Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-09-16
ARE We WORTHY
oESceNoANTS?

New England week Is begun. Much
consideration can be had In a week.
but not enough for New England. In
this day and generation. when we
are. confronted with the query wheth-
ct we are as smart as were our an
csatoys, who made possible the pres
ent New England.
cJThey were hardy. self sacrificing,
industrious. shrewd. enterprising and
seysra: other things, most OF which
were desirable characteristics. Their
minds may have been narrow In some
respects. yet quick to conceive and
apply improvement. to seize upon op.
portunity. to make the most OF re-
stricted opportunities. They amass.
ed capital which was to be employed
In building up other parts of the
country, they builded New England
character much sought in enterprise
all over the land and so were sub
jected to the drain Of some OF their
best to other fields. yet they did not
neglect their own.
They harnessed the waterfalls and
invented and applied machinery.
built great hives OF industry; built
ships which carried their products
all over the world. and when steam
supplanteds the cruder forms OF pow
er. though at disadvantage the per-
sisted and successfully competed
against odds. Families were reared
on rocky farms now abandoned and
there found practical education.
sturdiness and a spirit OF independ-
ence. There. dollars were saved
which went into railroads. mines and
wheat fields of the Mid West. Some
were lost and some multiplied and
helped to make living conditions
back IN New England more comfort
able. sent the sons and daughters to
tho higher institutions Of learning.
And all the while New England
progressed. making the best use pos
sihls OF the tools provided by nature;
her spirit was equal to the severe
conditions which confronted her. Is
It. today? That IL an important
question. 1t may not be answered
in . week, but II during that week
the problem shall be properly pre-
scented there will be consideration in
the weeks which are to follow. and
that should prove profitable.
The foreigner has demonstrated his
ability to rear families on our aban-
doned farms; the visitor from other
parts often sees here opportunity
which We overlook. We have fallen
into the habit of taking too much
for granted. OF thinking our mills will
run II others produce more cheaply:
thinking ingenuity. genius and ener-
~ will continue to function whether
or not We give them a smile of ap-
proval: we buy apples grown in Ore
son and read about excellent orchard
land which may be developed In
Maine.
Would those who builded New
England have been content with
this? would they not have wished
to Snow wherein any product from
atar surpassed our own and II not
have given preference to our own?
And II competitors had found some
thing superior would they not have
sat UP nights dsvising ways to i'm
prove upon It? Let us remember
that there were qualities in that New
character that constitute Q
priceless heritage for us. Are we
to be unkratsful. unable to make
good Of it. unwilling to make the
effort to pass 1t on untarnished and
New England week Is a sufficiently
long period in which to make a re-
solvt. also in which to acquire some
information pertaining to It. And
any New Highlander. who doesn't
perceive that the cause IL a worthy
one. throws away hk birthrisht.