Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-09-29
SHIPS AND HARBoRs

ON two or three occasions recently /
have had to be at the station just as
the Chicago trains were leaving. and
on each day saw quite a company of
young people starting for distant
schools-a laughing, rolling. rollicking
crowd-though with some of them the
tears were near the surface, as if
imagination Were busy picturing things
That might happen ere they again
dropped anchor in their home port.
AS stood II moment watching the
fun and the chatting, l thought of some
old lines written before the days OF
steamboats,:
I've been watching the ships go out today,
out of the harbor into the sea,
Ihelr beautiful. snow-White sails on high
lAlssd by the wind as they onward fly.
In early boyhood 1 passed nearly two
months on a sailing vessel crossing the
Atlantic, and seemed to learn the name
OF almost every sail, spar, rope and
bolt on the ship. The white sails then
prophesied peace, though it was not
all peace even in those halcyon days.
Now the belch4ng tunnels of the steam
ers seem to foretell war, and when they
near the ports of some weaker nation
the people tremble with terror, lest
some demand is to be made and backed
by great guns.
Maybe 45 years ago few young peo-
pie vent away from Sioux City for
= - dllO n " 1IuO.
bard were about sending their boys to
Yale. Possibly N. r. Cobb and Judge
Allison were sending some of their
splendid girls to eastern schools.
FIFTEEN to 20 years passed and the
children Of a younger group We're
Mcneil, perhaps j. D.. n E. B.. Spald-
ing. the writer and others. l think,
however, that we should not have sent
away our girls, had it not been for the
unbending curriculum of Professor
Armstrong, then superintendent Of
schools-a grand man. but with a rigid
school system formed after the plan
of Procrustes' iron bed-if the victim
were too short to fit. he was stretched.
or. II too long. he was cut off. We sent
our children away that they might be
able to pursue. studies which we
thought more desirable for them.
But the years rolled on. and a
younger generation were sending their
hopes. their fears, their blessings, their
longings. wrappe! up in their children,
young people belonging to the families
OF j.. G. Kelly, James F. Toy, George p.
Day. w. F. Marley, E.. H. Hubbard,
William Gordon and others-and since
then the fleet has increased yearly un-
til today few of the finest school and
colleges OF the land are without a rep
resentation of Sioux City youth.
Some Of those who, 20, 80 and 40
years ago. left the sheltering harbor
OF home with as fair wind and as high
hopes Of long life as are held by those
now feeling their way into the open,
have long since reached that farther
shore which stretches to meet us some
where and at some time.
The old generations are like chill
dren sitting on the beach, who send
out walnut shells and toy boats with
the tide, wondering whether the in
coming ripples will bring them safely
back again, or whether the big waves
will lash them upon the rocks.
The winds Of God are always blow
ing. Trim we our sails in harmony
with these winds we may hope to
safely reach our desired haven-other-
wise We are banged and buffeted and
beaten and lost in shadows and in
miseries. Is the loss the winds fault?
Then, too, in the voyage Of life, we
should remember there are others
seeking by various courses to gain the
port Of peace Do not thwart their
ships.
The wind blows north. the wind blows
The win blows east and west:
No matter how the good wind blows,
Some ship likes 1t the best.
There is plenty Of sea room on the
veal of life-plenty of harbor room
in heaven. Give other ships all the
help o can-stand by in case Of
stress of weather, ready to cast a rope
or hold a light in need. and
May the stars from Heaven look kindly
Oh beautiful eeMhi ships. as you journey on"
September is. 1915. E. E. Lewis.
- I'D