Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-11
PADDING ONES OWN CANOE.

| Undoubtedly the greatest need of Texas
| al the present time is ii large addition TO
her population composed of people capable
ofworking up and turning 10 good account
her TueXhaustible quantity of raw materials
| now wing entirely dormant and cont,ibut-
| ing nothing TO our prosperity. As yet COM
| paratively little attention has been directed
! 10 this matter. consequently we bave been
| neglecting. more or less. one Of our most
| important factors of progress. Our leading
| agitation has been in favor of drawing in
outside capital. leaving what we have in the
way of home resources lying on the shelf
| for future use, as it were
Outside capital is certainly a good thing
TO give a boost to the progress OF u new
| country. but that kind of boost cannot be
depended upon for permanent progress.
II is like when the swimmer plunges head
long into the water from some elevated
standing point on the shore He holds his
hands together in front and when he strikes
the water is seen moving ahead at Il rapid
rate % speed. hut unless he begins TO kick
with his feet and paddle with his hands he
hausted itself. Again. your friend on shore
pushes out your canoe and gives it Il lively
seud-of into the stream. The start is fine
but YOU must not sit back and depend
wholly upon that start. Unless you soon
begin padding YOUR own canoe drift
pile somewhere down the stream will get
YOU as sure as fate. You must paddle your
in some way be made self-sustaining. It is
the inevitable in all natural laws There is
no such thing as perpetual motion.
We have in Texas many very important
resources comparatively little worked. rs
yet. but the greatest of these is in the soil.
Texas needs millions more of soil workers
than she can now boast of. She has room
enough for all of them. and resources suffi-
Gent to make them all rich. Let us. there
fore. bend our energies towards getting
them. The world knows of Texas as one
of the greatest regions on the face of the
globe. and yet here lies one of her most
wonderful resources cher soil) left almost
wholly out of consideration. AS result
Texas is not getting from her soils any
thing like what she ought to be getting.
There are thousands upon thousands of ag-
ricultural people living in less favored re
gons, who would Jump at the chance of
working such soils as we have here did
they know of them. Why they don't know
of them is much our own fault When we
go abroad we talk long, and loud, and cor
rectly, about our pushing cities, and our i'm
mense railroad systems, and our great man.
ufacturing industries, ibut we leave our su-
perior agricultural capabilities mainly out
of mention. The agriculturists of other re-
giOns listen with open-mouthed wonder at
all we have 10 say. and when we are
through they vote Texas great country
sure enough, while at they same time they
are left to see our agricultural capabilities |
merely as such things appear in their own
home-looking glasses.
Let US at once change our tactics in this |
matter: orr az least. let US add to our usual |
talks about Texas greatness q fair show |
ing Of Texas agricultural capabilities. Let |