Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1914-05-21
OKLAHOMA CITY.

II you care, dear Register, for note
from Dluch-written-of western city, I'll
send you some impressions of Oklahoma
City.
The mission which brought me here
and the issue of il may be known long
before this reaches your readers, there
fore shall not refer to it. Nor will |
refer TO the General Conference of the
Southern Methodist Church, now in ses-
sion here-only to say that the hotel lob
bies are full of Methodist preachers and
laymen, and black cloth is quite in evi-
dence on the streets oil the city.
Who Of yours readers has ever come
from Memphis, Tenn. by the Rock Is
land Railroad, to the limits OF Oklahoma?
A more dreary waste and swampy will
derness never depressed a weary traveller
on rainy day than did this ride through
Arkansas. In vain looked for the up
to-date, hustling West which | had so
often heard Of.
Little Rock is little from any standpoint.
thought that nothing could look worse
than muddy, ugly Memphis, bordered
with black, hutty shanties that would 60
like prairie grass in fire. But Little
Rock seems TO be in chronic state OF
sleepiness. 1t is said that Arkansas peo-
pie are so easy-going that they leave
their plows in the field TO 60 to the rail-
road stations in order to see who are on
the. trains
But Oklahoma, while level and new
looking, is at least not cursed, in these
parts anyhow, with swamps. ! thought
that had never seen anything so empty
and uninhabited since saw the regions
about the Sea of Galilee, as we saw when
passing by train through the houseless
and fenceless lands within fifty miles OF
Oklahoma City.
Once in the city itself, the features
which are outstanding are broad, we'll
paved streets and plenty OF fat Indians.
Otherwise am impressed with what a
man once said to another about the pc
culiarity of his town - that peculiarly
being that il was like every other town
he had seen.
Oklahoma City has grown rapidly and
looks like il has. II reminds one Of
Roanoke City, Va, in earlier days, when
the "recent rich" lived in fine houses
and ate at their tables in their shirt
sleeves
But where is the hustler2 Ask an
Oklahoma man where anything is and
he either does not know or he seems
preoccupied like taciturn Indian. A
New Yorker said TO me today that he
found courtesy and information in busy
New York, but in Oklahoma and in this
region generally, he found neither. IT
has often been said to me. when per-
sisted in spending travel money on trips
to Europe, 80, you should see your own
country first" | was then treated to
descriptions OF the great West. Take it
from me that if people once saw Europe,
with its real curiosities and historic towns
and localities, the featurelessness OF this
country would have little charm. This
country is big-suggestive OF magnificent
distances, but certainly not interesting.
think the Indians entertain and amuse
me most. They are on the streets and
in the hotels; they are at the picture
shows Il am told and at any other place
where loafing is good. They are all fat
rolling fat, and rich They get their
money from the oil wells on their land
and they spend their money on gambling,
eating and in buying trnketS. The trick
out here seems to be to separate the
Brother in Red from his money by the
quickest means. The Indians are so
lazy that they will not cook their own
meals and so fond OF town" and "trav-
el' that they are gentlemen OF leisure
spending their money on whatever
pleases their fancy. Hence their figures,
suggesting walking hogsheads dressed
in gay clothing.
Ye men OF culture aid lovers OF the
refined, remain in the East The one
thing in Oklahoma that covet most are
the apples that see in the fruit stores,
Arkansas "Blacks," "Rome Beauties"
"Wine Saps" and all OF the most perfect
sort and glistening like mirrors Why
do not our West Virginia fruit growers
pay more attention to the appearance OF
their apples? We have the flavor on
our side, but these apples, that sell at
five cents apiece are inferior to ours in
all but that perfection OF color and form,
and their keeping qualities, because they
are so perfect in form.
But this is more than note. Adieu
n KNOTT