A grand sight is the forest primeval when the birds fill all its arches with song, or we sweep through them to the music of sleigh-bells. A pleasant sight is the farmer, surrounded by his wife and children, with well-kept farm, ample barns, and well-fed stock. But what wild desolation once reigned2 where now these fine farms are seen! The great trees stretched on for hundreds of miles. The hardy3 settler came with axe4 and saw and slow-paced oxen, cleared a little space, and built a log hut. For a little time all goes well; then thistles, burdocks, mulleins, and briers come to pester5 him and increase his labors6. Between the blackened log-heaps fire-weeds spring up. The man and his wife grow old fast. Ague shakes their[263] confidence as well as their bodies. Schools are few, the roads mere8 trails.
Then a village starts. First a country store; then a saloon begins to make its pestilential influence felt. The dance thrives. The children grow up strong, rough, ignorant. The justice of the peace marries them. No minister comes. The hearts once tender and homesick, in the forest grow cold and hardened. At funerals perhaps a godly woman offers prayer. Papers are few and poor. Books are very scarce. In winter the man is far off, with his older boys, in the lumber-camps, earning money to buy seed, and supplies for present wants. The woman pines in her lonely home. The man breaks down prematurely9. Too many of these pioneers end their days in insane asylums10. It is the third generation which lives comfortably on pleasant farms, or strangers reap that whereon they bestowed11 no labor7.
This may seem too dark a picture. Song and story have gilded12 the pioneer life so[264] that its realities are myths to most people. It is better when a colony starts with money, horses, books, etc.; but it is hard enough then. Few keep their piety13. I visited a community where nearly every family were church-members in their early homes; but, after twenty years, only one family had kept up the fire upon the altar. It is hard to break up such fallows. How different had a minister gone with them, and a church been built!
The missionary14 has different material altogether to work on in the natural born pioneer. I visited one family which had a black bear, two hounds, some pet squirrels, cats, and a canary; over the fireplace hung rifles, deer-horns, and other trophies15 of the chase. The man was getting ready to move. At first his nearest neighbors were bears and deer; but now a railway had come, also schools and churches. He said, "'Tain't like it was at fust; times is hard; have to go miles for a deer; folks is getting stuck up, wearing biled shirts, getting spring beds and[265] rockers, and then ye can't do nothin' but some one is making a fuss. I shall cl'ar out of this!"
And he did, burying himself and family in the depths of the woods. The homesteader often takes these deserted16 places, after paying a mere trifle for the improvements.
Homesteaders are numerous, generally very poor, and are apt to have large families. One man, who had eight hundred dollars, was looked upon as a Rothschild. Many families had to leave part of their furniture on the dock, as a pledge of payment for their passage or freight-bill. But, homesteaders or colonists17, all must work hard, be strong, live on plain fare, and dress in coarse clothing. The missionary among these people must do the same. A good brother told me that, on a memorable18 cold New Year's Day, he went into the woods to cut stove-wood, taking for his dinner a large piece of dry bread. By noon it was frozen solid; but, said he, "I had good teeth, and it tasted sweet."[266] Another lived without bread for some time, being thankful for corn-meal. Those who live far from the railways are often brought to great straits, through stress of weather and the wretched roads. Little can be raised at first; the work must be done in a primitive19 way.
As it is with the farmer, so it is with the missionary. The breaking of new ground is hard work. Everything at first seems delightful20. The people are glad, "seeing they have a Levite for their priest." They promise well. The minister starts in with a brave heart, and commences to underbrush and cut down the giant sins that have grown on such fat soil. But as they come down, he, too, finds the thistles and mulleins; jealousies21, sectarian and otherwise, come in and hinder him, and it is a long, weary way to the well-filled church, the thriving Sunday-school, and the snug22 parsonage.
Often he fares like the early farmer. The pioneer preacher is seldom seen in the pretty church, but a man of a later[267] generation. The old man is alive yet, and perhaps his good wife; but they are plain folks, and belong to another day. Sometimes they look back with regret to the very hardships they endured, now transfigured and glorified23 through the mists of years. Should the reader think the picture too dark, here are two condensed illustrations from Dr. Leach's "History of Grand Traverse Region." Remember, this was only a few years ago, and where to-day seventy thousand people dwell, on improved farms, and in villages alive with business, having all the comforts, and not a few of the luxuries, of civilized24 life.
In those early days, Mr. Limblin, finding he had but one bushel and a half of corn left, and one dollar and a half in money, prevailed on a Mr. Clark to take both corn and money to Traverse City, thirty miles away, and get groceries with the money, and have the corn ground, Mr. Clark to have half for the work. One ox was all the beast of burden they had.[268] Mr. Clark started with the corn on the back of the ox; about half-way he exchanged for a pony26 and sled for the rest of the road, leaving the ox with the Indians till his return. On his way back, a fierce snowstorm hid the shores of the bay from view. Presently he came to a wide crack in the ice; his pony, being urged, made a spring, but only got his fore1 hoofs27 on the other side. Mr. Clark sprang over and grasped the pony's ears, but, as he pulled, his feet slipped, and down he came. His cries brought the Indians, who rescued him and the pony. Exhausted28, he crawled back to their camp. But, alas29! the corn-meal and groceries were at the bottom of the bay. A sad scene it was to see his poor wife's tears on his arrival home.
Rev25. Peter Daugherty, now of Wisconsin, was the first missionary in these parts. He once missed his way; and night coming on, he saw that he must sleep in the woods. The air was chill. Not daring to build a fire for fear of the[269] damage it might do to the dry woods, he cast about for a shelter. Spying two headless barrels on the beach, with much trouble he crawled into them, drawing them as close together as he could, and so passed the night. He got up very early and finished his journey. But do we have such places yet? and does the missionary still have to expose himself? Yes, friends, there are scores of such places in every frontier State and Territory; and strong men are needed more than ever to break up new ground, and cause the desert and solitary30 places to be glad and blossom as the rose. Send us such men!
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1
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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pester
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| v.纠缠，强求 | |
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labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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prematurely
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| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
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asylums
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| n.避难所( asylum的名词复数 )；庇护；政治避难；精神病院 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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trophies
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| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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jealousies
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| n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡 | |
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snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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glorified
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| 美其名的，变荣耀的 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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