Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-04-17
SATURDAY, APRIL II, 1909.
DAM THE DRAWS.
BY. C. HOPPER, NESS CITY.

DEAR F'RIENDS:-One of the
unfortunate things in a mans
life (who works for other people,
is that he cannot always tell just
where he will be- 1t was my
hope and desire to be at this
meeting and to see large and
enthusiastic crowd. Unfortun
ately I am called away. and while
I regret it, YOU may be thank
full.
To my mind the matters to be
discussed at this meeting are
very important. You may not
have become interested in dam
building or the planting of trees,
your faith in the proposition may
not be very strong, if so, wish
I might say something that would
strengthen it. | am sure that
if you have noticed the drift of
the rains the last two years, you
cannot help but admit that some
thing must change conditions
here, or we are to fail as farmers
so far as raising crops are con-
cerned.
The old adage that, Necessity
is the mother of invention"
should be vigorously applied
here, and I am told by scientists
and inventors that before a new
invention is placed before the
public, many models are made,
tried and perhaps failed, but the
inventor had an IDEA, and the
inventor could not rest until the
al nth hi,
cry to set this IDEA in motion.
Likewise in the problems Of sci
ence many times men have been
ready to push their thoughts out
to the world as a scientific fact,
and something would come up to
cause a radical change in the
facts before they were launched
out to the cruel world and float
ed as scientific truths, and many
there are that have lasted for
years before they could be prov
en- deceptive and relegated to the
rear
Just so with the development
of new country 1t must be
tried and tested from all view
points before we can determine
just how we can work to assist
nature and thus develop the nat
ural resources, harness them
and break them for mans use
and benefit For thousands of
years men have been doing just
this thing and we learn that diff
ferent localities require digerent
handling. The emblem of sue
cessful Kansas is: To stars
through difficulties And I
doubt if a single community of
the Great State has reached sue
cess torough any other route.
Certain it is that Western Kan
Sas has had its share of difficult
ties, but | hope these difficulties
will prove a Strengthening pow
er in the end, as does the cruel
wind to the mighty oak
There is at least one thing up
on which we will all agree and
that is, the RESULT to be OBJ
tanned. We might be likened
unto the religions of the world.
All are contending for the same
object but are seeking the end
by different routes. We should
U0ttCn IH0IH d 1eSSO1, we SnOulQ
all travel the same road, work in
harmony as near as we can anu I
am sure the result will be much
easier obtained.
A number have criticised me
on the articles 1 have been writ
ing, not on the results to be OBJ
tained,~ Il have the first man to
meet but what will admit that
the daming of draws and plant
ing of trees will do good but
they contend that I miSstate sci
entific truths. Well, / presume
so, for | am not well posted on
science. i am like the father
was to his son who returned
from college and after the son
had explained some scientific
facts the father replied: THAT
may all be my son, but science
or no science, results seem to
come to me in the same old way. -
So it is in this work, science
may prove that rains go in GER
tain directions, because it is sci