Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-08-07
ANOTHER CENTENNIAL.
The One Hundrsdth Anniversary OF The
Celebration OF The Inaugural OF The
First President To Be ceebrat-
cd With Great Eciat.
To The chronicle /:

tion OF the first president in 1889 is
gathering sure weight and momentum.
Many senators and members favor it,
and encouraging assurances OF CO.
operations have been received from
every part OF the Union. 1t is propos-
ed to make this national celebration
prelude to the commemoration OF the
grandest event in the annals OF time
the discovery Of the new world by
Christopher Columbus, the four hun
dredth anniversary OF which will be in
1892, In view of the magnitude and
sublimity OF the enterprise, it cannot
be said that its promoters have begun
too early to survey its dimensions, to
lay its foundations in the popular
heart, to sketch its superstructure, and
even to plan the details OF its installa-
ton.
1t is proposed that the celebration
shall take the form of a Worlds Fair,
and the situation most favored is the
flats south OF the white house, covering
an area of three hundred acres, and, as
it were, in the midst of the city.
The shape Of Washington may be
roughly described as that OF a crescent
with its horns resting on the Potomac
the right at Georgetown, the left at the
Arsenal. Between these two horns lie
the fats, bounded on the west by the
river, and on the north, east and south
by the naval observatory, the war, state
and navy department, the white house,
the treasury, the Smithsonian institu-
ton and the national museum. In the
midst stands Washington's Monument,
the highest structure in the world
From every part of the grounds may be
seen the towering capitol of the United
States, and, for background, are the
evergreen hills of Arlington on the
right bank of the Potomac. Never
have nature, art and history done &c
much to make an exposition great and
q celebration sublime. At the centen
NAL exposition in 1876, and at Paris in
1873, it was necessary to travel on an
average about three miles before the ex'
position grounds could be reached
Here no part OF the city will be more
p +. . .H
than mile and half from tire exposi
sition, and the greater part will no
be farther than a half mile. Here or
the very confines of the proposed stu
alton are museums, the Corcoran Ar
Gallery, and the finest specimens OF ar
chitecture in the world. In othel
words, there is here already perma
nent exposition, and the promoters o
the great enterprise find the work hal
finished TO their hands.
The enterprise is one of infinite pos
sibility. There is strong sentimen
in favor of making the exposition per
manent-an exhibition at the Nationa
Capital year in and year out, of tht
products and resources and industrial
progress OF each of the several state
and territories Of the union and no
only OF the states and territories, blu
of the governments of the three Amer
icas, forming in the aggregate vas
panoramic display of the art, scienc,
and agriculture, the native wealth an,
skilled industries, the varied ethnolog
ical phases and the civilized develop
ment OF the Western Hemispheres.
The magnitude of the results thu
sought to be reached surpasses all pre-
vious conceptions Of a similar charac
ter, yet the practicability OF the schem
is easily comprehensive, and its ex
pense within the bounds OF simple bust
ness computation, it being understood
that the general government will gran
the use Of the necessary grounds an
contribute its own valuable collection
to the enrichment OF the great interna
tional exhibit.
The states and territories co-operat
ing in the project, either singly or il
groups, would merely be called upon
erect such buildings, for their own oc
cupation, as immediate needs might re
quire. The cost to each. in view OF tn
accruing advantages, would be scarcel
more than that of an ordinary Stat
fair. Foreign governments participat
ing in the exposition would Of cours
have their separate departments an
the necessary space allotted to them
The government at Washington, hay
ing general supervisory direction {
the whole, would add from time t
time such aids and accessories as tn
growth OF the country and the develop
ment of the enterprise might suggest.
So simple in its details, SO capable {
realization without any extravagant e1
penditure, yet Of such infinite po'