The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-10-12

ding OF i've STOCK ana II equipments dlit
facilities for marketing such products al
a minimum cost in money and effort
For these reasons the most thickly set
tied regions of Kansas cannot yet boast
Of a great city. Modern improvements il
the way Of telephones, electric street
cars, cheap daily newspapers. perfect
school systems and all the essentials and
luxuries which go to make fine homes
have made the town a convenience
rather than a necessity. for the people OF
Kansas. In my previous writings for the
Dry Goods Reporter, endeavored &c
illuminate this feature OF Kansas life
with its bearings upon trade and its sig
| nif1cance as a social influence for tbs
general exaltation Of all domestic virtues
business stability and wholesome condi-
tons Of progress There are many small
towns" in the state which are supply
depots, trading centers, foci for the com
mercial, social. educational and artistic
lives Of rural communities numbering
more than 10000 people who are not in
cluded in the town census. There are
more conely, well governed, finely equip
ped towns Of the ten thousand" class
In Kansas than in any other state in the
Union. Some OF the smaller towns, SOY
of FIVE thousand or less. are models OF
modern civic economics. esthetic taste
good style and progressive energy. Local
pride, the term being used in the best
sense, is more apparent and more poten-
tial in Kansas communities than in al
most any other state-certsinly it is
greater than in any of the older central
and southern states.
There are more famous" small news
papers in Kansas than anywhere else
Ny experience as an exchange editor in
the biw cities OF older states informed
me long ago that more bright clippings
can be found in such papers as the EN-
poria Gazette, the Atchison Globe. the
Topeka State Journal, the Daily Capital
OF Topeka, the Abilene Reflector snd the
Wichita Eagle than from any other news
papers Of any size. or from any towns,
anywhere The newspapers are a COM
posite reflex of the wisdom, wit and
learning Of the people for whom they are
printed They literally scintillate with
humor learning. audacity. fancy and
''horse-sense" into the bargain. They
will scrap" with anybody about any
thing. but they are unanimous on one
subject-viz., that Kansas is the great
est state. and its people the most ag-
pressive, the smartest and the most ir-
repressible alive.
There is something peculiar about the
Kansas character that is not chargeable
to hereditya ! have noticed that new
Corners" of. a few years residence upon
its wlnd-swept prairies out-Kansas the
Kansans IS people are the most rest
lessiy ambitious in the world. some call
II discontinued. The devout want 70
transform the religious complexion of the
whole world; the commercialists want 10
outdo all rivals, brooking no bluff from
New York, Kansas City, St Louis OF any
other mighty center; the farmer Of Kan
sas is always ready to pit himself in
debate with a government scientist-he
is never satisfied with his Showing; z"
he Is a demon at experiment and inven-
ton Any time you happen to be riding
through Kansas, take notice OF the num-
Der Of inventors you will see and meet.
In one days jaunt 1 talked consecutive
~ with q farmer who had invented a
new system of seed-planting BY means of
n paper string in which the kernels were
mechanically placed at regular intervals
with a view to literally sewing a field
with them; next a cattleman who had
invented cow Bit Of steel which per-
rnitted the alfalfa fed cattle to eat safely
Of that lucious forage plant without any
risk Of exploding from gartlic gases. a
fate common 10 the healthiest steers;
third. truck farmer who had invented
a self-raising gate which held open for
any fixed interval and then closed and
fastened itself.
At almost any railroad town in Kansas
you can meet such discontinued" farm
ers showing their contrivanees during the
winter months when the actual work Of
farming requires least attention. More
patents are annually issued to Kansas
inventors than 10 those Of any other
state. The desire for Improvement is al
most a disease with them. Victor Muir
dock. editor OF the Wichita Eagle SAYS
It is the whipping winds, the tang OF the
air. the dry ferocity OF summer and the
ferocious "Zipp' Of the inspirittng win
ters that makes the average Kansan so
cute after newer. better things Per
haps the zest Of success has something
10 do with H. No Kansan ever admits
failure, though ne may perish in pursuit
of success. And IL is this indomitabie
persi silence. this bonny spirit Of uncon-
o1erabIe effort that is largely account
able for the ceaseless progression Of the
state. Of it's commerce and crops Of its
schools. colleges. universities. churches
and all The lesser institutions. enter
prises undertakings that make for
.fn.lr Hrsrff D.
And therefore. n YOU are making steel
rails or bonnet frames for 'hs southwest
etn trade. n you are selling shelf goods
or financing q pooled Industry for the
new empire Of American expansion. you
win be much safer and sursr by settinE
your gauge ~ the Kansas STANDARD.