New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-20
THE CENTENNIAL PROBLEM.

VANCE DJRING THE CENTURY-SkEtCh VI quiz
ABLE PROCEEDINGS AND CEREMoNf-inh LILLE
HRArIoN TO BE ESSENTIALLY NATIONAL"
To The Editor Of The Trtouhe
would appear that The TRIBUNE has cor
,, internreted the popular sentiment IN regaru 10
,ho philadelphia scheme for celebrating the Cehteh-
al of ,zs, Our people fail to perceive the ioglcal
,,ronriety of commemoratng the one hundreth pirth
dav of American Republicanism by an exhlDltoh OIL
fhe fruits of fifteen more centuries Oh European
dvpasticsm They think II unseemly Tor nauoh
that ia Obliged TO purchase the torbearance OF It's
creditors at higher rate of usance than is PAID Dy
any other nation of white people IN the world 10
give costly not TO say prodiga entertainments they
Question the taste of invting foreign Governments
10 assist in giving 6clat to an event with
the purpose and tendencies of which they
are as far as possible from sympathlzng;
they wisely mistrust the consequences of attempting
TO combine proper celebration of the greatest ma
tional festival Of our history with gigantic COM
,nercial and industrial speculation and, hnaly'
they revolt at the idea of having the nag Oh the
United States on any OCCASION aud more eSpeciany
rpon an occasion 80 purely national as this traicu
behind the flag of any minor or municipal corpora
tiOn.
On all these points there seems to he very niue
diversity of opinion, at least outside OF fenhsyNa
MI, INT while the country is in such substantial
accord as 10 WndJ hHoulu hob pO NNi'N' ~ SNN
he as far "a ever from any conclusion as to what
should be done. Meantime the DAYS aud weeks ana
months and years so important for preparation are
RAPIDLY gliding by and every hour that is lost must
To some extent modify the plan which, the year OF
even tho month before might have been the DeSt
The fault If there be any. for tins state Oh 'huss
does not lie with the people, but WIN 'he
Federal Government, where the initiative OF Such
festival properly lies. The people are not nkeiy 10
approve of bad plan nor to fail in appreclatinga
good one at its proper value; but the Government
alone has the means of organizing it. 1t has I'M
peral resources its operations inspire no sectonal
jealousies and it alone is accountable Tor It's acts 10
the whole nation
There will be local celebrations, no doubt, IN
every town in the country, but there must be ma
tiona celebration. be it ever so simple and IN
formal; and it Is almost a commonplace to say that
q national celebration must be conducted by the
recognized representatives of the nation. The ocea
sion is one about which they cannot help bearing
their testimony. Even If, as cannot permit myself
10 suppose they should fail to comprehend the
grandeur Of OF the special responsibilities which 1t
imposes upon Them their silence and neglect. more
effectively perhaps than words, would indicate both
the direction and rate Of speed at which TINS nation
has been travelling politically. since 1t left Its cradle
Two impressions seem to have got possession of
tie to prevent the development of the latent feeling
Of the country on this subject One is that any APP
propriate celebration must involve the expenditure
of large sum of money and the other that there Is
not enough time left to do anything worth dong
even if the large of money were in hand TO 90 II
with.
Both these impressions, venture to say, are en-
tirely erroneous and spring from false, not to say
vulgar conception of the phenomena to be cOmmem-
Grated. In those countries where the majority OF
the people are in hopeless indulgence it is the policy
OF the Government to propltiate them by expensive
fates: il is a device for taxing the rich and pTv-
legged classes for the relief of the poor and depend
cnt Happily our Government has hitherto had no
occasion to purchase its tranquility and the for
bearance of the dangerous classes upon those terms,
while for the events we wish to commemorate In
1916 | incline to think that the more money we
spend aud the longer time allowed us for spending
H. the more certainly would the public be dlSap-
pointed with the result. 1t is not money nor
moneys worth that give dignity to tins OCCASION
To show what reasons have for the faith that Is
in me. / shall venture TO suggest the outline OF
ulap of celebration which though it is not offered
as the best that might be devised by Commission
properly constituted to stndy up the subject, will
serve TO illustrate the general principles upon which
euch celebration should be conducted, and show
how the grandest effects might he secured within
fine two wears that are left, and with only nominal
expense TO the Federal Government.
IwOuld suggest them that the President invite the
requisite number of the most competent men IN the
country to report to him in concise form as pos
sible what has been accomplished during the tTst
century of its national existence in all the different
departments of human activity with which they are
respectively best acquainted giving as far as posi-
bic every result that would be in any meas
ure of our growth in civilization This work might
bs committed to twenty, fifty, or hundred and
fifty persons as circumstances might determine
The greater the subdivision of subjects the more
complete would the inventory of our Republican
assets be likely to prove. TO make my view more
clear will enumerate some of the leading subjects
for such reference:
l. Political Economy and incidentally OF the various
systems Of labor free and serve, wages wealth. credit
aud the financial viessitudes Of the country
Q Law and Jurisprudence national aud International
including our different systems of procedure.
s. Education and Educational Institutions.
A. Religious and Ecclesiastical Institutions
g. Humane and Charitable Institutions.
g. Literature and Typography.
7. TIE Press.
Electricity and Magnetism and their practical adap
tation TO the uses OF society.
The Progress of Art Industry. and Invention as re-
yealed in the Collections at the Patent Office.
TO- The Postal Service and its laws OF growth and per-
lection.
IL. Agriculture
a. Population and the reciprocal Influences Of our
Legislation and Immigration.
Is The Natural Sciences.
a. What has been Accomplished toward Developing
and Utilizing the Mineral Resources OF the Country.
IS Medical Science and incidentally oflOngevity.
le. The Fine Arts.
H. Commerce aud Navigation, Ocean, River and Lake,
and incidentally OF Marine aud Naval Architecture.