The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1906-07-19

anu pOSUeT1bV reauS anu rGC1U6S With
pride and reverence the mastery ora
ton he made there. But, my friends,
I want to say to you that no painter
has ever been gifted enough to trans
fer to anvas a scene like this. No
orator, tho he be master of all the yo-
cabulary of all languages taught and
used by the human race, can ever
depict truthfully the beauties of this
landscape which lies before you this
morning. Poets, painters, sculptors,
and orators have sung for ages of the
beauties of the handiwork of God, but
when brought face to face with the
original work they pale into insig-|
%niicance. Feeble, indeed, are the
puny efforts of man when compared
with the wonderful and mysterious
works of nature. TO prove this, be-
hold this cut and polished jewel that
lies here at your feet-behold it's mag
n~ificent setting. 1t is true that these
stately forests of hardwood and pine
that once stood here have been raw
aged and desecrated by the hand of
man. But the lake, dear old Cotton
lake, remains untouched, and today
her sparkling waters give back to you
and me the same smiling welcome that
she gave to her creator on the morn
ing of her birth. No jewel ever graced
the crown of king or potentate half SO
fair. 1t would seem to me that the
great creator of heaven and earth,
having finished the world and being
pleased with his work, took from his
crown of precious gems the brightest
jewel and placed it. here as a fitting
climax to the wonders he had wrought.
My friends, this is a momentous oc-
casion that brings us together here.
When n pauses to consider the fact
that in all the ages that have passed
the bosom of this placid lake has
never been touched by PROV or keel
save the rude dugout Of the naked red
man in pursuit of the wounded deer or
in search of the fnny tribe. After him
came these hardy pioneers, with their
rude homemade fishing boats. But to-
day marks the dawn of a new era at
Cotton Lake. Let us consider what
place in the history and development
of the world the art of navigation and
boat building occupies. In my opin-
ion it stands first and foremost as the
forerunner of civilization. Beginning
with the earliest history Of mankind
we find it was the first and only means
of transportation and communication.
The Phoenecians explored the shores
of the Mediterranean in their rude
: boats and opened trade and commerce
with Europe; the hardy Norsk roamed
over the seas, discovering islands and
continents: Columbus turned the prov
of the immortal Santa Marie westward
and discovered a new world. The
hardy pioneers, Lewis and Clark, in
1902 made their wonderful journey
across the continent by traversing
lake and river in boats, and brought
back to the government of the United
States the first authentic account of
the wonderful magnitude and rich
ness OF the Louisiana purchase. Be
ginning with the dugout hewed with
axes of stone, the fertile and ingeni-
Gus brain of man has improved upon
the original design until we have be-
fore US today the latest and highest
type of his inventive genius. Here in
this beautiful launch we have the EN-
bodiment Of all the skill, all the in
v%entive genius, all the learning Of all
the ages.
Gentlemen of the Hope Boat and
Outing club | congratulate you on
the enterprise, courage and zeal with
which you have overcome all obstacles
and carried to a successful conclusion
this enterprise. In my opinion this
but marks the beginning. Giving nv
imagination free rein, letting it run
foot loose and fancy free, 1 can see in
the far distant future the shores of
this beautiful lake dotted with cot
tages: on its bosom will float not one
but many crafts like ours: yonder
island is today and will be for all
time the mecca of every fisherman
from Hope. And may the members of
this club live long and enjoy to the
fullest extent the opportunity here pre-
sented. For some wise philosopher
has said that when we die we shall be
a long time dead.
L.. A. Jacobson then made a
few general remarks as follows:
Mr.. President, members of the Hope
Boat and Outing club, Messrs. Bull
and Stems and families: To meet YOU
all here on the banks of this beauti-
full lake-this oasis in the
tive wilds of northen Minnesota-is a
pleasure to me that words fail to de-
scribe. The days I have lived in an
ticipatiOn of this occasion are Int as