A History of Kansas

by Anna E. Arnold

11. Explain the work and purpose of the State Historical Society.

CHAPTER XIX

THE KANSAS SPIRIT

Introduction. Kansas is a great State; great in size and wealth, great in industries and resources, and great in what it has accomplished. But there are states that are larger, others that are wealthier, and many that have larger cities, greater population, a longer history, and more splendid memorials, so it is not for these things that Kansas is especially noted among the states. The quality that is the mark of its distinction is the character of its history and of its people.

The Meaning of the Kansas Spirit. Any people is, in large part, the product of its thinking, its beliefs, and its hopes and desires. This is the lesson of Hawthorne’s story, “The Great Stone Face.” Through all the years Ernest studied the face on the mountain and pondered the thoughts that he read there. In time he came to resemble the great face, both in its features and in the character it expressed. In the same way the people of Kansas have become what they are to-day because of their thoughts, their experiences and their ideals. We often hear it said concerning some act or some effort toward progress, “That is the Kansas spirit,” which means that the thing done shows what kind of people the Kansans are; it is characteristic of them. If, then, we would understand what this Kansas spirit is, we must know what thoughts and experiences and ideals have had a part in producing it.

“This is but the dawn. We stand in the vestibule of the temple. The achievements of the past will pale into insignificance before the completed glory of the century to come.”

—John J. Ingalls.

Pioneer Qualities. Certain characteristics of the people of Kansas are largely due to the fact that this was so recently a frontier state. Pioneer life, wherever it exists, develops the qualities of independence, courage, resourcefulness, endurance, and democracy. The pioneer has only himself to lean on; he learns to take chances, he laughs at adversity, he adapts himself to circumstances, and he lives in the future.