The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1871-07-20

everything wears an air Of freshness, pro-
gressiveness and prosperity
We know of no town or city in the South
which has grown more rapidly. everything
considered, and whose future advancement
rests upon more solid basis. The superior
character of our Female Schools, will attract
still larger number of the young ladies of
the South, to finish their education, than
have heretofore availed themselves of the
advantages presented. The Episcopal, Meth
odist and Presbyterian, which date their ex-
istence many years back, have risen to high
cr plane of usefulness, and established more
elevated reputation for refined and useful
culture. Within the past year two others,
the Baptist and Lutheran, under the direc-
ton of highly competent Principals, have
been added to the number, and will advance
to the arena to compete for public favor, in
the mental and moral development of the
young ladies, who, in few years, must give
tone and cast to society, and assist in the
promotion of the general interest Of commu
nifty. These schools will bring annually to
our midst at least a quarter million of money,
which, diffuscd among the people, will slim
ulate and enliven enterprise, and, added to
the appropriations for the Two State Institu-
lions, the Insane Asylum and the Deaf and
Dumb and Blind Institution, will consti-
tute fund, upon which to assure the success
of almost any we'll conducted business enter
prise.
We now have Railroad running to the
city, which, when completed to its western
turminus, will constitute the great thorough
fare for the trade and travel of the western
continent Within a few years, at farth-
est, two other lines will intersect this great
continental highway at this point, which, in
their construction, will food upon our people
millions more of money, develop the immense
hidden wealth of the county, and throw us
forward in the march of material improve
nent, in marvellous degree.
To insure rapid and substantial growth,
however, is question for our own people to
determine We must establish in our mids+
factories Of various kinds-our water power
must be utilized, the capital Of our citizens
must be thrown into active channels, to as
sist in accomplishing the rich destiny that
seems to be beckoning us or
IF, instead Of Investing in bank and State
and United States stocks, the surplus means
of our more prosperous citizens were thrown
into manufactures and machine shops-thua
attracting foreign capital, increasing popula-
ton, giving lucrative employment to many
who are now only eking out scanty living,
and generally enriching COMMUNICATION,
indeed, might we feel assured of wealth and
prosperity vouchsafcd to few communities
Let the farming and mechanical interests of
people be developed to their highest capac-
ity, and wealth and ease and comfort and re-
fnemcnt will follow as "the night the day.
The farmer would find LONE market for
most Of his products, and thus save to the
county, the commissions and freights which
are necessarily incident to shipping them
Until this is done, we can never fully realize
the benefits properly attaching to our own
efforts
Then, with railroad competition, which
would guarantee reduced freights, and an
easy financial condition, that would enable
our farmers to more literally use fertilizers,
the producing capacity Of our lands could be
doubled. That is the great drawback now.
The nett profits realized by the farmer do
not justify him, after closing up his accounts
in purchasing sufficient quantity of fertil-
izers. He is not able, without riskins debt,
which in these times no careful man desires
to do, to return to the soil that assistance
commensurate with the exhaustion caused by
three successive crops. The lands are not
improved, but often deter;orate. BY high
cultivation and judicious fertilizing, less
acreage, and consequently less labor, would
produce far more abundant returns than un
der the present comparatively impoverished
system
Stock-raising could then be more generally
encouraged, and nothing would contribute
more to the wealth of the county than an
enlightened appreciation of the profit and
pleasure Of breeding blooded stock. Indeed
there is nothing to prevent the Valley of
Virginia, and especially Augusta and the ad-
joing counties, from becoming not only the
most wealthy and prosperous and progressive
portions of the State, but of the cut1re South.
BY we'll directed effort, and judicious manage
meut, we can advance to any stage of wealth
our liveliest ambition may aspire to.
Staunton would necessarily share in this
general prosperity. Let manufactures and
machine shops, with their hundreds of opc-
rativcs, be established, open up an enlarged
Stock Market, for monthly sales of all des-
criptions Of stock, direct our capital into en-.
terprises by which the people would be bene-
fitted, and not so invest it as to maze the
rich richer and the poor poorer, but d;Gu G