The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-02-16

titled sophisticated traveller from Europe re-
Gently made tour Ct this country. H. enjoyed his
trip ne said, bat was rot very favoraby impressed
BY much Of the country roads If New York
"The trouble with the middle west, far west and
south, quoth this gentleman, "is that there is no
romantic background of tradition and history to
give colcr to dull scenes and poetry t, local his
tories"
Having said this he headed back for Europe
where the traditions and romantic stores about
each village and town go back 4 thousand years
From his own point Of view, he probably had
America sized up fairly accurately But what he
failed to reaize-what many of us fail to realize
] was that American civilization is and always has
been on an entirely different tack from Europe's
Traditions and felix tales like those Of Europe he
will never find here, of course; but traditions and
folk tales Of our kind there are without num-
Der.
The stories of the pioneer are no less romantic
and inspiring than the tales Of Europes kings
Skim through the history Of any section Of this
country and see if it is not fascinating as a novel
Louisiana? Think of the early French advcn
turers who down the Mississippi to the gulf
and foresaw great empire Think of the pirates
like Lafltte who defed the federal govern
ment; OF Andrew Jackson, who held New Orleans
against the British; of the trading ships Of all ma
tons that came to make it city more eosmopol-
tan than New York. more picturesque than Cairo.
Illinois? Think Of the long lanky pioneers who
drifted north from Kentucky west from New
York, building log cabins, enduring hunger and
toll and pain to win the black praries from the red
man and the wild beast. Think CT the growth OF
Chicago from frontier fort to fourth city in the
world, and all in century's time. Think Of Lin
coin, an lllinoisan To the marrow of his bones Of
Grant, who went from a country store to lead the
earths mightiest army.
Utah? Long trains CT covered wagons DIT the
horizon, with eager men and patient women press
ing forward to establish prosperous empire be-
side an inland sea, turning desoate wilderness
into fertile farm land
California? Tales of desperados and yigantes
golden mountains and daredevil citizens; miners
and gamblers and lumbermen throngng the state
and writing, in few brief decades, an epic of pic
neer life that Europe cannot match in any two cen
turtles
Oklahoma? The home of red until sean.
thirty-fve years ago. opened overnight and filled in
month, and new sending oil to all the world and
= building rich, substantial cities land where the
wolves howled within the memory of living man.
Such traditions, our felix tales. They
are pioneer traditions, every one; stories of the
men who dared much and built for the future even
though they did not always clearly see just what
the future might be.
And they will continue to be cur traditions
America of age in 1917. The task the pio-
neers began is not ended; for they dreamed OF
America as the greatest nation in the world, no
lcss--and we, without knowing it, are doing our
part to bring that dream nearer to reality
For the history of the world for some centuries
will be determined, not by Europe, but by America
Leadership has come and great day is to dawn
And it will be built the traditions and romance
Of America.