Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-11-27
Letter from Virginia.

| Nez Letter from Virginia.
| We publish below some extracts from
two letters published in the Galloway
Gazette, Fulton county, Missouri, writ
ten by the Hon. Robert McPheeters, Of
Concord, Me-, whilst on recent trip to
Staunton and Lexington. They will be
found interesting toour readers as show
ing how our Valley impresses strangers,
who have been brought up among the
prairies of the West. The writer, is a
descendant of the MePheters, Dunlap
and Mckee families of Augusta and
Rockbridge,& and recently represented
his county in the State Legislature,
STAUNToN, VA, Oct. 16, 1877.
That which. perhaps, more than any
thing else, strikes visitor from west
ern state upon entering Virginia, is the
entire absence of that improvement and
developnlent-that spirit of change that
cfaracterlzes the Western States. Here
everything has an old look. The roads
are the same they were fifty years ago.
The towns have an old look-the farms
have an old look-the houses have an
old look-the everlasting hills have an
old look-the entire country has an old
look have scarcely seen since en-
tered the State new house, new fence
or newly cleared acre of ground. This
generation are content with the country
as their fathers left it to them-content
to live in the houses their fathers lived
into cultivate the acres their fathers
| tilled,to plow around the hill-sides in
the same way their fathers did years and
years ago. This, at least, is the impress
sion made upon me by what have seen
since have been in the state. There
are goodly number of negroes in this
part Of the state, though, perhaps,s . not
so many as before the war or just after
it, These. like the negroes of Missouri,
are principally gathered about towns
and cities, and are considered very un-
reliable as farm hands, though the farm
ers have, in great measure, to rely
upon them. In politics they generally
go with the Republican party, though
many ofthem. 4 understand, voted with
the Democratic party at the last cleo
| ton.
Virginia Is upon the eve of a state elee-
tion at the present time. but the princi-
pal issue is local one, for OF against re-
pudiating the old state debt. This debt
was incurred before the war In building
railroads, and other Improvements, and
is universally regarded as a just debt
The advocates of reputation claim that
since the debt was made the state has
been forcibly disrupted, West Virginia
great portion of their property has
been forcibly taken from them, and
their means of paying the debt very
materially lessened-that the bulk of the
bond holders were strong supporters of
the power that destroyed their property
that in good morals the power that
took away their property should pay
their debts-that the state is utterally
unable in its present condition to pay
the debt and that the bondholders must
look to the power that bankrupted them
for their pay. The other side say that
they accepted the issues Of war and must
abide the result, that the bondholders
had nothing to do with the war-that
they loaned the state their money upon
the plighted faith of the state-that the
debt is an honest debt, and as hanest
men they are bound to pay it-that the
hitherto proud history of the state must
not now be sullied by dark chapter on
reputation. So far as I have heard an
expression of opinion, the large major
ity of the people in this part of the state,
with honor to them be it said, are Bit
terly opposed to repudiatlon. For the
present, understand, Democrats and
Radicals have alike forgotten their par
ty lines, and make only the one issue in
the canvass.
In regard to educational matters am
persuaded that Virginia is sadly behind
many of her sister states. 1t is true she
has many noble institutions of learning
institutions that have been and are an
honor to the state-and would be an
honor to any state. Yet in respect to a
common school education-the educa-
tion of the masses, she is sadly behind.
The Legislators of the state have seen
this and are trying to remedy it by a
system of free public schools. But the
system has not gotten into good working
order. Many of the well-to-do citizens
still resort to their private schools, whilst
a large number of the poorer class still
doggedly refuse to avail themselves of
the privileges of the free schools. Hence
in many neighborhoods, no offort what
ever, is made to keep up public school.
The above reflection are based upon but
very limited observation of my own,
and upon information derived from but
few of the citizens of the state, and I
hope upon a fuller investigation may
be able to modify them somewhat.
Staunton Is place of about 5000 in
habitants. It is situated about midway
between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge
ranges of mountains-both ranges being
in full view 1t has a good agricultural
country around it and has the advan-
tages of two railroads. The central or
business portion of the city is rather
solidly built, whilst in the suburbs are
many beautiful residences with hand
some and tastefully arranged yards and
flower gardens. Here are located the
State Lunatic Asylum and the State
Institution for the education of the Deal
and Dumb and the Blind. The grounds
about the asylums are the most beauti-
full | have ever seen. Not SO beautiful
in their natural location, but in the taste
and skill with which they have been
improved. The asylum is not all mass
ed together in one building, but consists
ofa number of separate buildings, sepa.
rated by shady yards, and connected by
covered pass-ways running through
these yards. thought as looked upon
the delightful shady glens--the heauti
full walks running here and there firing.
ed with the most beautiful shrubbery
and rare and most beautiful flowers, thai
if there was place on earth where rea'
son conld be wooed back to her deserted
throne that surely this was the place
There are, believe, seven buildings
used for hospital purposes and one new
building in course of fconstruction. The
number of patients in attendance at pre
sent is 375. When the new building il
completed they can accommodate from
75 to 100 more. 7 only visited or I
halls, but found these all neat and tidy
and things generally conducted as at oul
asylum.
From the Lunatic Asylum I visited
the Deafand Dumb and Blind Institu-
te. Here, if anything. the grounds wer,
more beautiful than at the Lunatic Asy
lum:: There was one large and fou,
small fountains in operation. They cas-
the water to highth of some 20 or 8
rect when it would fall in beautiful
showers into the basins at the foot of tn