The Indianapolis journal., 1886-01-05
'THENEW ORLEANS EXHIBIT.
Indiana at the Exposition of the Arts
and Industries s0fthe Three Americas.
Education Day at New Orleans, with Address
by DR.. Martin-The Industrial and Busi-
ness Resources of the State.

Correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal.
New ORLEANS. Jan. 2-Among the instruct
i've developments of modern civilization are great
exhibitions of the natural productions of the
world, and results OF industry art and science,
az well as their processes and methods OF opera
tion The object is not simply competition and
distribution of prizes. but more especially to
pass in review the points of skill, invention and
artistic genius, so that the products and the de-
yelopment of each country may be indicated and
the higher standards of excellence be placed in
the reach OF all. These great exhibitions began
in London, in 1851. More or less extended ones
have followed in Paris. Vienna, Philadelphia
and elsewhere. The largest, in London, had an
aggregate of buildings that covered 1,400, 600
square feet That in Philadelphia covered 872,-
600. The American exposition at New Orleans
covers $50, O00--being considerably the largest
that has yet taken place.
New Orleans was founded in 1918 by
BIenyille, who, as pioneer and Governor,
started a settlement, near what is now
the French market In 1869 it.
with all Louisiana. was ceded to Spain In 1901
Louisiana, was bought by the United States. At
that time its population was almost 10000. It.
is now estimated at 100000. It is located on
thel left or east bank of the river about one
hundred miles from its mouth. In length it oc
cupies about twelve miles along the river, with
width varying from half mile to three miles
The river opposite the city is about 1000 feet
WIDE and runs from $50 to 200 feet deep. The
geographical and strategic advantages of the city
have from the first been very evident. Its
commercial value as the great entrepot and
depot Of North, Central and South America
ought to be equally obvious, but in fact, has not
been sufficiently recognized, except by the more
enlightened, liberal and enterprising minds.
A few such,. with heroic endeavor, large ex-
penditure of MEANS. and the use of the best
methods suggested by former attempts of the
kind, organized last year the most magnificent
exhibition of American resources and products
the world had ever seen. In common with our
advanced statesmen and economists they recog-
nized the utility of such expositions in promot-
ing the industrial pursuits, encouraging the in
vestment Of capital, attracting immigration and
opening up markets. They realized that
the New South presented q fine field for such
endeavor They hopsd that other progressive
and far-seeing Southerners would ably second
their efforts towards grand; and magnificent
worlds exposition at New Orleans. In some
respects the attempt rivaled, and even excelled
the most successful exhibitions that had ever
been held. The volume and variety of exhibits
was simply amazing In other respects the at
tempt was failure in attaining the objects and
accomplishing the good designed. It is idle to
enumeratei the now well-recognized causes of
this comparative failure Ingcneral the apathy,
may say, shameful indifference, of the great
masses of the peepleinl and about New Orleans;
their want of appreciation of the value and mag
nitude of such an enterprise; their soured and
deep estrangment from other peoples, and even
from their rfellow-countrymen of other sections;
the reflex influence of these and other still more
obvious causes in the way of diminished attend
ance from different sections of the Union, from
adjacent countries, as well as from the South
itself-al tended to make the superb display
less potent than it should have been in securing
the attention of those whose commercial friend
ship andreciprocity Major Burke and the noble
men associated, with him hoped for.
Unwilling to acknowledges defeat, and with
high hearted determination to make the most of
advantages within reach, the parties sub
stantiailyh have reorganized the exposition, and
projected on grand scale an American exposi-
tion--using the word American to embrace the
different nations Of the new world. The
writer CHANGED to meet only a few of
those now identified with the enterprise.
From Maj. S. B. McConnico, president of the
exposition; Col. j. r. G.. Pitkin, commissioner
general; Gen. S.. D. Ansun, commissioner for
specialdays: and especially Capt. A. ~ Palmer.
of the Windsor Hotel, ne was fortunate to find
thatfriendly welcome which always distinguishes
tha genuine and generous Southern gentleman.
Under the efficient direction of these parties and
their coadjutors, a most heroic effort is being
made to recover for New Orleans, and the regions
for which she may be regarded as the open door.
her former prestige as commercial center, and.
to discover aud open up new avenues of trade
and business. It has heen noticed that the trade
Of Mexico, of Central and South America. and
of the West Indies has been practically ignored
as fields for American commerce. meager
share-less, perhaps, than "a per cent.-of the
vast lines of exchange between these and other
countries falls to the United States. In fact,
and with due effort, nearly all of it could, and
with great mutual advantage, enter into
the channels of our trade. The parties
above referred to do not believe there is
any good reason why this should not be. They.
believe that a great American exposition, fol-
lowing insthe wake of the worlds exposition,
wonld be potent factor in promoting this end.
The success of the Eads Jetties in opening and
deepening the mouth of the great river, so that
ships of the heaviest tonnage can come up to
the wharves, the depression, prevailing. through
the country from insufficient trade and other
considerations. led them to regard the present as
an auspicious moment for such an undertaking
In such laudable enterprise they certainly
deserve every encouragement from States occu-
pying the upper region of the great valley. Such
an exposition is the best method of bringing to-
gether the various. natural productions of the
three Americas-North, Central, and South. 1t
is fine exhibition. also, of the best handiwork
of man. Further, it presents inviting fields for
enterprise and capital. In short it is a grand
school OF industry and invention. of CONNER
sial, scientific and aesthetic progress where in.
dividuals and nations may learn lessons that
years of travel and research could not otherwise
secure
But the promotion of friendly and commercial
intercourse between the nations of the new.
world is not the only object of this American ex-
position. Among other things. the enlightened
projectors OF the enterprise, have realized that
the Southern States, as we'll as the countries
south of them, suffer greatly from the backward
state of education among them. They therefore
DESIGNATED a series of days in which it should be
matter of special considera.ion-all of these to
culminate on Saturday. Dec. 26. as the Amer
lean College Day. The design was thought to
DC peculiarly national, International and hemis-
phsrlcai II afforded opportunity for teachers