The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1899-03-01

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Being. one who controls the events OF
our lives, and shapes their ends, is al
ways high and lofty inspiration to
mighty deeds, and gives to men great
boldness and courage as they carve
out the destiny of their lives. This
belief in God, this faith in His guild
ing and controlling hand was in very
great degree possessed by the men who
paved the way and opened the wilder
ness, and it was this faith that gave
strength to their arms, comfort TO
their hearts, cheer amid loneliness,
privation, and suffering, and made
them characters standing out as they
do-braye, noble, courageous, to be low
ed, and admired as long as the heart
thrills, as we read and listen to the
stories of brave deeds and noble eff
| forts. There is story ia the 'tLati-
mersr that most beautifully illus
trates this nobility of character, this
high and lofty purpose where those
who through dangers that seem to be
beyond powers of men to endure, and
where if the body did not succumb to
WEAKNESS, the mind would to loneli-
ness, yet upheld by a lofty purpose
fulfilling a divine commission with
abiding faith in an overruling Provi-
dence, they accomplish a seeming inn
possibility. The story in brief is as
follows:
A pastor had been called to admin
ister to the spiritual wants of small
congregation, engaged at a stipulated
salary, he purchased small farm,
convenient to the meeting house, hav-
ing no money he bought on credit,
promising to pay with the salary
pledged by his people. He was truer
TO his little flock than they were to
him. for after several years his salary
was far in arrears, and no prospects Of
payment. There was little or no
money in circulation, plenty of wheat
but no market for same, matters thus
final payment, and he was informed
that he must pay or give up the prop
erty. In this strait the people of the
congregation were called together, and
the case laid before them, they were
willing but unable to pay, and no
money could be borrowed, in the
meanwhile a subscription of wheat
was proposed, and a great quantity
was subscribed and packed on horses
20 Or 30 miles to the mill, where it
was ground into flour, then the
question arose who would run the
flour to New Orleans for sale, it would
be perilous adventure, nearly all the
way an unbroken wilderness, the bank
lined by treacherous Indians, for more
than one boats crew had gone on that
journey never to be heard of more,
and if New Orleans was reached safe
ly, the return journey would be over a
stretch of 1000 miles by land, Gas the
boats could not be brought back on
account of the current, much of this
way would be through swamps and
everglades poisoned with fevers, and
all of it beset by rowing savages. The
hardships and dangers were well I'M
derstood. Now who would give the
time, endure the toll? No one offered
himself, old or young, and there SEEM
ed naught to do but let the pastor CO.
The meeting was about to adjourn
when an elder of the church, Ga years
of age, arose saying, ''Here am l, send
me- Remonstrances were of noavail,
there was no shaking his iron resolu-
ton, for rather than lose the pastor,
he would brave the danger yea, even
death itself. His example was con-
tagious, and out of the now many
volunteers two young men were Sc
lected to accompany him. The day
came for starting, and old and young,
from far and near, were there to see
them off, and ask divine blessing on
their perilous mission. The entire
congregation walked from the church
to the river, distance of Is miles to
bid them God-speed. Think you there
was ever procession like that one?
Call up in memory the scene for it is
one not easily to be forgotten; four,
six, seven, eight, nine months passed
and no word came from that little
oand and they were given up as lost.
But God takes care of his own, and
after almost years absence, they re-
turned in good health, having sue
cessful and prosperous journey. What
they endured, the trials and hard
ships, we can but family imagine,
here to my mind was courage and
perseverance to a degree that seemed
impossible, yet it was all done IN
most modest unassuming manner, as
if it needed no words of praise 1t was
of such ''stuff" as this as our from
tiersmen were made. and is it any
wonder that our hearts fill with pride
as we read of their doings, and re-
member that from such stock we
sprung, and is it strange that we de-
sire to perpetuate their memories, and
tell the stories DER and DER again of
brave deeds and heroic sacrifices? OF
the Indian, the s'noble red man.
what shall | say? / confess to quite
a lurking admiration for this savage
of the West, and my heart has always
gone out in sympathy to him. To
know an individual or nation, we
must study their manners, customs,
surroundings and teachings. Born in
slavery, a slave, born in ssavageryn a
savage. We must therefore Judge
them, not from our standpoint OF
knowledge, but theirs Standing upon
some lofty mountain peak they could
look to the North to the South
to the East and to the west, be-
holding fertile lands, and flowing
streams on every side, all theirs, theirs
alone, theirs by right of discovery and
possession. have they not right to
their own, and may they not defend
their home. their lands from the en-
enactment of the s'white man." and
should we censure and blame them,
or rather not admire and praise them,
as they fought and died, just as hero
ically, just as bravely, as ever from
tiersman did, and for just as sublime
a cause. We read, that the Indian,
is savage, false and treacherous, but
had they not great provocation? And
were they less capable of civilization
than as Speaker Reed expresses it the
yellow bellies'' of the PHILIPPINES?
To kind treatment, they often respond
with heroic fidelity, and in some of
the thrilling tales of border warfare,
we read of their chivilary of their
devotion to duty, and of their faith
fulness to a trust even unto death,
which the following story out of many
that could be gathered illustrates
nature of this character. "Three
scouts surrounded on all sides by saw
age foes, escape seemed impossible
and death certain, two had already
fallen, and the thire and last had CIV
en- up all hope of rescue, when an In
dian, to whom kindness had once been
shown and protection given in an