Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/273

 THE HISTORIC SITES IN EUGENE AND THEIR MONUMENTS. 1 By JENNIE B. HARRIS. The eternal fitness of things is a law of the universe. Nothing can be found in nature that does not ultimately con- form to this law. The human race, consciously or unconsci- ously, has always lived in obedience to its demands. Follow- ing its dictates, the history of man consists of a collection of important facts which tell of the growth and decay of each people in its turn. These facts we find recorded in various ways. But no historical records impress us more forcibly than monuments of ancient nations. The data graven on stone with the edge of the chisel constitute the permanent record, the record that compels attention and assures remembrance. The chronicle of the early history of any people or of any community is apt to be neglected by the actors in the drama, especially when those actors were men and women who chose the wilderness, the haunts of the red man as the scene of their labors. And so we find that there are many links missing from the chain of Oregon's pioneer history. Our honored pioneers are fast passing from our midst, and with each one passes some personal experience which is or should be a part of our cherished early history. Surely, then, in the interest of future generations of Oregon youths, "it is altogether fitting and proper" that we, the native sons and daughters of this State, should do our part towards giving permanency to some leading facts in the history of our own city and county as our chapter in the Pioneer History of Oregon. But how many and what events shall be selected ? Follow- ing the law of fitness, these must be the most important hap- penings. The location of the first cabin truly that is a 1 NOTE. Read on the occasion of the dedication of three monuments erected on historic spots in Eugene, November 4, 1906.