New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-14
THE AMERICAN EXPOSITION.
SHALL WE CELEBRATE THE CENTENNIAL
ANNIVERSARY OF 1776i

|
to Mr. Senator Conkling the propriety of suitably
concentrating the approaching centennial ami
versary of our national existence encourages mo
to recur to the subject at time when / am
sure You will agree with me in thinking that n
word, il fifty spoken, will not be unreasonable.
There are few things more difficult than for man
to speak gracefully of himself II is still more diff
cult for nation. But there are occasions when
nations, like individuals are obliged to speak Of
themselves, and when silence would be recreancy
One of these occasions will occur to the United
States on the 4th day of july 1876, the hundredth
anniversary of the first successful experiment IN
popular sovereignty
To pass such an anniversary without suitably
concentrating it would confess degeneration To
commemorate it is to speak of ourselves, of what
we and our fathers have done, and to challenge for
the results of our achievements the admiration Of
mankind
| This is very difficult thing to do becomingly,
! and unless done becomingly had better not be at
tempted. If we going to lose sight of those mat
! ters which give to this event its true dignity and
Importance and simply make it merely an occasion
for the parade of vanity and selfshness-the COM
mon mistake Of those who are much the theme Of
their own discourse-we had better be altogether
| silent
The only project of any kind for public celebra-
ton of this anniversary that has yet transpired IL
that in which the City of Philadelphia has, with
great proprety, taken the initiative It's principal
feature is Worlds Fair, in imitation of that now
open in Vienna, to be held in Paramount Park, IN
which the art and industry of all nations shall DO
represented. Suitable ceremonies for the commence
ration of our independence the Fourth of July OF
that year to constitute of its incidental attrac
tons. To mount this exposition ten millions Of
dollars are asked.
To the principal manufacturing State of the Union
there would be obvious advantages in attracting to
its principal city the latest and most perfect spec-
mems of foreign as well domestic ingenuity, and
in securing at the same time so desirable Oppor-
tunity of exhibiting to the world the choicest pro-
ducts of its own industry and skill An occasion of
such exceptional interest too, might naturally DO
expected to swell the numbers of visitors a. well AZ
of exhibitors and by thus increasing the attractive
ness of the exposition its expense would in cor
responding ratio, be diminished
Nor would such an exposition, if in any proper
sense of the word successful, be without its advan-
tages the country at large for reasons which have
already called into existence five or six of the kind
during the last twenty years in different parts OF
the world, and which too familiar to need re-
capitulatiOn.
But while this may prove to the Pennsylvanians
an admirable mode of turning the approaching
niversary to account he said to answer any OF
the primary or indispensable conditions of a ma
tional commemoratiOn of the great event of l71Gf
The central and controlling idea of such ceebra-
ton should manifestly be to show as effectively az
| possible what seem this generation the most im-
portant results of one of the boldest, not to
say rashest, political experiments ever made.
and to the success of which forefathers
pledged their lives their fortunes, AMI
their sacred hOnOrs; to let the world see, by tho
fruits of the first hundred years experience how far
events have justified them in throwing of their ale
! glance TO foreign sovereign, III repudatng all
dynastic rule, with the doctrines of divine right
and passive obedience by which it sought to ill.,
trench itself, and in committing the duties of gov
eminent in country directly to the people or to
representatives of their choice
If there is any purpose calculated to give dignity
and Importance to this anniversary. IT must consist
in vindcating the much censured and, in quar-
ters still unforgven conduct of revolving fore
fathers by exposing to the world, in the most simple
and ineligible way the ratio of our progress IN all
those arts industries and cultures which constitute
the strength and glory of a nation.
The Philadelphia scheme cannot be said TO answer
any of these conditions. Its leading purposes are
commercial aud industrial it looks more to the de-
velopment of wealth than of patriotism ut draws
its inspiration from material future rather than
from a spiritual past the cOmmem0ration OF our
national birthday is only an incident not an end OK
the Exposition We are expected TO place before
the world the ineligible results of our first hundred
years experienceof self-gOveTnment. An exposition
of the art and industry of other nations would not
only not promote the success of such effort, but
would be certain to render it abortiye. 1t might
give us pretty fair indication of the state of the arts
in the world in the year 1876 but it would afford no
means whatever of measuring our progress in any
of them For all purposes of science II would be of m
fnitelv less value than census, edition OF all
| the neriodical publications of the year. The pres
ence of foreign commodities would only confuse aud
distract If foreigners are invited to unite with rs
ar all in commemoTating this anniversary, 1t should
he for the distinct and exclusive purpose of showing
! tbem what with our means, we have accomplished,
under the popular dynasty of '76 Those who accept
our invitation should accept it distinctly upon that
| understanding and those who decline it should
decline il upon that understanding. Nor should We
afford them any pretext for accepting or declining
il upon any other. If there be any governments
protesting to hold friendly relations with us when
would be unwilling to unite with us IN celebrating
the birthday of Popular Sovereignty, to them should
he accorded the merit the responsibility, II there
he any, of declining In the year 1876 the capacity
of man for government will have been trial
before the world just a century 1t will be fuli
time for the worlds verdict upon it. IL viii be time
for the champions of dynasties and olgarchies to
disclose the grounds of their preference and Of their
resistance to the extension of Popular Sovereignty,
that. if good better relations may be established
between them and their people than exist present
and if bad, that the people may be encouraged by
the revelation to reclaim their Own with increased
rmness To these ends, it is of the utmost import