The Oskaloosa herald., 1901-06-27
TO OLD SETTLERS.
Major Lacey's Address at the
New Sharon Meeting.

at the Old Settlers meeting in New
Sharon, Iowa, Thursday, June 20, '0l,
by Major John F. Lacey.
FeILoso Citizens THE pioneer has
in all ages and in all countries been
of much interestto his successors and
descendants.
In the countries of the old world a
halo of mist and mystery hangs over
and surrounds the early history of
the people who founded the nations
of the earth. Descent from the gods
and from heroes was claimed and the
myths and marvels of the early days
were celebrated at allpublic festivals
and days of rejoicing.
Builders of nations may be rougbs
They must be strong.
We do not trace our ancestors to
any mystical Aeneas, Dido, or Romu-
lus. The Peruvian Incas traced their
descent and the origin of their civil
ization from Nance Capac and his
wife, who came to them direct from
Heaven itself. The Aztecs traced
back their origin until it was lost in
the darkness of remote ages. The
Aztecs' early history was dimly
recorded and rendered more myster-
ious by the heiroglyphics in which the
record was kept.
The Peruvian without a written
language kept his record in the knots
of his quippu.
All is dark and vague in the early
days of all the ancient nations of the
old world or the new. But here we
are celebrating the settlement of our
commonwealth, containing more than
2,225 900 souls, nation in itself, and
there are within the sound of my
voice those who remember personally
all the great events in our states
history, from actual knowledge of
their occurrence.
We do not measure history by years
but by events. We speak of the "age
of Leo X" and it was indeed an age,
and although that pontiff only ruled
eleven years, those years were turn
ing points in universal history.
Lincoln presided over our national
affairs but a few weeks more than
four years, and yet those years were
big with the fate of all mankind.
Robert Sewers is with US to-day.
He was born in 1907. That was two
years before Gladstone and Lincoln
were born.
Washington had only been dead
eight years when Robert Sewers was
born.
Meissonier has painted wonderful
picture of Napoleon, surrounded by
his staff on battle field. 1t is a noble
work of art and gives to US an in
spIration in regard to the great man
whose deeds ushered in the begin
ming of the Nineteenth Century.
Meissonier did not christen his
picture Napoleon on the Battle
Field" Its only title is "1s07." That
year the old gentleman who is our
oldest guest to-day was born.
His life carries US back to q date
when the man of Iowa was unknown.
The Prairie Schooner is a thing Of
the past, but it is fresh memory in
the brain of many of those who listen
to me to-day.
Now the railway is built into the
wilderness and the settler comes later
on the train. Iowa was opened and
occupied by the slowly progressing
trains of emigrants.
Kiowa is now awaiting the proclaim
alton of the President, but the rail-
way to carry in the pioneer of 1901 is
already built, ballasted and in opera
ton.
The very faults of our old settlers
were virtues in their situation. Put
those men on a desert island and they
would have organized a government
of the people, by the people and for
the people. And yet they would have
numerically criticised their own
work, but would have fiercely resent
ed criticism of anybody else.
The Damascus blade was long the
finest in the world, and the secret of
its manufacture has been found to be
a skillful combination of a large
variety of different kinds of steel.
The combination resulted in metal
that would cleave the finest armor.
So the combination of the best of
the races of Europe has produced the
new and stirring race of Americans.
1t is only forty-seven years since
the county was settled by our pioneers.
We personally know the men who
named Oskaloosa after Osceola's
dusky wife, and those who first called
our county Mahaska after the old Sac
and Fox Chief, have looked us in the
face and told us how the choice of
the name was made.
Well it was that there was poetry
enough in the hearts of these old
neighbors of ours to preserve and
keep alive such names as Appanoose,
Keokuk, Poweshiek, Wapello, Ma
haska, Tama, Iowa, Ottumwa and
Oskaloosa.