New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-22
BIGELOW'S CENTENNIAL SCHEME.

We alluded some time ago to the fact that
Hon. John Bigelow had little plan OF his own for the
celebration OF the Centennial anniversary and that he
bitterly opposed 20 the scheme which has been
ganzed under the auspices Of the Centennial Commits
| sion. This morning the honorable John publishes IN
The TRIBUNE explanation Of his theory. from which
appears that no has 10 some extent altered his vews
although his luminosity to the plan OF the Commission Is
| a. intense Mr Bigelow makes the following
proposition: That sufficient number of competent
mea DO invited 10 prepare in concise form accounts OF
what has been accomplished In this country in such
departments OF human activity" political economy
education, religion literature. aud Typography agricu
tro tho postal service. the natural sciences the fac
arts. medical science, military and naval matters. and
other arts and sciences which need not be enumerated
here Whom these papers completed, another squad
| OF literary hacks shall take the material and make
digest OF not moro than hundred pages what tbe
ize Of the page shall be Mr. Bgeow does nor sugees
"a nd from gest the President shall prepare bro
dis embodying all the facts. On the lth Of July
1876 the President shall read this document at Inde
pende Hail. and ii shall then be teegraphed to every
town I'd hamlet in tho country after which be aud the
assembl, I'd company shall adjourn to public break
fast"
This IA M orally the whole OF Mr. Bgeows plan, and
seems to US De ptIfuy weak and insufficient and IN
soe Of fts 10 stures utterly absurd The proposed
deusaton and econdensation OF those reports iao sn
gle brief docume ut which can be read In ntteen mn
utes is partcu arly nonsensical. for no mau could
make an inteigibS discourse OF that length Win usce
to the amount !eria. aud the Information would
DO yaueless In such a'for at any rate The suggestion
respecting the conclud ing breakfast IS merely mbeee
Bigeow would not have,a great exposition, partly for
the reason that many OF he people cannot participate
in IT, But he would celebrate the hundredth aDniver
sary OF tho nations birth wi ia breakfast at which only
tho President and two or tlsee hundred people would
DO present
That portion OF his plan which Is good entirely com
patibe with the scheme which ~ IN the hands OF tho
Commission Full aud exact reports OF the progress
made by the nation In tho sciences referred to certainty
ought to he made. But they be made without IN
terfering in any manner with tho EXPOSITION
The celebration will not be complete without them
Some OF the matters alluded TO by Mr. Bigeow arc OF
such character that their CONDITION cannot be repre-
sented by an exhibition Of material objects The ad-
vance OF religion az there has been advanced the i'm
provements political economy the condition OF urs
prudence the increased and enterprise OF Deney
oence, the influence OF the press, &C., are thugs winch
can DO demonstrated only by practical reports giving
statistics and facts making comparisons and orerus
exhibits of the present condition OF popular and probes
sona Hedge upon these subjects. But there are
other things mentioned by Mr.. Bgolow the advance Oh
which can be illustrated by the exhibition or re-
suits than by mere array words IN printed report
superb collection OF pictures and statuary VIII give
tho best snd strongest evidence OF American achieve
chnery together with samples Of products, viii demon
strate In tho cearest the position OF the arc
among our people the mineral Resources OF the nation
can be manifest by exhibiting the products Oi Ihe
mines and progress OF Inyeaon one OF Tue SUD
ecs suggested for an essay, can DC illustrator 'oh
more satisfactorily by a display OF moiels ana ma
chimes Material things. after all are far REPRESENTA-
tiyes of the moral intellectual condition OF people
steam engine Il az much the product aai the |p' OIL
an Advanced civilization Us we'll conducted hospital
fast printing press tells of the enshtenmento i peo
pie as surely tho essay upon political economy tae
printed upon AcOmpressed alI-orl or uodoi vi
suspension bridge worth ton OF mere tax about the
improvements in tue science Of engineering. Acuhg
upon this theory, wo propose to have an exposition
whore we display the things which are capApie vi
display and II this shall DO supplemented by reports
upon subjects which do not admit OF such treatment tne
celebration will nearly just and complete
But 10 insist have the latter without tine
former seems to us involve absurdity.
Mr. Bigolow assumes at the outset that inc mass oi
the peop hold his view But this, think. IL error
At least unsupported by evidence OF any KIND Ger
tany the press the country has not sustained him W
any exteut whatever and he has no right to assume
that people with him because they have not con
tributed literally to the Centennial fund. That failure
must be attributed to other ana very different causes
Mr. Bigeow thinks that Will be infamous TO ask the poo
po OF creditor Dat0us to come to costly entertainment
provided by o Government which cannot pay ts deDts
But this Government can fulfill Its obligations when
they are duo, it will, and We arc not aware that any
body is alarmed will pay its foreign creditors
The currency bill does look like dishonesty, but II IL
hurts anybody it will hurt our own people, auu not
Europcans who hold securities Even Mr. Bigelow's
pan involves a large expenditure OF money, and 1t
would 10 no just for the Government to make snch
an outlay in that direction than IN tho other IL 1t
wrong to spend tho money at all, we have no rgnt 10
nav the cost Of the Blgel0w system.
Mr. Bigelow concludes with a lot OF stun about the
methods employed by the Greeks In celebrating great
national occasions But do not perceive tnat tins
applies to our enterprise We practical people,
living la a practical age and wish to make practi'
cal demonstration of what the nation has accomplished
during Its existence. The sentiment of the occasion
will be supplied by the for whom the people Will
not care greatly. Mr. Bgeow wants the celebration 70
be chiefly sentimental but that we siBoerey believe
not the wish Of the naion-t Pbiladelphia IL tliouh