The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-17
our Legacy From al 81
Century of r. 0neerss

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DR.. Albert Shaw. editor OF the Review
Of Reviews, delivered the annual literary
address on the subject, "Our Legacy
from Century Of Pioneers, He spoke
IN conversational voice. and was lis
tened to With profound attention BY the
large audience. Tho address was gem
orally considered to be u mastery study
OF the present and past tendencies iii
American life. It was clear In style,
philosophical III treatment and forclble
In expression DR.. Shaw said. Nj
I'VE are now n mature country, I've
have been 30 long accustomed to regard
ourselves as a young country and a.
pioneering country that We have not att
tained unto the recognition as a matter
OF national consciousness Of the mean
Ing in synthetic. full way OF great
number OF facts which we recognize ii,
their separate aspects. Tho maturity
does not Imply; however, stngnant or
passive or unchahging condition. For
just tho contrary OF this Is what I think
to be true The pioneer period OF Our
colonizing period. Almost the entire
population Of the United States In the
Revolutionary period dwclt within easy
access to tho seaboard or tho tidal
stream. 1t was after that period that
the movement toward tho West took
on so great volume and SO remarkable
a character from the standpoint Of Amer
lean history and OF the making Of our
national life. In I'LL history We can dis
cover the record OF no better or drawer
people than the men and women who
subdued the American wilderness ia the
period from 1880 to 1885, They prepared
1t to be the home Of millions Of people,
speaking the same language and possess
Ing the same kind OF civilization. and
they left to Americn q noble heritage of
hope. courage and faith. What other
country can you find that has been made
In the same way by the spread OF fami-s
lies across o vast unoccupied territory
In such d manner that they have never
lost their sense OF kinship and have car
ried with them all their ideas and all
that IS essential In the. Institution that
grow out OF their associated life?
Throughout all these changes and migra-s
tons to the West the population re-
nlained homogeneous. The 20 pulatlon
of the different parts OF England are
scarcely at all acquainted with any other
part. IN like manner the people of the
North of France krlows,.ery tile Of those
of tho South OF France. We In America
are literally band OF brothers, spread
" itIl0
across the vast continent, and our char
iacterstics have been formed very largely
in contact with the problems we have
had to solve in this transcontnental
march Of subjugation. We need to keep
constantly In mind the characteristics
of the pioneers. KS II fia
''The effect OF the Civil War In the,
development OF American life was not
altogether destructive It DESTROYED vast
resources and sacrificed hundreds OF
thousands Z of brave men, but It also
awakened such masterfulness such power
of achievement In Its survivors. as the
world has never seen and may again
never experience. They had seen such
stern and terrible reallties-they had
faced danger, carried responsibility and
exercised power under such circum-
stances--that they could not by any;
chance relapse to the mental stature of
ordinary inexperienced men. They must
perforce do great things. Then followed
for two or three decades the grea t move y
51nent west OF the mississippi. The men
who had fought In the war turned their
engineering and directing talent to tho
building OF vast network OF railroads.
h to the opening OF mines and to tho exc
yploitation OF forests. They became the
leaders In our political HE, the captains,
Of our industries and the Napoleons Of.
our finance. They were not always res
fined In their methods Their material
ism was crude and insatiate; but they did
wonderful things and left us many a
sperplexing legacy MS q result OF their
5eagerness and sometimes their lack Of
iscruples. We suddenly awakened to the
fact that this new West had become rich,
and had paid or Europe and the Eastern
States, and wns able not only to capital
zo4its own further development for ITSELF
but was from time to time sending money
by way OF Chicago and St. Louis to New
York. a ,stlii. ME- Il sil Nh
e sAll the conditions Of American pion-
GERS was such as to create a wonderful
spirit Of individuality, independence and |
self direction. Never In the world has
there been anything to equal this dcvel-
5opment Of personality and this capacity
for private and Individual initiative. The
pioneer period having ended, we are left
with some profound >social and economic!
questions which may in their solving
iperplex us. but which need not cause us
deep-seated dnxiety. certainly no pessi
MYSTIC foreboding. The movement towards
the West has ceased !; there Is II more
sdiscernible II movement northward and
southwark. Eastern land that had been
neglected and had become relatively
cheap has d tendency to fall into the
hands OF Western men. Cities and Indus
trial centres have been built up Mt the
expense OF villages and country commu-
Miles There has been o decline OF the
old native popu.atton in New England
and elsewhere. Tho decadence OF once