The Mena weekly star., 1913-08-07
A NEIGHBORLY BOOST.

 ing the world for years of our states resources, of her climate, of her never-failing crops, of her min eral, her forests her rainfall, her wonderful springs We have point ed to the fact that she was a state where the industrious man of small capital could get foOt-hold and could make good, and could es- tablish and own a home all his own.
 We have, as well, stated that this was not state for the man who would farm a thousand or ten thou sand acres. using hired hands whose life was little less than peonage to pile up his profits-and we're glad of it.
 But in all the things written about our state by our own writers, we do not call to mind single ar ticle of the same length that has said as much in a few words and said it better than has been done by the Oklahoman, Oklahoma City's leading newspaper. Read it care fully and see if you do not have kinder spirit toward our neighbor and a little higher regard for your state:
 Arkansas has often been spoken of in terms that don't border on flatlery Some wonderful tales have originated about Arkansas, said tales having been designed to provoke merriment at the expense of the good state adjoining Okla homa on the east The Arkansas Traveller has been used as a joyous subject But-lets look at the rec ord and see if Arkansas is not THE state which is one that should be admired. initiated and eulosized
 In past years-in any one of the past years, during the trying days of midsummer. when many western states were in despair when drOuth stalked about, and men looked anX- ious for signs of rain, Arkansas was crying for help and still more help to harvest the bounteous crops!
 Did anyone ever hear of crop failures in Arkansas? Of course not, for, while the jokers were busy creating new stories with Arkansas as the butt, that remarkable state was busy shipping fruit to northern markets to furnish the luXuries to communities which had not been able to raise them.
 Again, while northern forests were struggling in the tender years of rejuvenation, Arkansas was sup plying northern builders with lum- Der to build homes; yet Arkansas was not robbing the forests, but was sensibly cutting timber and raising more, to always have a sup ply of building materials to ship to communities less fortunate.
 Rich in minerals, Arkansas sends carloads of the wealth from under the ground to those pOverty-strick- en mineral states that have eX- hausted their mines and are forced to seek the Arkansas section for supplies.
 "Who knows how many aims houses there are in Arkansas? Here is an institution that is scarce in Arkansas, for Arkansas people are not extremely rich, and therefore the state has few poor people. Ever fal.a bax x-G awful poverty travelling in it: wake?
 And the Arkansas people are contenled. They know full well that they have a resourcerul state They know that they have advant- ages which far surpass those o1 many other states.
 Quit laughin' at Arkansas.
 For Arkansas will surprise you if you take the trouble to inquire about the rainfall in that state, the sureness of crops, the wonderful advancement which has been made in growing fruit, development of the live stock industry, wherein the razorback hog has been supplanteC by pure bred Poland Chinas anC Durocs that win prizes over some of the hogs in states that boast oi hog production and the converting of wilderness into farms whict compare with many of the state, which claim worlds records.
 Arkansas, right now. is on the eve of a great development of a na- ture that will surprise the nation The people of Arkansas were no. quite as aggressive in telling of thC wonders of their staje as some ot the residents of other common wealths have been, but the people of Arkansas are doing il now, have the records to support their claims and the progress which will bC made in Arkansas in all ines Cf ac- complishment will make the Arkan- sas history of the next decade read much like a tale of Aladdin"
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