The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1899-07-13
SEQ West, Young Man. Go West.o
Ellsworth, Kansas, Paper

ellsworth, Kansas, Paper.)
This was the advice of Horace Greedy
to smooth faced youth, who had
come to consult the sage, with refer
ence to the best course for boy to
pursue i'm order to succeed in life.
No doubt the famous journalist had
i'm mind material success when he
gave the above advice, rs many of those
who followed it bear testimony today.
But whether Mr.. Greely's mind extend
ed further than the Colorado line is
questionable, for surely there is better
soil this side. Perhaps, he may have
thought of minerals rare and Of eli
mate fair, but not of moisture, for it
isn't there.
The young mar who goes west today,
expecting to find gold nuggets as plen-
tiful as pebbles on the beach will find
himself wOefully mistaken: he had bet
ter take few nuggets with him to be
safe. If he goes to the coast with a
view of farming or fruit raising, and
selects a tract of land in one of the
rich valleys, he will doubtless be sur
prised on being Informed that the land
is valued at from 100000 to 10000 per
acre. The per cent that such an IN
vestment yields is on a sliding scale,
which is about as liable to slide one
way as the other. Should the young
man enter mercantile life, he will find
as many strong competitors on the
Pacific coast, as he ever commended
with east of the Alleghanies. The
fact is, the California of today, is not
the gold fields OF 40. Eastern mel
with their methods and their mOnev
have transformed the western slope
and made it worthy rival of the New
England states.
Occasionally the visitor meets with
one of the old 49ers, but they are con
sidered back numbers by the modern
Californian, and laughed at for being
stupid enough to dig in the earth af
ter the glittering gold, when it was 81
much easier to extract it from the un
wary tourist. The 49er when cOmpar-
ed with the 99er, is like Rip-Van
Wrinkle, he has been sleeping for TWEEN
ty years.
The state of California has indeed
made wonderful advancement in the
last two decades. Most of the gardens.
orchards and meadows were but bar
rem wastes in 1879, but by the magic
touch OF irrigation, they have beef
made to blossom like the rose, ant
yield abundant crops. 1t is the boast
Of the California farmer that he has
something to sell every month in the
year.
The advancement made along tho
lines of education is likewise note
worthy, churches and school houses
dot the state in fair proportion to hel
inhabitants, and need l say that the
wealth of the last has been spent with
IA lavish hand in building all the large
cities i'm the sunset state.
No wonder California is considered
Il great state, since she gets gold from
the earth, gold from the east, and gold
from the islands of the Pacific, not to
mention the gold received from the
thousands of health and pleasure seek
ers who visit her shores annually. But
better than the gold is the men, who
by dint and toll have made California
the garden state of America,
$50 west, young man, go west, is
just as good advice today as when it
was first given by the great editor.
Only let the young man 60 with will
to work, and fortune will meet him
with smile.
If were going to California to en-
gage in the mercantile business, !
would locate in San Francisco. II
were my choice, the San ia
quin valley would be my home, if l de-
sired to cultivate fruit, would select
the Santa Clara valley or the Sacra
mentO valley. If 1 were an invalid.
and in search of health, / would live
in Los Angeles. If l sought pleasure
and culture, and had a competency tt
permit it, l would doubtless become
A permanent resident of San Jose, hui
If wanted to dig gold l would 60 to
The KlOndyke or Alaska.
/ am asked so often it / would like
to live in California. Let me say once
for all, yes; providing | might be al
lowed to select my own location, for
there are some beautiful spots in that
great Pacific state, but like all other
sections Of the foot stool, California
has her drawbacks. More than half
the state is q barren waste, all for
want Of water. l believe the day will
come when by a simple method of ir-
rigation, the great desert that lies be-
tween the east and the sunset slope,
will be made to yield rich harvests.
When that day comes every body will
want to move to California.
The worst features of a trip to Cali
fornia at the present are crossing the
sandy plains and paying the railroad
company at the same time, for the pri-
vilege. Remove these obstacles. and
the state would have to widen her
borders. ]: 3. TERcY. !