The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-09-20
NORTH CAROLINA, PAST AND PRESENT.
RALEIGH, n. c.. Aug. 8.

NORTH CAROLINA. PAST AND PRESENT.
RALEIGH, N. c.. Aug. 8.
When the cotton exposition was
held in Atlanta two years ago. the
legislature of Georgia refused to
make an appropriation to pay for an
exhibition Of the States products. and
this refusal has frequently been quo
ted as an evidence of legislative stu
pidity and southern ignorance of the
benefit Of advertising. And it has
been quoted somewhat unfairly, for
the New England people who had the
pleasure of going to Atlanta last year
will bear witness that the Georgians
did themselves proud. Before any
man in Boston allows himself to draw
q too sweeping conclusion about the
southern ignorance Of the benefit of
advertising, let him surprise himself
by visiting the space in the Boston
exposition, which has SO kindly been
given to the State of North Carolina.
The legislature last winter, at the in.
vitatiOn of the directors of the expo
sition, made generous appropriation.
The commissioner of agriculture
promptly called on the people to send
specimens of their handlwork. and
Especially specimens of the products
of the earth, from diamonds and
pines (which are our jewels) to sweet
potatoes and medicinal herbs (Which
cause and crue our groans.) They
responded with an alacrity which did
them credit, and with a generosity
which takes from the advertisement
of the States resources all hint of
personal gain. There are more valu-
able and useful products of the for
est, of the bowels Of the earth, and of
the soil, in the collection that has
been sent than any other State in
the Union can show. Merely as a
curiosity it is worth an examination.
This brave old declivity from Mt.
Mitchell to Hatteras was used by
Nature-so trustworthy legend
runs-as a garden of experiment.
She planted here all things that were
fair and useful, and sent seeds and
cuttings to the other parts of the con-
tinent for. whatever will grow any
where else grows now somewhere
here.
| ZEAL FOR DEvELoPMENT.-B
this is an old story and mere pleas
antry to boot. For two centuries the
world has known, or ought to have
known, of the versatility of this soil
and of the variety ofits natural riches.
Now, however. new purpose has
taken the place of the old, and in
stead of talking longer about our nat.
ural wealth, men are eager to devel-
iop it. Nor is it only the few men
whose pleasure or whose profit it is
to talk that are eager for the devel-
opment of the States resources. 1t
is the dominant desire of the citizens
of the State from one end to the
other. The prime bindrance Of great.
er prosperity. of education, OF the
building of railroads. of the establish
ment of manufactures, of the crea-
ton and utilization of wealth, and of
the general quickening of this ancient
civilization, has been the lack of a
more dense population. No country
with so few people in it has ever been
more prosperous. and it would be dit
|ficult to point out another State,
which, with so little money, has done
so much as North Carolina has done
since 1865, The population Of the
/ whole State in 1880 was l, 1855 OF
whom, 531,277 we're negroes, and the
area is '48, $50 square miles. Twenty
eight persons to the square mile is
such asparse population. that if every
man, woman and child old enough to
cry were stationed equidistant from
one another on calm day, not every
one could hear the voice of his near
est neighbor yet few would cry out
lover soil that would not give en-
ployment, food. raiment and homes
to dense and thrifty people. Be-
sides, for all the uses of Independent,
F endeavor, nine.tenths of the blacks
may be left out of the calculation. Il
is no wonder, therefore, that the civ
ilization of to-day is not radically
other than the civilization of hun
dred years ago in most parts of the
! State. Without markets Or sufficient
, methods of transportation; without
, capital or facilities for combination
which communities that have CONNER
cial tension enjoy, it is Impossible
for the people even to get the ful
> fruits of their own labor. What they
! need and what they desire is men ant
money. ...-
q But neither men nor money goe
= to Improbable places. That boil
. may come here with profit the exhib
it in Boston is intended to prove. 1
. a million industrious people from
: New England were to come to thu
: State within the next five years, ever,
! family bringing only enough none.
!, to buy few acres of land or to Sc
in motion SIMPLE and useful machin
|ery to work the raw material tina
lies unwrought within profitable use
they could find permanent home
II and become independent; and the1
d coming would make the million tha
ll:.,o boro ,ou told moro nrnanQ1