Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/9



The Quarterly with this number presents the initial paper of a series designed to give a synthetic view of Oregon's past. The youth of the state need particularly such an account of the making of Oregon as will appeal to the imagination and lend itself to the forming of a realistic picture of the different stages of the process through which the, land and the people as we have them today came to be—all for the purpose of inspiring the liveliest and most enlightened sentiment.

The word patriotism in its derivation suggests mainly associated effort in the winning and in the defense of the home land. Thanks to the world peace movement, the indications for the future are that sentiment for the land we call our own must arise out of different associations and ideals cherished in connection with it. The people to lead in the world's civilizations henceforth will commemorate rather the policies that result in the making of a happier and richer national or commonwealth home than in any achievement in wresting that land from another.

Man's co-operation with the forces of nature towards making his heritage a better dwelling place cannot be begun too soon. To evoke a commonwealth spirit aiming to promote the highest welfare of those to come after us nothing can be more useful than an exercise of the imagination in picturing truthfully the