* '
. <
Conservative. 9
iug beeii used for years , by both Chris-
tiaiis aud heretics , in their controversies.
Tlio Gnostics.
It is very interestiug too to note Mrs.
Evans" mention of Maroiau and the
Gnostics. The Gnostics , including
Marcian , were about as much Christian
as the Theosophists are. They were
heathen philosophers who in their
general borrowing from all religious
borrowed some from Christianity. No
one ever pretended they were Christians ,
and the fact that they hold widely
different opinions respecting the value
of the New Testament writings is very
amusing. It is like saying that the old-
line democrat who believes in free trade
is to bo held responsible for the vagaries
of the mid road pops because they also
believe in free trade. No , Christianity
does not stand uor fall by the date at
which the Gospels were writteu , or
rather the date at which Mrs. Evaus is
pleased to assume they were written ,
although she does not hesitate to refute
her own statement in the case of
Maroiau aud St. Luke ; but the reality
of Christ's life is shown by the fact that
in 25 A. . D. there were no Christians
and in 55 A. D. , according to Tacitus ,
there were an enormous multitude ; that
in 25 A. D. the heathen temples were
full of worshippers and that 50 years
later they were nearly deserted ; surely
a strange result to "rise from the ferment
of Oriental and Grecian ideas then
beginning to be mingled with Jewish
beliefs through the rapidly increasing
intercoure between the far East and the
shores of the Mediterranean ; " that in 80
years a Christ would be invented , the
farce of a crucifixion be enacted ; men
wno meet ror cneir iaea or train con
spiring to wholesale deception sure the
invention of such a Dr. Jekyl-Mr. Hyde
religion which enforcing truth is itself
propped up with lies ; for which men
died rather than deny a Christ whom
they knew never existed. Extraordi
nary thing for such a religion "to rise
from forwent" with no , trace of that
nmrvelously wonderful genius whose
master hand moulded men to believe in
a gospel which even lacked the pretense
of truth aud wag the very personification
of deception.
IRVING P. JOHNSON.
South Omaha , Neb.
It is enough to , make an old time
Nebraskau , rub , his eyes , to , read a state
ineut from J. Sterling Morton , to , the
effect that the democratic party has , al
last become so thoroughly discredited
that it will be better to , take a new name
entirely in , the "reorganisation. " The
old name has more than , one hundred
electoral votes so firmly attached to it in
the South that nothing can bring abon
a separation. A name must have a very
bad smell if it cannot be endured , fo
the sake of those imperishable assets.
Auburn Post.
r & * & . * ' & ' --V ;
- -
AN OUKGON TKAIIiEK.
Chance has just thrown into THE
CONSEUVATIVH'S hands a previously un-
mown account of the overland Oregon
ouruey of the earliest freighting days ,
accompanied by some curious litho
graphed views of buildings and scenery
along the route. The book was found
n a Nebraska City second hand shop ,
where it had no doubt reposed since the
days when the creaking of the ox-wagon
resounded in Nebraska City's streets ;
he title page discloses that it was the
property of Ben F. Price in 1851. It is
a copy of President Fillmore's message
of December 2 , 1850 , with accompany-
ug documents. The president , "being
uddeuly called , by a painful dispensa-
ion of Divine Providence , to the re
sponsible station which I now hold , "
touches upon the recent convention with
Great Britain concerning the Nicaragua
canal project ; reports a treaty with His
Majesty the King of the Hawaiian
islands ; deals with the tariff question
and says "a high tariff can never be
permanent ; " recommends the establish
ment of an Agricultural Bureau ; is
lappy to find that the postmaster
general is justified in proposing three-
cent postage ; and thanks the Great
Ruler of nations that wise legislation
las at last provided ' 'a final settlement
of the dangerous aud exciting subjects"
which had been causing irritation
between the North and the South. But
the part which most interests THE CON-
SEUVATIVK is the report of Major Osborne
Cross on an expedition to Oregon in the
summer of 1849 , attached to which are
85 illustrations of places from Fort
Laramie westward.
Most of these views represent spots
toward the western end of the route ,
but they are all worthy the attention of
collectors and students of early matters.
There is a picture of Fort Laramie and
one of Independence Rock , both of
which differ more or less from anr in
the writer's possession ; two of the
Devil's Gap on the Sweetwater ; outside
aud inside views of both Fort Hall and
the less fatuous Forfc Boise ; and many
others.
The Start.
Major Cross accompanied a regiment
of mounted riflemen , going out to garrison
risen duty in the northwest , , in the
capacity of quartermaster. He was to
join the command at Fort Leavenworth ,
aud. made the journey thither in. nine
days from St. Louis by steamer. Re-
niainiug there only twenty-four hours ,
ho bogani his overland travels on May
20th. Oiii the 28rd he struck into the
main trail "a road as largo as any
public highway in the United States ,
leading from St Joseph.'s and. Western. "
Is "Western ? ' the old , river town of
Westou , Mo. ? The next day ho halted
for. an hour at noon on the "Nomahaw ,
, ai pretty , little stream. " The "rainy
season" had now commenced , which , he
informs us , between Forts Leaveuworth
and Kearney , commences as early as
May and seldom stops until the latter
part of Juno.
On the 20th he crossed what he calls
the Big Vermilion , "a stream about 100
feet wide , quite rapid and barely fordable -
able " Was this not really the Big
Blue ? Ho makes no mention elsewhere
of the latter stream. On the 27th the
road lay over a flat prairie all day , and
they overlook at least 100 wagons.
"Many of these people were from Illi
nois , who had crossed the Mississippi at
Palmyra and struck the Missouri at St.
Joseph's and Western. " That night
they camped on the Big Sandy , which
brings them to a point near Powell
station in Jefferson county , Nebraska.
The next day they were still on a some
what level prairie road , which brought
them to the Little Blue at night.
Buffaloes.
The major makes the questionable
statement that "at this season herds of
buffalo are always seen on the Little
Blue. " His party however saw none
until three days beyond Fort Kearney ;
he speaks perhaps a dozen times in the
course of his journal of the "immense
emigration" having driven them a Tray
from the traveled roads.
On the 29th they were traveling up
the Little Blue ( through Nuckolls and
Clay counties ) and found the grazing
becoming poor. The next day they
crossed the divide to the Platte , and
reached Fort Kearny ( as ho spalls it all
the way through ) early on the 81st ,
finding it very cold and muddy. Here
the major sums up his impressions of
the road thus far , which are distinctly
unfavorable ; but he Bays that' 'in many
parts it might be productive if cultivated ,
particularly on the large streams. "
Fort Kearney.
They lingered several days about the
fort , where we are surprised to find our
old friend Captain Bonneville , now a
colonel , commander of the post. They
moved on on the 4th of June , crossed
the South Platte on the 13th , and in due
time passed out of Nebraska , reaching
Fort Laramie on the 22ud , the South
Pass July 17th , Fort Hall August 5th
and Fort Vancouver October 5th. Ad
ventures they had none. Beyond Fort
Kearney they began "karalliug" their
trains at night as a precaution , and
here the major makes the statement that
"large trains could be seen wending
their way along on both sides of the
Platte ; " which is interesting as showing
that some portion of the emigration
followed the north bank , though it is
hard to see why this should have been.
Ho speaks of Ash Hollow , Chimney
Rook and Scott's Bluffs , and another
landmark as well called the Lone Tower ,
which is not mentioned by other
travelers ; aud of Independence Rock
" "
"PM