The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1916-06-17
USHER L. BURDICK
(Ry /. J. siIjan. Editor Normanden.)

I He deals with the problems of TO-DAY
and he anticipates the issues of tomor.
| row. He does not deal in futures He
| proposes to do what can be done fol
| little and big folks who are now bat.
| tling their way along the rocky road tc
success and happiness. albeit he does
not for one moment lose track of the
duty Of the present generation towards
those whom we arbitrarily have Sc,
into life to carry on the work OF
| destiny.
When yau have listened to him for
fifteen minutes, you are convinced be-
yond a shadow Of doubt that he is
sincere. When he has talked for a
half an hour, you know he is right
When three-quarters of an hour are
gone you are willing to stake your last
penny on a bet that he is capable OF
carrying into effect the reforms which
he proposes, and see to 1t that they
come up to expectations.
The Real Burden Bearers.
We of the younger generation are
very apt to talk about the hardships
of today, the many difficulties we have
to contend with in our scramble up the
ladder of life. Once in a while, es-
pecially during festive occasions ana
political campaigns, when pathos IN
oratory is the order of the day, we also
trials and tribulations of frontier life.
But we know little of it. We have
heard about it and read about it, but
we have not been within feeling dis
tance of it. I often wonder, how would
we stand up under a strain such as the
pioneer makers of this great state were
subjected to? If anything, we should
have the better of it-with precedentS
to teach US and educational and other
modern advantages to make life under
such circumstances more endurable.
But would we? Would we be able to
equal the pioneer conquerors of the
prairie brush and timber, not to say
best them? l doubt it.
Modern educational methods and
modern ways may coat humanity in
more shining polish, but they do not
make better men, nor women. When a
man, however, can combine the ex-
perience of pioneer life with the edu-
cational advantages of today, he truly
may be said to be especially well quail
fed to fill q position of public trust
and depended on to work for and SYM
pathize with the commoners.
Again, such a man is Usher L. Bur-
dick.
A Hard Times Incident.
One cold winters day, back in 1888,
the darkest year, perhaps, in the his
tory of North Dakota, when everybody
sufferer from q series or poor crops,
and clothing, food and even seed grain
was received as donations from the
people Of our sister states, there was
quite a stir in the little schoolhouse on
Graham's Island in Benson county. A
little boy-large enough for his age
came into the common class room
logged up in a minister's cast-off long
tailed coat It was the best the boys
parents could afford. Nay, it was more
than that. They could not afford even
that. The county authorities had given
the garment to the boy. It served the
purpose in a way by protecting the
little fellow against below zero weather
and the cold winds. But it caused con-
siderable merriment among his class
mates, girls and boys alike.
The girls derisive laughter hurt the
most, but the biggest boy in school,
whose love Of mockery got the best Of