Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1912-03-12
THE OLD COLUMN

Weekly contains an eloquent
tribute to the pioneers of the
Pacific Coast, written by Judge C.
C. Goodwin. 1t raises the curtain
Of the past and gives US glimpse
into the character of the men
that laid the foundations of this
Western empire. 1t follows:
Once week, as l recall some
old name and this characteristic
assume distinctive forms before
me, it is joy 10 make hasty
record of them. ......
But today they come in COM
panies, come with the cid elastic
steps, the joyous faces, until the
air around me is filled with echoes
of their voices and the old day
laughter and the air is warmer
because of their smiles. For the
smiles were lighted from the fires
of youth which fires have perfect
combustion leaving no dross upon
the earth, making no faint upon
the air.
Somehow they seemed to be
borne up with a belief that while
it was true that other generations
of men, have lived out their span
and gone into silence; it was going
to be different with them: that
they had found the long-looked-
for Ponce de Leon spring, the
waters Of which were to restore
the waste of nature, the attritions
of old age. the assaults of disease
that each night was to bring them
undisturbed rest, and that each
succeeding morning would find
them perfectly restored to hail the
day as joyously as the lark and
with no more apprehensions of
evil.
At least they lived that way.
There was no work that could
abash them; no risk they were not
ready to assume; no danger that
appeared in their path could daunt
them or turn them aside, and
when a CALI came upon their
charities, the thought was, why
should We not respond generously,
for have we not undated strength
to create more?"
When some one overborne. fell
out of the ranks ard grew still.
that mattered not. The explana-
tion was that he always had been
delicate or that he had never taken
care of himself, or if all the usual
Explanations failed, it was said
that he was "out of luck" and
then some primitive philosopher OF
the company would deliver an ad.
dress and prove to a demonstration
that luck as a force in the world
which could no more be fought
back than measles or whooping
cough. And some near friend
would explain that the ancient
belief that the Fates watched which
thread Of life to sever with their
scissors, and what they did when
man became so much better
than his fellows that their reckless
ways gave him pain was to
mercifully bring peace to him, and
So the death of such a man was not
an event to weep over, but rather
to chant a farewell joy strophe
above to be to him a lullaby for
the long sleep.
| When from the outside world
leraned and accomplished gentle
men came among the band, and
meaning to be genial and pleasant
guests talked down to the band,
it always seemed to me pity that
nc voice from the subconscious
intellects of those guests could not
bisper to them to go slow; that
they did not know their audiences:
for who among the learned in
books and those who have worn
soft raiment all their days, can
comprehend what it is for thought.
full men to take their post graduate
course in that great university,
the faculty of which is made up Of
the ocean waves that break at the