The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-04-28

probably no section anywhere
even this country where cities spring
up in a day, so to speak, has made
the rapid advance that has been made
in this state. Particularly is this
true of the portion of Oklahoma in
which we live. Within the memory
of all of us, of many of the younger
of the native born, this section was
given over to the vast herds of the
cattle kings or to the original tribes
men. The boundless plains remained
undisturbed by the hand of the hus-
bandman and the soil of unsurpass $
ed richness was given only such de-
sultory cultivation as the aborigines
or the nomadic "squatter" saw TT in
to give. Today there is not any
where in the union a state that can
show the same area of high class cul-
tivatiOn that Oklahoma can. Where
80 years ago that cactus and the wild
flowers bloomed undisturbed by the
hand OF the farmer and the prairie
dog played hide and seek with the
rattle snake and the tarantula, today
will be found the field of waving
grain while the shack of the wander
ing squatter is replaced by the cozy
home OF Independence.
XxvtII Yy;anh~, o,oo -ro.o 80 %
tile fields pr Missouri the words,
Here with tomahawk and spear the
Indian chased the painting deer and
said OF the famous Lovers Lane"
near 81. Joseph, that Here beneath
the forest wide the warrior wOoed
his dusky bride" With the language
of the master Of the Kings English
for which he was noted this brilliant
writer carried his readers from the
days OF the present back 20 the time
when the Wyandottes and their more
warlike brothers the Osages, roam
ed at will across the fair land of
the middle west from the Mississip-
pi westward; from the days of the
Delawares with their loves and hates
and traditions to the entrance upon
the scene OF the first paleface stran-
ger who came with De Soto only to
pass onward into the land OF the set
ting sun; from the days Of the pass
dng through Of the high born Spanish
spoiler through the succeeding days
and times when his coming had be
come only tradition among the hun
ters Of the tribesmen-a memory with
the older ones and a dream with the
youngest Step by step the brilliant
writer takes those living In the pres
ent through the shifting scenes OF
the building Of the country from the
plains with the roaming herds Of buff
falo to the day OF the fertile fields
and hustling towns and cities. II the
gifted man could with his facile pen,
hold enthralled all who were so for
tunate as to know him or to read his
writings, in speaking of the century
and q half's progress made in taat
state of Missouri how much better
could he have written with such a
subject for dilation as will be found
today in the bright young state OF
Oklahoma.
No country in the union is so re-
plete with history as this, no other
state can afford the same multiple
ity of subjects upon which he OF
thoughtful mind and gift of express
i've language can entertain a reader
or hold enthralled an audience. From
the days of rowing bands Of tribes
men to the time when the man with
out country and without home came
as the advance RUNNER of the great
white race on to the time of the
great openings with the rush OF set
tiers and home-seekers co-incident
thereto: from that time on through
the rapidly revolving years with their
kaleidescope-likt changes, from the
hardships of the early settlers to the
present time--to the time Of today
with our fertile fields and magnifi-
cent towns and cities teeming with
life and bustling with activity;
through all these years with their
shifting scenes and magic changes
books of facts could be written wich
would read stranger than fiction.
During the days of the civil war
and during the years that Immediately
followed in its wax many scenes of
the typical wild and woody west were
pulled off in this country. But the
cattle rustler of ftw years ago
has passed with the hoid-ups Of the
old stagecoach days and all that is