The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-23

the pioneers of most new countries
were unsuccessful but they prepared
the way for others who have and Will
reap the rewards which await those
who stay here and by their efforts de-
serve success.
There was another class of the early
settlers who came here and helped in
this work Of retaining the unbroken
prairies of the land and who added
much to the good citizenship OF the com
munity, that deserve mention
They were men who in response 10
the demand of patriotism, that nobiest
sentiment of the human soul. answered
their country's &ail and with an in
trepidity born of right went forth 10
battle for freedom and the union. When
freedom had triunphed over slavery
and union had prevailed over dls-unlon
these men were mustered out OF the ser
vice of war and as volunteers Joined
the great army of wage earners, bread
winners and home makers
They returned to their old homes,
made their old sweethearts their wives
and came to this state and helped 20
change ii from bleeding Kansas u
blooming Kansas. The citizenship or
these men was not demorallzed but on
the contrary was rather elevated and
they brought with them high stand
ard of duty both public and private.
AS they were brave and patriotic in
war, so in peace; they Were faithful
coura geous and progressive citizens.
The wives and daughters of these pio-
neers must not be and cannot be for
gotten. On this occasion, / know in the
hearts of their husbands and fathers
they are remembered; but / am at loss
for want OF language to tell the story
OF how well their loving hearts and Will
ing hands nobly did their duty as wives
and daughters in the early heroic days
of this section.
HAPPINESS IN DUG-OUTS.
Their unwearying efforts were not
confined alone to the home life but
without neglect of these they found
time to establish schools, sabbath ser
vices, cause churches TO be built and
congregations to gather in them, and
thus by their efforts the moral. educa-
tional and intellectual life of the new
community was not neglected. These
mothers and daughters by the magic
of their presence, their cheerfulneSS
and their songs of hope transformed
many 'dug-out' into a mansion and
the little sod church into a stately edi-
fee. The frugal fare which their hands
prepared and set upon the rude table
or box was enjoyed as though it were
the richest repast served in a banquet
hall. Through all the vicissitudes in
cident to pioneer life, they Gid their
duty. No higher encolium can be PAID
one than thistle did his duty"
Tell me not that there were no hero
! ines among these women. The true
heroes and heroines of this life sell
/ dom wear epaulets and badges Of dis
! tinction or see their names in bold
type in the Associated Press dispatch
es Of the newspapers. There are thou
sands upon thousands of women daily
bearing burdens of privation and self
y. &s4y, lof hox moi 4 a
tude to endue, nor moral strength nor
character to sustain. It is not an III
! frequent thing for men to surrender all
i that life is Regarded as worth living
| for that they may propitiate an un-
| kind fate in favor of those they love
! or to whom they may owe legal duty:
such devotion may not receive the
I homage of praise in this world as now
| constituted, but I believe it will meet
| reward, which it deserves, for greater
| than those whose names are seen and
spoken everywhere. The new era OF
! a higher and nobler development viii
prescribe and demand new and diff
| ferent virtues for the coming heroes
and heroines These old settlers may
have thought that theirs was "a COM
mon place life" and in a sense We will
say it was, but listen to the solace in
| these lines:
"a common place life, We say and We sigh {;
But why should we sigh as we say?
The commonplace sun in the common
! place sky
Makes up for the commonplace day"