Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-06-03


asked favor of no man; fear of no one
did we feel Elizabeth has in her time
slept on a bed of husks. She has
cooked at sooty fireplace of her
own; and at her cabin door l myself
have been the guard. We made our
way by ourselves and for ourselves, as
did those who conquered America for
our flag. The citizen standing in the
doorway of his home shall save the
Republic" So wrote later pen.
1t was not until long after the dis
covery of gold in California had set us
all to thinking that 1 was reminded
of the strange story of the old Ger
man, Won Rfttenhofen, of finding some
pieces of gold while on one of his
hunts for butterflies. 1 followed out
his vague directions as best 1 might
We found gold enough to make us
rich without our land. That claim is
staked legally. Half of it awaits an
owner who perhaps will never come.
There are those who will accept al
ways the solemn reservations of pol
iticians, who by word of mouth or pen
assert that this or that party made
our country wrote its history. Such
as they might smile If told that not
even men, much less politicians, have
any who smile at woman's influence in
American history do so in ignorance
of the truth Mr. Webster and Lord
Ashburton have credit for deternin-
ing our boundary on the northeast
England called it Ashburton's capitu-
lation to the Yankee. Did you never
hear the other gossip? England laid
all that to Ashburton'S American wifei
Look at that poor, hot-tempered davil,
Yrujo minister from Spain with us,
who saw his kings holdings on this
| continent juggled from hand to hand
between us all. His wife was daugh-
ter of Gov Mexican of Pennsylvania
] yonder. If she had no influence with
| her husband, so much the worse for
| her. In important times a generation
ago M Genet, of France, as all know,
was the husband of the daughter of
| Gov. Clinton of New York. Did that
| hurt our chances with France? My
Lord Oswald of Great Britain, who ne
gotiated our treaty of peace in 1882
was not his worldly fortune made by
virtue of his American wife? All Of
us should remember that Marbois,
Napoleon's minister, who signed the
| great treaty for him with us, married
| his wife while he was a mere charge
here in Washington; and she, too, was
| an American. Erskine, of England.
when times were strained in 1903, and
later-and our friend for the most
part-was he not also husband of an
American? 1t was as John Calhoun
said-our history, like that of England
and France, like, that of Rome and
Troy, was made in large part by
| women.
Of that strange woman, Helena, Bar
oness Won Ritz, 1 have never definitely
| heard since then. But all of US have
| heard of that great uplift of central
/ Europe, that ferment of revolution,
most noticeable in Germany, in 1S4S.
Out of that revolutionary spirit there
! came to us thousands and thousands
of our best population, the sturdiest
and the most nberty-loving citizens
this country ever had. They gave us
scores of generals in our late war, and
gave US at least one cabinet officer.
But whence came that spirit of revolu-
ton in Europe? Why does it live,
grow, increase, even now? Why does
| it sound now, close to the Oldest
thrones? Where originated that germ
of liberty which did its work so well?
am at least one who believes that
could guess something of its source
The revolution in Hungary failed
for the time Kossuth came to see
us with pleas that we might aid Hun
gary. But republics forget We gave
no aid to Hungary. / was far away
and did not meet Kossuth. 1 should
! have been glad to question him. I did
not forget Helena Won Ritz. nor doubt
that she worked out in full that
strange destiny for which, indeed, she
was born and prepared, to which she
devoted herself, made clean by sacrf
flee. She was not one to leave her
work undone She, 1 know, passed on
her torch of principle.
Elizabeth and 1 speak often OF
Helena Won Ritz. l remember he1
stilI-brilliant, beautiful, fascinating
compelling, pathetic, tragic If it was
asked of her, 1 know that she still
paid 1T gladly-all that sacrifice
through which alone there can be
worked out the progress of humanity
under that idea which blfndly we at
tempted to express in our Declare
ton; that idea which at times we may
forget, but which eventually must tri
umph for the good of all the world
She helped US make our map Shall
not that for which she stood help Us
hold it?
At least, let me say, have though
this little story might be set down
and, though some to-day may smile a
flags and principles, 1 should like. If
may be allowed, to close with the
words of yet another man of those