Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1916-07-17


two hundred former residents of the
Jayhawker state left in private cars
and iitneys for their homes through
out the valley Thursday evening after
ENJOYING the greatest gathering ol
Kansans which the Rogue River val
lev has seen. They came from 1ar
and near, and If it were not for the
panegyric of the present achieve
ments of the Sunflower state which
was given by Attorney Hurd of Med
ford during the morning program, an
unprejudiced bystander might have
. been led to wonder who was left at
home to till the cornfie1ds when all
these people emigrated to the Rogue
River valley.
The gathering was the third annu-
al meeting of the Kansas society Of
the valley and in point of attendance
rivalled any state gathering which
has ever been held in the valley and
in point of general enjoyableness out
shone any. The days entertainment
began with a program given in the
chautauqua building.
The attendance in the Chautauqua
building when the program started
at $50 a. m. far eXcelled all expec-
tations, and the program was very
interesting one, not only to the for
mer Kansans, but to their friends,
who were present.
S. S. Smith, president of the Kan
sas society, presided.
The first number on the program
was a splendid solo by George An
drews of Medford, who responded to
a hearty encore. .
E. H. Hurd, recently from Wichita,
spoke on Kansas, Her People, Prog
ress and Prosperity" Mr.. Hurd
said:
Kansas, her people, products and
prosperity, is not as broad subject
as one might think, as it does not
take in her climate and scenery.
What Kansas lacks in that respect
Oregon makes up"
He paid the greatest tribute to her
people, those who laid the foundation
for free Kansas as well as those who
later made Kansas famous. Among
those famous of the present day men
toned were General Fred Funston,
Victor Murdock, Henry ]. Allen, Ar
thur Capper, and particularly Mar
garet Hill McCarter, the literary gen.
ius of Kansas.
He said Kansas did not let her
present wealth and prosperity and
the fact that she is first in bank de-
posits, automobiles, stock and wealth |
per capita keep her from being first
for worlds peace. He spoke of her
lead in the union in education and |
morals.
Miss Lillian Hilty of Ashland sang |
a very pleasing solo and responded |
to an encore.
Superintendent w. G. Steel told |
the story of his first learning Of the |
Oregon 'lost lake" in newspaper
when a small boy attending coun-
try school in Labette county, Kansas,
how it interested him and he resolved
to find that world wonder. He said
it never left his mind, and later when
he came to Oregon with his parents
he began to inquire about the lake,
but it was seven years before he
found anyone who had even heard
of it. G. B. Watson of Ashland was
the first man to tell him of it, and
they soon started on a search and
found what is now Crater Lake. Su-
Steel told many inter-
esting things about the lake, the Sc
curing of the national park, the In
dian legend and superstition about
that famous wonder.
j. B. Hunter of Ashland gave an
excellent reading.
Francis Labadie, witty Chautau-
lua French Canadian, told Of his
,ravels in Alaska and other countries,
weaving in his quaint humor beauti-
'ul word pictures of the life and GUS
oms of the people in an unusually
pleasing and interesting manner. He
'ecited several splendid selections,
thief among which was "The Shoot
ng of Dan MeGrew."
The good things on the program
asted until noon, when the Kansans
adjourned to the picnic grounds in n
Iithia Park, where under the super =
,ision Of Mesdames Ashcraft, Stoner, =
Idgington and other Ashland ladies
,reat pots of coffee were bubbling .
ver the gas plates and tables for =
ne hundred and fifty were drawn up
ogether. When all of the crowd had t
rrived the tables were found to be n
( insufficient seating capacity and r
thers were drawn up until almost g
wo hundred sunflowers nodded their r
eads about the board. Even then
ome we're Obliged to find room at Il