i'm.
portant than the highest culture. The
West is the Almighty's reserve ground,
and rs the world is filling up, lie is
turning even the old arid plains and de-