Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-02-10

Of invention, Of progress, of civilization that
"a fast crushing out the last vestige Of the
primitive and adding each day new chapters
10 its own marvellous achievements 1t seems
Ike fitting decree of fate that the Oldest
and most romantic Of all the industries of
man, with the exception of his earliest fight
for food, should be the last to die There is
something of pathos in it, especially when it
Is pointed out to one as it was pointed out
to me by Lord Stratbcona and Mount Royal,
bead Of the great Hudson's Bay Company.
who said. "The last chapter in the romance
Of fur Is being written. II has been a glor-
Ious stcry-a glorious story"
For three thousand years the peIts of wild
beasts have played their part in the lives of
men. For the last ten centuries fur has
played an important part in history. II has
held out the lure of romance-of adventure
and gold. II has caused wars, and has led
70 the discovery of new lands. Fur hunters
have done more exploring than any other one
class Of men. 1t was the beaver that lured
men from the st. Lawrence to the Mississippi
and thence to the Rockies. opening up con-
unent It was the sable that drew the tribes
men OF Asiatic Russia across to far Kam-
cnatka, and the sea otter that led the Span-
isn and the English all around the world In
Crazy craft, and gave us our first knowledge
Of the Pacific coast from Alaska to California
When away back In 1870 wandering and
adventurous Frenchman by the name of Crosse.
hr fired Prince Rupert's imagination with
glowing tales of a land flied with priceless
nrs and little company was formed with a
capital OF $4,000. he did not dream that his
VIC project meant the opening up of a coun-
~ almost as large as the whole of Europe
and the beginning Of an adventure which was
onfr rfao IA
company Of gentleman adventurers" who
fosmed what is today the Hudsons Bay com.
pany the greatest landed corporation ON
earth-something which will remain for all
ume In history as a cenotaph to the tremen-
eoue part which the furred things of forest
ana mountain and sea have played In the
fortunes of men.
LAST year the raw fur industry of the world.
amounted to forty million dollars. Next wear
VII be nfty million, and the year after that
me nsures viii be larger still. Five years ago
Il was less than twenty millions. Yet IN
spite OF these hgures-in the face of the fact
mai the fur-treasure of the world is increas-
nag IN value each year. and will continue to
increase for perhaps another decade. the
mTed things OF the earth are fast becoming
extinct
year ago big London fur buyer whose
amounts to over a million dollars
.anualV said to me, Within another FIVE
,esn only very few people of moderate
means win be buying furs. Only the wealthy
WI be able to AFFORD those furs which ara
eneapest today and even the muskrat. whose
Pe0 sold for Ave and six cents a few wears
aso' VII be priced as a luxury
Zen months did much to verify this fur
oeaiers statements. Within that time raw
Po~ advanced from twenty to one hundred
cent Montreal dealer who purchased
WV muskrat skins at twenty cents per skin
'sar before sold them In London for seven
month later they had gone to eighty.
."o months later they were bringing a dol
IN single season the value of the
=. .aios annual production Of fur leaned from
'.s.wvVOO to over 100000 l had iust
s ,s-s oown nom my last trip to the Barren
~ "nere had spent eight weeks among
49,. ~ northern fox hunters. when word was
- nom post to post and from trapper to
..- ve' throughout hundreds Of thousands of
- - miles of Canadian wilderness that a
4, . -a'ne nad struck London and Paris. the
j. ~1'es OF the world. and that from Winni-
~ ottawa. Toronto and Montrea, both The
dependents" and the agents Of the h,s
~, s,aiianies were making fabulous offers for
a.. nln De interesting TO note the conditions
-. ms famine win bring about during the
=. "o OF three years. Millions of women
JET unaware Of what the great fur
~ , nave quoted above describes as the
,ss. mat Is about to explode under their
h.,- y cannot be said however. that they
49,. NOT nad some warning. The woman who
49, 49, mink muff for twenty dollars FIVE
.r,,.s. aso pays sixty for the same grade of
,.ss.S s .ooay; she will pay from seventy 10
9 49, Tor It this coming season-a hundnad
~ more two years from now.
IN, . 80 statements are not made at random
V'V after the closest personal investiga'