Mexico weekly ledger., 1901-10-31
FROM MISSOURI TO EUROPE.


2 49, 49,
Away back in the year 1900 ! decid-
ed to quit work for a year and see IL
people outside of America had any
sense. About Christmas we left old
Missouri safely in the hands Of the
Democratic party and started out TO
see If Europe is what 1t is cracked up
to be. Tolstoi says that n man ought
not To travel much, but eyer since /
was a little boy at school and learned
that this world was round | have
wanted to see the other side Of Il. In
other words, I'm from Missouri and
you have got TO show me.
After all a nan in this world is Just
la small sized kodak, and to produce
views OF good and rich colorlng he
must get out in the sunshine up close
to the objects. Every human soul isa
sensitive plato in a divine camera
Man, then,i is a walking kodak,a camcra
on wheels, in a world Of snapshots. 1t
would be a bad thing, though, for every
man TO want to go away from home
and see things for himself-the crops
would be neglected, and no M would
remain behind 10 buy the books Of the
writers of travel, and listen TO their
lectures on things that never happen
cd, thereby helping them to pay the
expenses of their trips.
But back to old Missouri When we
left the old familiar fields Of home
land and said ''good.byH to family and
friends, there came a little choking
frog crawling up in the throat, which
makes one. feel that there are some
things in life dearer and sweeter than
lands, water and all the pleasures that
the material universe can give. 1t
was bat the natural rythm Of the hui
man soul which is sad when it leaves
its familiar associations and naturally
passed away by the time we reached
st. Louis, and had to think Of ways
and means of travel. In st. Louis we
remained over night debating whether
to go to New York by Niagara and see
Niagara Falls or to go to Washington
City and see Congress. We finally de-
cided that it would be more interest
ing to see Congress. Washington is a
beautiful and well fed city and every
man who has not already been there
wants to go. Washington City is the
great American pie counter where
every Johnny who gets a chance sticks
in his thumb and pulls out a plum and
says, "what a brave boy am l." Nearly
all Of Americas great men have been
busted" in Washington and you can
see their busts sticking upabove every
pavement. President Mckinley made
a very pleasing impression on me and
| was sorry / had ever said anything
against him.
In a few days we left Washington
via New Jersey. | had heard that
there we're lots of trusts In
New Jersey and | wanted TO see
some OF them, but we went through
50 fast that l couldn't get a good look
at them. We also went through Phila-
delphla. The train stopped for a half
hour and l walked around the depot
platform TO see II 1t was worth stopping
over to see. There was a prettyautomo-
bile backed up 10 the station and /
asked the man how much II cost TO
see the city by electricity. He said
three dollars per hour, so | decided
that II wasn't worth seeing.
Next day at n O'Clock our steamer,
"Vaderland," of the Red Star Line,
was TO sail from the New York harbor.
Passengers and baggage make busy
times on the sailing day Of an ocean
steamer, and the place from which
they sail is always thronged with peO-
pie who have come TO see their friends
and relatives leave. The handker
chiefs waye as long as the eye can see,
and before one goes too far from land
he can see a few moist tears trickline
down the cheeks of many. In a few
short hours New York and all trace:
Of land faded away and soon we realiz
ed that we were in the new world Of
ocean life.
The "Vaderland" was a big new
boat and was just making the return
trip Of her maiden voyage. There are
always all kinds Of people on a steam.
er, and most every nationality was
represented on our ship, excepting
the American negro. A negro never
likes to get that near water, and his
business interests in America neyel
permit him to go to any other country.
This is a pity, too, for a trip abroad
would be Of great educational value "a
the negro, and would be- much needed
rest 70 himself and the community
from which he came. OF course, one
mingles with the passengersfreel and
a mar needs no Introduction 10 any.
one, unless he is a married man, but
all people are alike-some good and
some bad and without any disrespect
TO fellow passengers, the chief charm
to me was the voyage and the ocean
scenery.
Every man on land in this round
world Of ours thinks that be is on top,
but when a mar gets into the middle
OF the Atlantic ocean he does not
know where he is. One wonders why
In the world the Lord made 50 much
water-I can't understand it-unless
he wanted to create something that a
man could not put a mortgage on.
Think Of 1t, three-fourthso OF the world
is water, and too salty TO drink at
that, and only one-fourth OF IL is land,
and some Of that is not worth the taxes
IN u and w1t ax.n 49,. - -