New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-06
TIE CENTENNIAL COMMISSIONERS IN
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PHILADELPHIA.
The Commissioners called for 10y Act Of Con-
gress year ago from each State, to take con-
troll of the Centennial Celebration, held their
first meeting in Philadelphia ON Monday. A
glance at the list of names shows that these
men bring to their grave and responsible duty
an exceptional amount not only of culture, but
of sound common sense. The country will
watch their every movement with jealous
eye; it is her coming of age they are about 20
celebrate her claims to a foremost place
among nations, which are for the first time
formally to be set forth, and it is but natural
she should exact that full justice DO done TO
her resources. her strength her promise. and,
more than all, to the grand significance of the
mere fact of her existence. No doubt each of
these gentlemen has his own pet scheme to
propose, but we have great faith in the multi
tudc of these cOunselOrs. Between the philo-
sophie theories of NewEngland and the broad,
practical ability of the West there is little
danger that the celebration Of this National
birthday will evapOrate into any of the vague,
grandilOQuent plans, or dwindle into the
peddling schemes for the emolument of indi-
vidual parties, which have been already pro-
posed on one side and the other.
The Exposition Of our Arts, Sciences Manu-
features, and Agriculture at Philadelphia will,
no doubt, form a leading feature in the OBJ
servance of the day. 1t is fortunate that the
act Iegalizing this Exposition especially pro-
vides that it shall be "under the exclusive
"controp of the State Commissioners as to the
location, plan of buildings, and entire conduct
of the exhibition from its inception to its
close, thus effectually removing it out of the
reach of political or local influence or ava
ricious stock -jobbing companies, and render
ing it a national matter, in which the poorest
and most remote State can have an equal
share and feel an equal pride. Should it have
become mere Philadelphia Fair, as was pro-
posed, the other large cities, no doubt, would
each have held a separate Exposition.
We would suggest to the Commissioners,
however, that a National Exposition, however
successful, is but transient in both purpose
and effect: it can be witnessed by the small
est fraction of our own people, and would
react but slightly upon any other nation. The
expediency of establishing some permanent
memorial, milestone on this point of our
progress, is so apparent that all manner of
schemes are already suggested. The Philadel-
phians propose to fill up Independence square
with stone tower and row of new street
lamps with the names of the thirteen States
thereon, and to mount Washington's carriage
and the old bell on wheels, always ready for
instant exhibition plan cOmmendable as to
intention, however questionable in taste. But
the nation has broader requirements for this
day than those called for by even the sacred
associations of the old bell and the Declaration
of independence. 1t is the stable successes of
the present that it wishes to commemorate
and to enforce on all men as well as the one
heroic venture of the past A year ago Mr..
John Bigelow offered, through The TRIBUNE,
some suggestions concerning such memo
rial, which appear to us to rise to the true
grandeur of the occasion. and to DO at the
same time thoroughly practical. Chief among
these are:
First The taking of an extra Federal Census for that
year.
Second That every should be laid under contribu
ton for appropriate memorial OF the degree OF
oellcnco 20 which II shall have attained and with which
II will begin the succeeding century
THIRD Competent persons should DO invited 10 pre-.