The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-12-15
BY AUTO TO PACIFIC
COAST
(By r. M. Dorsey
PROF. DORSEY WRITES OF
HIS TRIP ACROSS KANSAS

BY means of excellent hard roads
We reached Kansas City, which name
dignifies two political municipali-
ties though physically they are one,
the one in Missouri and the other in
Kansas. Situated as Kansas City is
at the confluence of the Kaw and the
Missouri and at the junction of sew
eral trunk line railways, it COM
mands a great commerce, and, ac-
cording to it's enthusiastic citizens,
is the second stock market in the
United States. Historically consid-
cred, Kansas City assumed import
ance in the old days when pioneers
and gold hunters came as far as those
before Quitting for the overland
trip to the dangerous West Now it
retains importance as a packing CEN
ter, a manufacturing point and de-
pot of supplies for bibulously in
clined over on the Kansas side.
The stock yards constitute a char
acter;stic suburban district of Kan
sas City. The population Is made up
largely of foreigners who are I'M
assiInilated by our civilization and
live in conditions Of great squalor
They have not benefited by coming
to our country. for they have not
taken upon themselves our standards
of thought and living, but, on the
other hand, have retained their
modes of thought and doing. Miser-
able as they are-and they are truly
wretched, the prey of swindlers, i'm
posed upon, paying extortionate
prices, poorly paid, cheated. starved,
suffering the industrial losses of &C
cident and sickness, they herd to-
gether misery giving them a com
munity of interest. Yet they see
, light after little while and seek
| it,
The hope that opens before them
is education. The public schools
system in its day md night schools
offers them opportunity to make the
re-adjustments necessary to under
stand the fierce, tumultous life into
which they have entered. They de-
sire education for their children
They despair of success for them
selves and resign themselves to their
poverty but hope success for their
| children for whom they make in
common with all poor parents pa
thetic sacrifices. Their children la
Dor for an education with zeal
that is scarcely understood This
| produces an anomalous condition at
/ first sight, but one which becomes
intellioible when we understand
that the enereetic application of the
child is inspired by the parent who
missed his hearts desire. In conse-
io't'N' VI tIllo opportunity lHTOuSI IL
the public schools the second gem
Grafton prospcrs admirably in con-
traSt with the first whose experience
may he likened to that of pioneers
We found that Kansas City has
provided admirable schools and SYM
pathetic and understanding teachers
Our visits to these proved them be-
yond our expectations, administered
by competent men and doing their
work effectively.
The city parks were full of play
ground and recreation facilities in
forms of apparatus designed to give
childhood free opportunity to play
The ameliorative AGENCIES of civili-
cation are constantly adding to the
possibilities of the individuals life.
Troost Park was like a daisy field
with hundreds of children at play on
the greensward
From Kansas City, we followed the
Santa Fe Trail Two reasons decid-
pi tn tal