The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-06-16

ed because they were weak, but strong
men, who stood for the right, and
fighting failed to win. and preferring
fight to bondage steered for the open
went: strong men who preferred jus.
tee, freedom and independence to com.
fort, silence and inactlon; strong men,
who. fndingpower and wealth heredi-
tary in the older communities longeI
for a fair fight with no favors. To al.
of these the west has been a foster
mother. "The wanderers OF enrtl
turned to aer-outcast Of the Older
lands-with promise and hope III
their pleading, and she reached taem
plying hands:
And she cried to the old-World cities
that browse by the Eastern
main;
send me your weary house worn
brools and I'll send you MEN
again"
10, here in my wind swept reaches by
my marsnalled peaks OF snow,
Is room for a larger reapIng than your
certified fields can grow.
Seed OF the main seed spring to stat
ure and strength in my sun
Free with llmitless freedom no bat
ties of men have won"
"For men, like the grains Of the corn
field, grow small in the huddIed
crowd,
And weak for the breath of spaces
where a soul may speak aloud;
For hills like stairways to heayen,
shaming the level track,
And sick with the clang Of pavements
and the marts OF the trafficliing
pack.
Greatness Is born of greatness and
breadth OF a breadth profound;
The old Antean fable of strength re.
neHed from the gFoHHH
Was human truth for the ages; since
the hour of the Eden birth
That man among men was the strong.
est who stood with his feet on
the eartn."
If there is left to-day within the boz.
ders Of tae United States, a western
frontier, It is not on the Pacific Coast,
but it lies in the great interior basin,
between the Rocky and Sierra Nevada
mountains. This region was ignored
by the early argonauts. That grea.
wave OF population, however. dashed
itself against the shores Of the Pacific
ocean and is now being reflected back
into this region. Most Of the success.
full enterprises OF this district are
now managed by men schooled twenty
or thirty years ago in the Pacific Slope
frontier,
This inter-mountain plateau from
Canada to Mexico furnishes to-day a
combination of opportunities for lard,
ship, service and success not equallel
elsewhere within our borders. There
is to be found repeated here the CO
lonlal romance of hundred years ago
The frontier with its scattered popnla'
ton. It's wild untrolden wilderness, It's
primitive joys, and dangers, remain in
many localities, and on It's wide pia,
teaus still. linger the horsemen and
cowboy, the last romantic figures on
our soil.
The colonist in this region does not
need to fight back the hostile Indian
nor clear away the forest, but ne has
to face work as difficult and dangers
no less real. To reclaim the desertt
and drive out the alkali, requires moro
unified effort and intelligent foresight
than to clear a forest or build an In
dian fort. The Individual, working
single.handed, is helpless. It requires
great storage reservoirs for the con-
seryation, and long, expensive bitches
for the delivery OF the water. The
skill Of the scientist must be secured
to test the soil and prescribe !res:,
ment for the alkali. To those with
the patience to wait results, and a ma.
tive capacity for hard work, this field
i promises large returns.
The conditions imposed by success
are always severe; here on the west
ern frontier they are doubly exactlng.
If you are weak and need help, remain
where relatives and friends are stand
ing so close that there is no room to
fall; If you are strong come out into
the open when there is room to grow.
Leave the paths, trodden bare Of any
experience that could stir the blood,
or thrill the Imagination, and respond
to the call to duty where duty II diff
cult and dangerous. If you are strong,
go alone into the thick Of the fight
where you are responsible for you.
own head, and yours alone. and where
you can strike with an unfettered arm.
To the vigorous and aggressive, the
mining camps, the lumber mills, the
rugged mountains and tae deserts cali