The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1900-07-19
LETTER FROM SWAIN
Intended for Semi Centennial,
But Delayed En- Route.


mer editor, Hon. A. w. Swain, in
time for publication in that number,
but his excellent and interesting let
ter was delayed en- route and has just
come to hand. Our readers, who
shared our disappointment, will re-
joice with US now and will read the
following letter with great pleasure:
Consulate of the United States of
America, Montevideo, June 9,19OO.
Dear Herdtd:-I am thinking of the
fifty years that THE HERALD will soon
celebrate,-years of mastery useful
ness as a newspaper, and the moan
and roar of the Atlantic storm howl
ing outside brings up not only THE
HERALD remembrances, but all of the
old home Its people, land all that goes
into the making of the town and the
county. OF the fifty years that will
soon mark the life of THE HERALD as
completed, full forty-six of them have
l observed, as boy and man. read
it first in the old home among the
mountains and valleys of dear old
eastern Pennsylvania, and then as a
boy in the old town, from 1866 on up
to this very day. In many lands, and
under many varying conditions, has
1t come to me, always like good let
ter from home, and always welcome
beyond the tell Of words,
AS boy, l knew something about it
closely. All the editors who have
come and gone l have known, from
it's founder, the kind and gracious
Needham, to those now honored with
it's control and conduct. Personally
l have had something to do with it
as boy, "devil," printer, editor and
owner. l have had the honor to
carry the east end route" in all sorts
of weather-and to know something
of the horrible bitterness of the cold
Of those days-when the rich (?) and
cold-repelling apparel was not calcu-
lated to create envy. For poverty and
burdens were companions of mine
and the lesson was never lost, please
God. remember the upcoming the
Herald stairs of the fathers of the
town and county-men whose life and
| labors reflected them and now yet
shine splendidly for the worth of pio-
neer man and woman. l could name
men who came from this side of the
nearby rivers, four and five miles,
'just to get the paper, and who
| read its editorials while meandering
on homeward way,-and also took
some of ''us boys" to the river for a
nights try at fishing! And there was
fishing in those days, too, with splen-
did catching!
You see, Mr.. Editor of 1900, l am
in reminiscent way tonight, and 1
ioyously go back to the days of the
golden hearted pioneers-whose wag-
ons were open to the boys, who never
whipped behind" and who added
to the scant larder by the riverside
the never-to-be-forgotten slashes of
bacon and corn bread, and butter
milk. Forget theseH Oh! no! The
great majority of them have gone to
sleep in the appointed places, and
their graves, these June days, are
covered with velvety green and sweet
smelling blossoms, peaceful in their
rest as they were in their faith in God
and His goodness, and in common
country. What debt there is due to
the memory of these builders-these
pioneer neutrality-suspicious. men
and women who knew what sacrifice
meant in its full term of harshness,
its deprivation, and its chill of heart
and body,-yet always responsive to
the call of duty as was given them to
see the path. l have always had an
interest in and loving admiration for
those early men and women of our
town and county and state. Looking
at them-or digging up remembrance
of them down here near the south
pole, thousands of miles away from
them-all their works and acts accom-
plished take on greatness that glor-
lies them to me. 1t seems that nearly
everybody was kind in those days;
that selfishness was a minus factor,
and the common tie of mans broth
erhood more heartily known and &C
knowledged.
But, Mr.. Editor, your HERALD has
reached fifty golden years of useful
ness to the community. It's columns
have been made the stepping-stones
to success for many men and things
1t has sounded the bugle hopefully
ever, even when the mists were thick
and hope somewhat "agued," and
men were dropping out and running
away to do much worse. 1t has been
loved, and also damned, for the
wicked are not yet silent! They do
make grievious noises at times, and
have from the day when David was
an editor and sent out the Psalms!
1t is an honor high and distinguished,
to have had to do with such a means
of grace and communal goodness as
THE HERALD-eyen as a subscriber,
saying nothing about the less respons-
IDLE task of devil, printer, editor or
business managerI And there how it
has grown-in every way and degree,
and in all better ways;-with what
red-blooded vigor it can take up the
second half of its century now! For