Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-09-01
PIONEERS HELD SWAY
(contlnued from Page one.l

thoughtful and fascinating to the
audience, which was held in wrap
attention from the first word to the
last.
Pioneering is the spirit of the day
he said by way of introduction. The
speaker took the statue of Columbus
at the entrance to Central Park in
New York to illustrate his figure Of
speech, and said that the keen eyes
of the discoverer it portrayed met
the teeming thousands and millions
who gazed on it as they passed. The
young doctor was asked if he could
not push on into undiscovered fields
of medical science and rescue the
thousands who die from now incur
able maladies; the young lawyer is
urged to pioneer his way into new
fields of jurisprudence and correct
the injustices and iniquities that now
exist in our practices of government; f;
the scientist, the journalist, the
teacher, all professions have work
in pioneering ahead of them, with
rich fruits in store for those who
have the spirit in them to overcome
barriers and obstacles. He recited
Joaquin Miller's famous poem, '"Co-
lumbus," and paraphrased it.
Professor Robinson, said the
speaker, gives the characteristic
movements of modern times as gen
etic and not static. The spirit of
progress is abroad in modern day
life, and it is the spirit of democ-
racy. That is to say, you see in
every individual not one who is born
to occupy any one position, but one
who has within him unlimited latent
qualities. He is held to his present
position largely by circumstance and
environment. The true democratic
spirit such as our real pioneer pos
sessed could see in new fields, in new
environment higher possibilities and
greater attainments. The pioneer
spirit is not made up, as we are often
told, of the instinct to roam, the
wanderlust, but it includes far more,
viz: The ability to adapt oneself
to new environment
and to adjust ones abilities so as to
make that environment contribute to
his success.
Following this same idea he said
that whenever people go into a new
community they are always divided
into two classes: those who fail to
adapt themselves to the community
and are dominated by it, spending
most of their days longing for what
they left behind, and those on the
other hand who became master build
ers in the new land and made things
conform to their wishes.
He enumerated the various dispo-
sitioned types of men in new COM
First the aggressive fellow
who "butted in" on every occasion
and opportunity; then the instigator
who planned and made the other
chap do the work; then there is to
be found the dominating ors boss
class, and finally those of thes cool
headed, nationally conscientious ju-
dicial type.
The real heritage of the pioneer.
said Mr.. Vining, was not the valley
he populated, the homes he built or
the mines he exploited, hut the spirit
of the man with the vision who
leaves all behind and with irrepressi-
BILE ardor sails on and on as did Co.
lumbus until the new land be
reached. Every person has his price
in the obstacles overcome nefore he
yields. In this regard the pioneer
was priceless. The speaker referred
to the various obstacles, the barriers,
which.the pioneer had overcome, any
one of which would have turned
thousands less daunted to seek shell
ter, but only served to strengthen
the resolution of the real pioneer.
This heritage of the spirit of ulti-
mate accomplishment to strive and
strive and never yield until the goal
is won is the riches the pioneer has
given to the world, said the speaker.
Mr.. Vining said that from extern
sive travels in this and other coun-
tries he had found that the weakness
of his fellowman is not in the do
main of education, but a weakness
of the spirit, especially that spirit of
the pioneer,
The strongest appeal made was to
the sons and daughters of the
pioneers of southern Oregon to real
ize that it is not alone education that
wins success, but spirit-that spirit
that characterized the lives of their
pioneer fathers and mothers; that If
they meet the obstacles of life with
half the courage of their forebears
their success is assured.