The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-09

gathered peaches in this very orchard |
that would average ten and eleven inches |
in circumference"
Naturally / was incredulous at this |
statement, but did not think it policy to
show my disbelief. Later inquiries, how
ever, convinced me that it was the exact
truth, and that the farmer spoke without
the slightest exaggeration. Truly Okla
homa has justification for the claim that
1t is the garden spot of the world.
1t Is this wonderful productiveness OF !
the SOIL combined with the delightful
climate, that is bringing settlers into
this country at the rate of 5000 or more a
month. For those who wish to farm there
is land enough and at prices that seem
ridiculously low to the man accustomed
L to land prices in the agricultural states
of the West and North. The investor is
also very much in evidence here. Many
men of means have bought lands which
they lease out to men who have not had
the means wherewth to buy, taking their
ray in percentage of the crop. This IS
| good thing for the investor as we'll as
for the poor man, as the former IN two or
three years will have received back the
entire amount of his investment, while.
the latter will have made enough to buy
| for himself. @.-.. .'~I
Poor Men Almost Unknown.
| But talking of poor men, there are no
| poor men in Oklahoma in the sense in
which the term is used in the North, be-
! cause any man with the will and ability
| to work can always obtain employment.
| Artisans of all kinds are in constant de-
mand. Blacksmiths, carpenters, masons,
etc., find as much or more work as they
can attend to-, while unskilled labor finds
ample employment on the farms.
AS an illustration Of this point, the
county commissioners of Comanche
county have been contemplating the buy
ing Of land and the establishment of a
poor farm, but the project is meeting
| with great opposition. 1t is claimed that
there are not enough paupers in the coun-
ty to make it necessary and that If one
were established it would be made a
| dumping ground for paupers from other
| counties.
But to get away from the subject of
poor men and money making. 1t must
not be taken for granted that the entire
| activities Of men In Oklahoma and the
Indian Territory are devoted to the &C
QUESTION Of wealth. They find time down
here for the cultivation of the moral and
| intellectual side Of existence as we'll as
| the material, and pursue it with the same
intensity Of purpose. The school system
of Oklahoma will compare favorably with
| that of any state in the Union The
citizens take justif1able pride in educa-
ton and from the very beginning of the
territory have fostered and extended the
system. 1t is the same with religion,
and handsome edif1ces Of nearly all the
| denominations can be found in all the
larger cities and scattered about the
| smaller towns.
Indians Seek Knowledge.
Even the Indians have become imbued
with the thirst for knowledge, and while
in the Indian Territory the majority of
them are excellently educat ted, that is not
the rule in Oklahoma. The other day a
full blood walked into bookstore here
and asked for history of the United
States. The proprietor felt some natural
curiosity to know what the Indian wanted
with the book and asked him the ques-
tIon.
Going to be heap big state here
, some day." was the reply Of Lo, land In
dian want to read up on history like white
man.
! While Oklahoma has not as yet gone
very heavily into the sheep raising in
dustry, yet some parts Of the territory are
, excellently adapted to this industry, and
a good start has been made. Eastern
, Payne county is said to be filling up quite
, rapidly with herds, and the farmers claim
to be making especially good money. A
number Of expert sheep raisers from other
states have been down here to look over
the field, and their general opinion is
, that in time Oklahoma wool will rank
. | with the choicest heeces produced In the
. country.
journalism in the Territory.
> Journalism in Oklahoma is we'll estab-
lished and we'll patronized. Every town
of any consequence has its paper, while
4 | the larger cities have a varying mum.
q Der. There are none Of the cruditie:
. about journalism that one might expec'
S in new country; nothing of the "wilt
:, and woolly West spirit, but the paper!
h are generally conducted with ability ant
e with an intense spirit of local pride.
= Over In the territory the same higl
y plane is noted about the local press, AM
d everywhere there seems to be disposi
+ ton to take a cheerful and humorous
o view Of local happenings. In the inter
e walls of his arduous iabors the editor o
the Holdenville Gnd. TERI Tribune tn
other day dashed off the following:
How'd you like to be the editor AM
- in the sanctum roost, and skim throug]
s old exchanges and write for Jones
% boost; and give Young Sport calm
=, down, Old 'Skads a ripping up, describ
e Miss Dash's new silk gown and pra1s
Bill Sykes bull pup? To take in tire
- old dollars and pay out sixteen mort
, to scheme to make two dollars do tn
= work of more than four; to clip and past
,, anu sweat anu swear, duu III yOul pdut
y. big holes to wear; to cuss your luck an
- write hot stuff, be slow to anger quic
~ to bluff, dun old subscribers, ne'er &c
- blue, go chase up news at Z: 02? I thin
4 it is just lovely, and so, no doubt, d
"a you(O"
- Another Indian territory paper, tn
" Marble City Enterprise, hearing that
u brother editor had become involved in
little unpleasantness, made the follow
ing genial comment upon it:
"a 1--WE see by the papers that our oil
~ friend Casey, of the Oktaha American
- has had the misfortune to come in cor
tact with a school teacher of Gambia
., istic tendencies to such an extent thu
~ ~ he attempted to make square mel
- out of the editor. The school teache
a. should lose his job forthwith for di
!: playing such an appetite. 1t is dire
=. insult to every meat man in the city"
II Here is another little extract from tt
% Vinita Chieftain: -.- ..,,s
e "a gentleman who had been down
u, Claremore the other day says that Il
~ radium water has such effect on the XII
rs neys that when person dies down the
. ~ they have to take their kidneys out al
- kill them with a club
81 For humorous and grotesque exagge
IS alton Mark Twain seldom wrote anythtl
~ better.
re
he OKL AH0MA'S RAINFALL