The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1907-02-21
TRIBUTE 70 !. FRANK voAkUM

Gslvs~sna. Tea. Fcb - Tho w.
csi.g vasig IF NJ Fvank h a'oasuIa
ta Ts-nAa saassa ~ ssfr a9eopos that
TssArn ~Ae-,ssA s.a~ aorssstAins sHarr
Of thIa remark abb. son Of ;sr Lone
Star es;ss ssan is known 20 rsost of
them While mar Is rot a~ssFs
ing ssf acre hofnr ~ Texans fns
Aay achievement Ia The pahlsc bc-
bali o. Tor the discharge of duty
Simply t-~aa@- hc ~ T~saa. IL csrF-
tainiy is f.ay'ng proper hosnar. TO
genius. and ~ nnty \ natural fs.og
nstaon ~ oas Who is native here.
and TO ID. manner born whsn We
take especial pride Ia fho career OF
a mar Who ross from among the
lo~ii.et og our psopi" To the first
raIk among the great developers Of
Industrial rrogr~~-s and financial and
material transactions of The world In
his day
The career of this remarkable
Texan presents to the young man
of the day an object lesson IN life
that is Inspiring because IL shows
that ths e,oaking complain, Of the
man who IL satisfied with the effort
that merely performs the function
airy du.ie. OF position for which
he is paid 10 the effect that there
In no chanc., nowadays for a man
who hasn't pull" is without fonn-
daiion. In fact. It shows what every
I'M bi aaed thinking man knows. that
the world never before so needed
men who can and viii do things.
and that The best positions are seek
ing men capable OF filling them. and
that the doors of opportunity are
as wide open as we're the doors OF
Janus during a Roman war. wait
ing for the right man 10 show his
fitness TO step in and occupy, and
that only the places requiring me-
dium ability are crowded, and that
the young man who strives. studies,
and by his energy, willingness to
work and with strength of charac-
ter to resiet the natural impulse to
seek ease and comfort at slight cost,
has within himself all the pull"
necessary to climb to the top and
occupy the outside seat on the stage
with the driver, where he can direct
and see all that is going on and
have the chief say-so in how things
are managed This is the lesson the
life of Frank Yoakum teaches to
Texas youths
He is native Texan. Mr.. Yoa-
kun was born in Limestone county,
not far from where one Of his latest
railroad acquisitions--the Trinity
& Brazos Valley-crosses his native
county to get into Mexico. The Yoa-
KUN homestead was in the neigh
borhood Of TehaOcana-only pistol
shot, SO to speak. from where old
Fort Parker, the scene of the mas
sacre of the Texans by Comanchef
when Capt Parker and his family
and Reighbors were slain and his
daughter, Cynthia Ann, taken prfs-
oner-she, who was reared as an
Indian, became fhe wife Of the noted
chief, Naconag and the mother of
Quanah Parker. the present Com
anch chief ~
Mr.. Yoahum was educated at the
Tehaucana University, the Presbyte-
rian (Cumberiand) college of Texas.
now at Waxahachie. His father was
one OF It's founders and chief sup
porters. Mr.. Yoakum's father and
mother were Of that Scotch Welch
strain who become the builders and
rulers of empires and rear states
men. His uneie, the late DR.. Hen
derson Yoakum, was the author of
"Yoakum's History of Texas" a
work that has never been surpassed
for depth. scholarship. research and
style by any historian of modern
times The Bancrofts declared 1t
one of the most valuable-the Alpha
and Omega --cOnoerning Spanish rec
ords and history in American let
ters.
| simply mention these facts TO
show from what sturdy, detcrmin-
ed. masterfui family Frank Yoakum
came. He has always been Il pro-
jector and reader. He has always
been thorough in everything he has
undertaken.
After comprising his college course
young Yoakam sold nursery trees.
some Of his family having n large
nursery near Tyler The first work
of any and he ever did ON rail
road WAS during the construction of
the International tno~ the lnterna-
tional A. Great Northern road. The
future railroad mgsnato worked I'm
constructing this road because of the
extra pay offered In order "a secure
some antscing honas.'s about tn lapse
In gotting into Palestine This was
about 1879. ~hon he Nas q mere
youth FOR be is not over 90 or ~
now. I believe The late Rev. Or
& a. Yaunx Saa Al the head NJ the