The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-08-27

riety Of good qualities than was need.
ed on the frontier. There Is need Mt
present to encourage the development
of new abilities which can be brought
to high perfection only by kind of
training useless In pioneer times. but
these new qualities can only supple
ment and never supplant the old.
homely virtues: the need for the spe-
cial and distinctive pioneer virtues is
as great us ever.
In other words. rs our civilization
grows older and more complex. while
1t is true that we need new forms of
trained ability and need to develop
men whose lives IRE devoted wholly to
the pursuit Of special objects. it is yet
also true that we need greater and
not less development Of the funda.
mental frontier virtues.
These virtues include the power Of
self help. together with the power of
Joining with others for mutual help
and. what is especially important. the
feeling Of comradeshlp, of social good
fellowship. Any man who had the
good fortune to live among the old
frontier conditions must In looking
back realize how Vital was this feeling
Of general comradeship and social fel.
lowship.
There were good men and bad men
in the new communities Just as In the
old communities. and the conditions
on the frontier were such that the
qualities of the good aud bad alike
were rather more striliingly manifest.
cd than in older communities. but
among the men who tried to lead hard
working. decent lives there was feel.
ing Of genuine democracy. which rep.
resented an approach to the American
ideal which we certainly should do
everything In our power to preserve.
We did not try to say that men were
equal when they were not equal. but
we did our best 10 secure something
like an equality of opportunity and an
equality Of reward for good service.
and. moreover. each man expected to
be received. and on The whole was re-
ceived wherever he went on. the foot.
ing that his merits warranted.
Now. so far as possible. these quail
ties and the conditions that bring
about these qualities should be kept in
the great states which are growing
out Of the old frontier communities.
We need TO strive for the general So
cial betterment of4he people rs
whole and yet TO encourage individual
liberty and set high.reward on indiyld-
ual initiative up to the point where
they become detrimental to the gen.
eral welfare.
In continually and earnestly striving
for this betterment of social and eco
nomic conditions In our complex In
dustrial civilization we should work
in the old frontier spirit of rugged
strength and courage and yet with the
old frontier spirit of brotheriy com.
radeshlp and good will.
! do not mean that we should refrain
from hating wrong. On the contrary.
l would preach fiery wrath against
wrong. But ! would not preach such
wrath against the wrongdoer save In
those cases where his wrongdoing real.
ly Is due 10 evil moral attributes on
his part and not to a wrong or false
system. of which he is almost rs much
the victim as the beneficiary.
Sometimes wrong represents the
deliberate wickcdncss of. the wrong
door. In which case the remedy is to
punish him. but sometimes 1t repre-
sents the effects of false social sys-
ten. In which case the right course is
to alter what is false In the system.
Both principles need to be kept in
view as guides to our conduct. and It
is necessary sometimes to work In nc
cordance with one and sometimes in
accordance with the other.
Before ending / wish to say word
on something which. believe. should
especially interest all men who live In
the open country, aud especially all
men who during the past thirty years
have lived and worked on ranches or
have done their life work In the wilder
parts of our land. on the great plains
or among the mountains
The phase Of our national life In
which the stockman.. the mining pros
pector. the frontier farmer and their
associates were the chief characters
was not only an important. but also
very picturesque phase.
Often such n phase passes without
any great artist arising to commem.
oratc 1t. The old time backwoodsman.
for instance. the man OF the back. coun.
try. who lived In the eastern forests,
through which the waters ran east.
ward TO the Atlantic and westward to
the Mississippi. passed away without
any painter or sculptor arising who
possessed at once both the keenness of
vision to see what vital and pic.
turesQue figure the backwoodsman was
and the genius adequately to present
that figure.
Monument For Remington.
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