Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-07-08

For, as the heart of childhood,
brings, Something of Eternal Joy
From its own unsounded springs,
Such as life can scarce destroy; So
remindful of the prime, Spirits
wandering to and fro, Prest upon
the resting time, In the Peace of
long ago.
Tombs where lonely love repines,
CHASTITY tenements Of tears, Wear the
look of happy shrines, Through the
golden mist OF years, Death, to
those who trust in good, Vindicates
his hardest blow; Oh! We would
not, if we could, Wake the sleep of
long ago.
DIR. G. II. Fuller had prepared a
short article on the impressions the
pioneer received upon coming tothis
prairie land and upon their hopes
and their realization. Rev. III. w.
futile read
The immigration of Fifty Years Ago.
Or. G. h. Fuller
So much has been published in
the last year in the excellent series Of
papers in The Manchester Press con-
corning early experiences in this
county that had not the courage to
try to add to the peculiar incident of
that life already related, but will try
instead to sketch briefly the impress
sions of an emigrant from the older
and more thickly settled regions of
our country, on his first arrival in
this, at that time, very new section.
The first impression, l think, was
always of the largeness of the country
to one coming from one of the valleys
of billy eastern state. In our first
trip west this was impressed upon us
the first morning we were in Illinois,
as by an accident to the train it was
at daylight standing in the midst OF
an almost perfectly level prairie AS
far as we could see east or west, in
straight line, was the gradually
narrowing ribbon Of the railroad
track, and north and south the level,
fertile ground, with an occasional
low house, corn field OF scattering
tree or small grove, "a veritable sea
ofbounteous vegetable growth blend
ing in the dim distance with the dull
gray horizon OF an October morning,
A more complete contrast tothe val,
leys and hillsides of New England
cannot be imagined.
Perhaps the next idea suggested
was. the Astounding fertility of this
great plain. The east from which we
came had rich soil, but it was in
patches-here choice valley, there a
fertile bunch Of land or hillside moi
steep enough to wash, while between
were gravelly or rocky sections, Oh
ground SO steep thatall the goodness
of the soil had long ago been carried
away by floods. But now we were in
deed in sea of fertility apparently
as boundless almost as the ocean it.
self-whole counties, whole states
with scarcely a waste acre in q
thousand among the vast expanse Of
the prodigal richness ofsthese fertile
plains.
No thoughtful person could fail tc
foresee the wealth sometime to be ac-
culnulated from those boundless
stores. This Notwithstanding the ex
IRENE rawness and crudeness 20
Everything in the lives and surround
ings of the people
OF the products of the soil they
had abundance and were lavish Of
them. A sixteen-foot log cabin Oh
rough board cottage would often set
forth a banquet fit fora prince in
everything except style and to style
the people were Indifferent, SO long
as they had the banquet.
They came from three or fou1
perhaps eight or ten miles as
cheerfully in their lumber wagons
and sunbonnets as their descendants
in their surveys and more fashionable
attire, and ifhorses were not con-
venient they did not scorn the
equally faithful, if not as rapid, team
of oxen.
Butin all their labors and priva-
tons these pioneer settlers had faith
in the future and at leasta partial
vision of the wonderful development
of the present day in wealth, and in
the conveniences, comforts, and re-
finements Of life, which they were
sure would some day result from the
judicious improvement Of the stupen.
dous natural resources around them
Lidderdale and Lsnesboro are bright
| new towns on the Chicago Great West