The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-11-26
WESTERN GAMBIA AS SEEN by !.
NOTED WRITER


Emerson Hough the celebatesi
novelist, who made a somewhat ex-
tended trip through Western Eonada
during the past summer. grows en-
lthusiastic In his description or The
Last Best West, which comprises the
Povinces OF Manitoba. Saskatchewan
and Alberta. as al other writers who
have visited that great country. To
extract from what he said we finlI
the following:
That black stri? across the land
lscapeit was not the shadow OF III
passing cloud. but the record Of al
plough! These yellow gray bands
were the fields of stubble already
ireaped. These other bands OF green,
of pale yellow. Of deep bright yellow,
they We're the fields of what. among
which the binders were vet to do
Itheir work! The centuries-old soil
was finding its first upturned expos
lure to the sun. Surely the plough
had come. There Is no more thrilling
experience than. this. in seeing the an
cient wilderness just passing into the
first loose fingers of civilized mans
Occupation.
Here was the wheat. crowding up
to the trail high as the wagon seats as
we drove though. At the edge of u
grumbiing COW mans unowned but
long occupied range we reached down
and plucked Off ripe wheat In hands,
lful, crumpling out into the palm the
fun ears of triple-rowed kernels. mag
niticent grain. the food which the
world must 1ave-that grain upon
which the whole civilization OF tine
earth seems so strangely to depend;
for, when the wheat has come. civili-
cation has taken hold OF the land
never again to loose Its grasp. One
who loves the open air and the wild
world cannot suppress sigh Of
regret at the first thought of the pass
ing plains. at he tohught of the dead
romance OF the rancher; but none the
less, there must come the sober
Thought that the wilderness Of this
world. as we'll as the scant fields of
the older world. belong to the world
land the worlds peoples. 4
Extended personal inquiry In the
.Icourse OF a long journey failed to
discover one farmer who homsick or
ldtscontented. or who declared that he
was going back to old England or the
4 States. Without exception they de-
cleared that they were not only cor
tented, but prosperous. In most cases
their one or two crops had given
them their lands and their first farm
stead buildings or rude comfort, at
least, fully paid for; and this land
was their own. No basement lie for
affl Lars. IN
no rack rents, no struggle with a
Worn. exhausted soil; no cap-touching
to a so-called superior class. Here
was a different field for humanity il
there any difficulty in predicting the
difference between the product OF
such fields and those of the .pent and
huddled East
| 1T was a fascinating sight. this
middle land between the old and the
new. Most fascinating of all was the
air of hope and confidence. Some
thing set the blood tingling in the
veins. No one here spoke of despair
or encouragement. These men made
no repining at their lot as frontier
farmers. Their sole and engrossing
concern was the question of means OF
getting out their wheat to the market
for even in Western Canada farm
ing has run in advance of transporta.
tion.
/ In such regions as this one still
travels as one likes across country.
paying no attendtion to roads. rudely
ploughed along the section lines, in
some case. near the railroads, fairly
well worked. The time OF the main
Travelled road is passing rapidly. even
in Canada. Soon the fences will
come along the highways. and all
travel vii follow the lines bounding
artificial rstcangles. Exulting in our
liberty. for the most part our party
continued to travel direct toward a
destination. We still held to the
prairiers; and still on every side Of
us was wheat. wheat, wheat!'