Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-05-07

SHOWN us by their lives and deeds In
the past how we are to handle our
selves, and then the small folks-~the
people Of the future. am glad to see
your children | like the quality. and
as far as have seen, | like the GUAM
tity. and important though il is that
we should have the fullest develop.
ment of the resources OF this region,
important thonngh 1t is to develop the
mines and drive the railways through
out this region. and above
all, by irrigation to develop
the marvellous fertility of a
soil which needs only water to make
1t produce as but few regions OF the
earth can produce. important though
: II Is to develop in every way. your
material resources. never forget that
the one all important crop Is the crop
OF citizenship. and according as your
children are traines well or i'll, just
according will this territory. while 1t
/ is territory and after 1t has become
state, turn out well or ill.,
Good Schools.
have been glad to see your schools
and you cannot afford to neglect them.
No matter what else you have to
neglect. the schools you cannot afford
to neglect, and then you must remem-
her that the schools can only snpple-
ment the homes. You cannot expect
the school teacher to undo what yoN
do, II you do your part i'll, remember
that. You cannot unload everything
on the school teacher. The father and
the mother have got to do their part
lecently and firmly and conscientious.
" and also not fooishly. You have
not only got to have conscience, you
also have to have common. sense, that
is an important element I strictly
object To hardness Of heart, but oh.
1ect quite as much TO softness of head,
and II our people are awake to all the
Importance of the training OF the f,i-
ture generation, scant will be our need
lot feeling nervous about thies coun.
|try's future.
Here, and as in airy comparatively
new region. our aim must be to de-
velop permanent citizenship What
we are striving for In every way
through the promotion OF irrigation
and every other way is to build up
homes to assist the home-maker We
do not want the man whose aim Ia to
skin the soil to skin everything for
two Or three years and then go away.
What we want Is the man who has
perity that will benefit the children
and the children's children of all Of
us. and that should be our aim in shap-
ing every portion of our government
policy The policy OF utilizing tho
water, the policy of utilizing every
resource that the state and nation
have Ii should all be in the direction
of building up the home or helping
the actual settler who has come to
live on the land, TO cast in his future
with the country. to have his children
grow up as a part Of the people OF the
country He Is the man whom we
went to help. because he is the man
who builds up the state and the ma.
tion.
Believes In the West.
! believe in you believe In you be-
cause ! think you have two sets Of
qualities; the quality of decency, hon
|esty. of fair and square dealing as OF
man TO man: that you possess what we
call virtue. morality, decency. and also
because you possess the rigid virtues,
the rigid qualities which must go to
the makeup Of any masterful people.
The virtue that stays at home In it's
own parlor does not count, not bit
more than the patriotism that will let
some one else fight the battle OF the
day You want n man 20 be patriotic,
but you want him to have the fight
Ing edge. and 20 in citizenship. we
need absolutely as the base, as the
foundation, that the man shall deal
squarely and fairly with his fellow.
II he does not. he is not merely use
less, he is a curse, and there is not q
quality more To be reprobated than
that defined by mere "smartncss," un-
accompanied by moral responsibility.
As to knaves and Fools.
Every one of us knows that smart
man whom fools praise, and | want to
say that 10 the fool. object almost
as much as to the knave. and inciden-
tally. you cannot reform him-the man
whom fools praise on the ground that
he Is smart You say, yes: he Is a
crook. yes: he is crooked In business
as In politics. but he Is dreadfully
smart" You have all heard that said
in praise Of some man. The man
praised and the man who praises him
are both worthless citizens and
curse to the community, and no com
munity can get on really we'll until II
hunts down successful rascality as
earnestly as il hunts Gown unsucces-
sful rascality.