The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-11-26


| nal is only Il small part of the bun
dreds of miles of inland waterway over
which today great fleets of ships
| crowded with passengers and millions
of tons of freight are annually carried.
| Then study your vast Mississippi
water system The recent trip of the
| president of the United States down
this river visiting the great cities
which line It's banks has illustrated for
| the public mind what this river and Its
| tributaries mean to us as nation
What would Vicksb,trg and Cairo and
Memphis and St. Louis and Kansas
City and Keokuk and Davenport and
st. Paul and Louisville and Cincinnati
and Wheeling and Pittsburg do with
out this vast system of Mississippi wa
terways? This river and its tributaries
| founded these cities as the Michigan
lake made Chicago. That river Is one
Of the great arteries carrying the life
blood Of our nation.
The Coast Waterways.
Then open your map again ana study
the vast waterway system of our coast
fronts. What today puts Maine In
commercial touch with Texas and fills
the factories of the Merrimac with cot
ton from New Orleans and Mobile bay7
The railroads. No; it Is the steam
boat. why are the harbors of the
Golden Gate and San Pedro crowded
with lumber boats? Because Oregon
and Washington states and California
are one by the pathways Of the seas
And. though the United States govern
ment is to spend over $30O,0OO,O0O to
bring New York and San Francisco
nearer by cutting the isthmus of Fana-
ma In two yet 1t Is worth all the cost,
for where we transport by water the
business men and farmers have their
expenses reduced to minimum. Then
cities and towns will not only Increase
in the west, but there will be more
goods to be made, more oranges to be
grown, more prosperity everywhere.
Thank God for the rivers and the lakes
and the ocean highways, which have
SO helped by their transportation OPP
portunities to make our national pros
perity what 1t Is.
Again, let us thank God for the At
lantlc ocean, which Is on the oot Of us,
and the Pacific ocean, which Is on the
west of US, which separate us from all
the entanglements Of European politics
and from the Asiatic ENVIRONMENTS of
international jealousies and contests.
1t was the custom Of the ancient earls
to surround their castles with moats
filed with water. At night the draw
bridge would be lifted, the castle gates
closed, and the inmates were prac-
tically safe from any attacking foe
Well, God has done for us as nation
what the earl did for his castle. lie
has placed moat three thousand miles
wide on the east of us, which we call
the Atlantic. He has placed rnoat
more than ten thousand miles wide on
the west Of us, which we call the Pa
cif1c. And In military or naval par
lance these meats are practically I'm
passable. Our nation Is not SO much
protected by the guns Of its warships
and the Notifications of its harbors as
by the immense masses of water thai
separate us from an invading foe. IT'S
true we must have a navy. 1t is also
true we must have the skeleton Of ar
army. But the greatest guarantee Of
the future Of the United States govern
lnent Is not our war guns or our coas
Notifications. but these immense bodies
, Of water surrounding us on the cas-
and west. Now TINT we are soon tt
, have the Panama canal marry the tive
seas no foreign nation on earth coult
successfully invade us. We may de
stroy ourselves. but we can never b.
destroyed by foreign foe. Thanh
God for the waters that create our ma
tional properties. Thank God als'
, for the waters which defend us from
foreign foes.
Water In the Deserts.
Lastly, thank God not only fo
, | what he has done for this country b,
the power of water. but also for wha
he Ia going to do by the same power
II you have ever Travelled across on
| continent, you have gone days ant
; days through what are called our des
: erts. Those are not deserts of SAM
q like the Sahara. They are deserts tina
: will prove to be the finest and riches
9 Of soil II we only irrigate them ant
bring water to them. Let rain fal
upon Arizona soil and within few
!. days that land Is covered with gras
!, and wild flowers as far as the eye cal
: see. No conservatory IL as wondrou
: as that which God plants In the Ar
. coma deserts when the rain falls. A
:. these deserts are soon to be redeemed
!. They are to form some Of the riches
! gardens and farms of the world.
/ was never more impressed wit
this fact than when reading lately a
article by william George shown
= how Australia Is being redeemed by
: system Of artesian wells. Some Q
n those wells have to be sunk more tina
4 two thousand feet. But IL they ar
4 sunk deep enough they always strik
8 water. The vast inland Australia
s. deserts have deep sea Of fresh waite
I. under them. The possibilities OF thos
\ artesian wells may yet make the des
~t~<& INrSrpi