The age-herald., 1901-07-22

'The clements of chance and the prob ability of getting something for nothing seems to be doing the work"
 Continuing, the traveller talked interest ingly of the crowds the people and the conditions existing around Fl Reno.
 wishing to see the Creek Indian coun- try I stopped at South McAlister and went up to Muscogee, the capital of that nation," he said.
 'This Is the best town in the territory. It has a population of five thousand, and ships cattle. grain and cotton. I was sur prised to find that fifteen thousand bales of cotton went from the town last season.
 "These Creek nation lands of course, originally belonged to the Indians in com- mon. These lands have now been divided up and 16O acres allotted to each Indian and negro in the territory. These negroes it seems were the slaves of the Indians, and when freed the United States govern ment recognized them as Indians, so far as their interest in the land was concern ed. and now all share alike. These people are called there the citizens, and the whites are known as non-residents. al- though many have been there for twenty or twenty-five years.
 ''The lands are as fine as can be found anywhere. and the main question now is, how shall the white man possess them. It seems that In the treaty made with the Creeks the United States government was to throw all safeguards possible around them as to holding the property. Carry ing out this feature, the law provides that forty acres of each homestead allotted shall not be sold for twenty years. and none of the balance until the patents are issued. The white man, to get around this, Is taking leases for a period of five years. with privilege of buying when title is made by the government at certain price; but no sale is valid until approved by the chief Pleas Porter Ca half negro), and the secretary of the interior. These sales will be approved If made at the ap- praised values of the land, which runs from 10 cents to six dollars an acre. Many of these lands are worth from twen- ty to thirty dollars.
 'Be the law as it may, 1t Is only ques- ton of time when the entire country will be owned by the whites. Coal is plentiful, and much of it underlies the surface at distance of ten feet. oil has been struck in the Red Fork neighborhood. Water is plentiful Many creeks and springs and beautiful lakes bordered with water lilies abound. There is a fair growth of tim Der. but none very large.
 'There is but little chance for the white man in the Creek territory now, but as soon as the Creeks can sell their lands, which I was informed would be in a few months. the real estate man, the lawyer, and the speculator will reap a rich har- vest.
 Town sites are being laid off by the government and great field for specu- lation will be in these new places The lots will be sold at auction.
 Property in Muscogee Is high, but Is destined to be higher. 1 saw fifteen thousand dollars offered and refused for a lot which had been appraised by the government officers only few months ago at one hundred dollars"
 Crowds at Fl Reno.
 From Muscogee I went to EI Reno, O. T. The crowds that are coming in are marvellous. I went in on a trai ncarrying about 1200 people. Many of these rode on the cow-catcher of the engine and some clinging on the tops of the coaches. All kinds of baggage was carried. Some per sons with much, some with none; some with not change of clothing and some with them all; some with fiddles and some
 
 leaders of thought and action, and that fifty-four of this number were professed Christians.
 An Eternal Phenomenon.
 Chancellor Benjamin Andrews of the University of Nebraska recently gave ut- terance to this significant statement: "So far as my reading and knowledge extend there is not a man on earth today regard ed by his best friends as a leader of thought who would not tell you that re- ligion is an eternal phenomenon, some- thing you have right to expect in some form in the most civilized communities and in the minds of the maturest men,. There can be no question but that the religion of Jesus Christ is the dominant force of the world today and that 1t rules in the hearts and minds of the greatest men of the earth. Consider another fact in this connection, that as thoughtful men approach the heaviest responsibili- ties of life they are drawn instinctively and almost irresistibly towards the liv- ing God. William H. Seward and Abra- ham Lincoln are notable illustrations of this sublime truth Many men who we do not ordinarily count on the side of re- ligion are in reality deyout men. The great iron and blood Bismarck, the maker dHd tnc ChdnCCioi OA thC Nfoh ffohA van pire, Is case in point. He had no use for men who did not believe in God. He said that man who did not have faith in God would not undertake high deeds That if he did not believe there was a God, divine providence, future life he would be glad to get rid of life and its responsibilities as quickly as possi- ble. -s--~ s-e--.
 Mr. George J. Romanes, the great sci- enlist, the founder of the Ronanes lec- at Oxford University, Is a strir- ing example of man who began life V an atheist, and who wrote book in which he thought to overthrow the Chris tian religion; but wo afterwards under went a great change in his opinion, con- nected himself with the Church of Eng land and became a devout believer in the divinity of Jesus Christ, and testified that Christ alone satisfied the needs of his immortal spirit.
 If time permitted I would like to dis cuss at length the progress of Christian ity along the lines of practical living.
 What better standard can we find by which to judge the progress of Christian ity in practice than that set up by the prophet Micah?
 What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God?"
 According to the texts of justice, mercy and worship, I believe 1t can be easily durnnf1 afrated tbaf fha relfofon of Tee,,a