The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-12-30
JOSEPH spcELts' rtsnop

morning We got aboard this brand new
stern wheel steamer OF the regular
Mississippi type and started down
stream. went up in the Texas, and,
Of courge, felt an almost irresi9Hble
desire to ask the pilot about Mark
Twain. 1t is a broad, shallow, npddy
river, at places the channel being
rarely wide enough for the boat to 80
through, though to my inexperienced
eyes the whole river looks like q
channel. The bottom lands, Illinois
on one side and Missouri on the other,
are sometimes oVer-grown with for
ests and sometimes great, rich corn
fields, with here and there a house,
here and there villages, and now and
then little town. At every such place
all the people OF the netghborhood
have gathered to greet me. The
water front Of the towns would be
filled with a dense packed mass oil
men, women and children, waving
flags. The little villages have not only
their own population, but also the
farmers who have driven in In their
wagons with their wives and children
from dozen miles back-iust such
farmers as came to see you and the
cavalry on your march through Iowa
last summer.
1t is my first trip on the Mississi-
ppi, and am greatly interested in 1t.
How wonderful in its rapidly OF
movement has been the history OF our
country, compared with the history Of
the old world. For untold ages this
rive rhad been flowing through tho
lonely continent, not very greatly
changed since the close OF the Pleito-
Gene. During all these myriads OF
years the prairie and the forest came
down to its banks. The immense
herds OF the buffalo and the elk wan
dercd along them season after sea
sen and the indian hunters on foot
or in canoes trudged along the banks
or skinned the water. Probably a
thousand years saw no change that
would have been noticeable to our
eyes. Then three centuries ago began
the work OF change. For century its
effects were not perceptih.e. Just
nothing but an occasional French
fleet or wild half savage French Can
adian explorer passing up or down
the river or one of its branches in an
Indian canoe; then the first faint
chars es, the building Of one or two
little French fur traders hamlets, the
passing of one or two British officers
boats. and the very rare appearance
of the uncouth American backwood5'
man.
Then the change came with a rush
Our settlers reached the head waters
OF the Ohio, and flat-boats and keel
boats began to go down to the mouth
OF tho Mississippi and the indians
and the game they followed began
their march west. For ages they had
marched back and forth, but from this
march there was never to be n re-
turn. Then the day OF steamboat traf-
fic began, and the growth of the first
American cities and states along the
river with their strength and their
squalor and their raw pride. Then
this mighty steamboat traffic passed
its zenith and collapsed, and for q
generation the river towns have
dwndled compared with the towns
which took their importance from the
growth of the railroads. | think OF It
all as | pass down the river.
October 1--WE are steamiug down
the river now between Tennessee and
Arkansas. The forest comes down a
little denser to the bank, the houses