Arizona republican., 1899-03-31
THE ARIZONA OF TODAY.

II uO OIuGE purpose Is served Dy Fnl4
 issue of The Republican than to make
 it clear to it's thousands of eastern
 readers that the Arizona of today is
 not the Arizona Of a few years ago, 8
 most desirable work of enlightenment
 will have been performed. The resi-
 dents of this territory chafe impa-
 tiently under the misapprehensions
 which prevail in regard to them and
 the conditions under which they live
 here, and the efforts of this paper are
 put forth gladly toward removing the misunderstanding which give cause for this impatience.
 Few white adults are native of Ari- zona and the mere fact that the people are here argues at once that they come from the best and most progressive clements of the population Of the east, otherwise they could not have had that selI-confdence, energy and readiness to overcome obstacles which must be inbcrn in order to persuade one to leave eastern environments. This eager. restless spirit of enter prise which characterizes the Arizona citizen Of the present day, precludes ready sympathy With the reluctance of the eastern man to believe that here, in the remote southwestern border Of the union, are to be found a general in teIligence, moral tone and end-of- century spirit so generally present as to make up a civilization equal in all respects to the highest type presented by any American community. With our people changes and upward ad- vancement have been wrought so rapidly ttat they overlook the fact that the people of remote states have not kept themselves informed of our tremendous strides in building up a new and most modern state.
 Our people should understand, how ever, that this very amazing rapidity | with which they have reconstructed | and developed a great desert into one of the most prosperous and progressive in the world excuses their eastern neiglhbors for any failure to keep in touch with the transforma- ton. They should remember, in pa .ience, that not many years ago Ari- zc1a was a wild and unsettled terri .ory. and largely justified the general opinion that this was a frontier region where the prevailing conditions were ar from inviting to the man who prefers to live among the comforts of modern civilization and rear his family | a community of church-going, news people. The people of Phoenix should re- member that their city is yet too : oung for it to be generally known broad that even the residents of lew York city are not more familiar Tith the comfoI ts and conveniences of fe; that there is probably smaller t CT centage of iIliteracy in the Salt f tiver valley than anywhere else in he United States; that Phoenix is t } Eeacoable that three policemen ', Iffice for it's 15,OO0 inhabitants; that a ven it's farming population are uni s readers of the daily news V apers; that the average citizen of c hoenix is as much at his ease in h 7ening dress as is the box-frequenter c the Metropolitan opera house; that f le crowded schools are maintained at high standard, and that the full con Q regations at the numerous churches sten to sermons not surpassed in 2 1y city. ( It will take some time for all these lings to become known abroad, and e he Republican is doing it's share to- c c, ard hastening the time when the Ari- M ma of today will be accorded just c timate. 5
 h