The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-04-22
OLD VIRGINIA.
a,yy ORIGINAL IDEAS mort TIE
ANCIENT CONNONWF3LTH.

~cycr succeed NTH She ASSERTS Her In
fepcnoo Of the Negro.
Every one knows tlat Virginia is the
,,5c.i State in the Union but 10 is quite
oossihle everybody does not realize That
practically she is as much a frontier com
ronWcalth as was Kansas thirty years
40 Although by location she may
M described IS the key stone state under
tc newly arranged divisions, yet she IS
t,, the sel,arc Of the great producing
,,4 controlling communities by whom
,te i.cn,ir0ncd. No intelligent observer
~, fail 10 sdmit this unwclcome truth,
~r,rdil thinker can do other than re-
,-sf tbr conclusion o. which be must ar
1y. 4 be wil. hut apply his reasoning
i~.,Bitics 90 The facts before US.
And what are these facts In The
sa,tcr OF agriculture, by comparison
gith other States. Virginia is a wilder
..-f This is a startling assertion. but
t.non the Jess true. TO Is scarcely
s.rih wl Ir 60 repeat The wcll-Known
,ol.r..m that al substantial wealth Is
i.r,yei from the pgoircis Of tac soil;
,a.t starting from this solid basis, all
,~coplcs 10 every age of The world have
b.ii un, 10 may be slowly, but steadily,
ID. most enduring autoDOmies and that
..,ems of successful agriculture have
generally brought about the highest and
most conservative social and political
conditions. The reason OF THIS IS OBJ
v.as When q people occupying a Ger
,,fa area OF country have by toll and in
1~sIirent labor subiued that area 10
hair wills. have conquered its nocuous
.nt savage elements by The inlicti0n of
he ~plouehshqrc. the axe, the pruning
trifc. and the tytr-busy subterrancan
,qter drain. and have thereby subsidized
.very inch a. ii- surface 20 the wants Of
nan they have SO far become rich and
pd,o,utrn,. Il matters not under what
.v.f'm OF government This result has been
cached. the fact remains the same. Hav
~ accomplished this much, the next
K.us In the career Of such o people Is 10
.rratc commerce. or trade wiki some
,tfcr power. whereby lis surplus pro-
llC.s are exchanged either for money or
IL rc-prc.entatiyc. Then must follow
manufacturers not only 10 render the
o,0r'e AND government still more ladc-
pendent. but Co give employment 10 ihht
.urr'l- OF population, who are MOI now
.,.lrl 90 work The lands. Hence ham
.e,- villages. towns, and cities, starting
fr.m -m4ll beginnings, become In time
Che centres OF home traffic, furnishing
markets for the extra production az the
sfilieemiug soil Aud now, instead 0ftne
lec,-saues Of life merely, tie willing
arth, saturated with civilization, seems
10 rejoice I'm TO- wealth of luxurious pro
'.c,s. The choicest exotic fruits flourish
where once nONiOCs grOwths furnished
hiding place. for 2 land tecming with
rermin' Rare and beautiful representa-
i,es Of other Climcs appear on the scene
10 excite and cultivate the csihetic tastes
Jlthe community. More than this. In
foe time. growing out of this steady al
vance in which we call civilization, turih-
.rdryelOpments are observed. The ener-
lies of men. leaving TO others the cult
f.t,On Of the soft, seek employment in
The creation Of manufactures. In the
apse Of time even these resources seem
not sufficient for the employment Of mind
and body, and the ingenuity of man is
.axed in order 90 q new creation, q new
production. Hence cOmc the arts and
sciences. the cstheiiC pUr,uitso OF life, until
At last the wilderness We looked upon but
r.-. crdav as compared with the entire lls-
Cory ia nation. has been so metamOrphOa-
A ty the hand If man, beginning with
m 40 the pluW. chat We cannot doubt
.lc approving eve Of the Creator Him
SELF looks with pleasure upon the work
)f bis .reaturc- hands. For if under
stood Alright. thc command % 80 forth
luI -ubiue Tie earth meant JUS, what
has been here SET forth, audnOth NJ else
70 will bee observed. nothing has been
lsid. cNc,p, by inference in regard 90
.he moral and intellectual development
)f man under the successive degrees OF
Improvement 80 hurriedly described
above. To cntcc upon the consideration
Ji this branch of the subject would not
at ID suit The purpose Ne have in view
Let us now apply 20 Virginia in her
present condition the test implied IN
what has been said above. The only
qualification to be made 70 the remarks
10 connection with her d~ilapidaliOn and
poverty is the one %rcOeeiuing fact that
She ha, within herself a venerable and
lm, hOnOrcd social organization, which
happily distinguishes her above compari'
con from those younger commonwealth
lhA, have so far out-siripped her in
physical development It's Of this latter
i0ne We are now speaking, and, after
giving a true picture of Virginia'5 real
condition. we propose to 1raw attention
70 what would appear n remedy for the
evils ,hat noW bcsct her.
SO one can claim that Virginia derives
i,y wealth from the coil. except In a
Tess favored spots where either cattle can
b r-oh,abiy raised, or where a specially
Disc certain kinds of tobacco Or even
cotton can be- cultivated II there DE
'-cl q person. he is the victim Of q sad
itas.0n. lie who even suppOses that
ODE seeming prosperity enjoyed by the
cities and towns Of the State is derived
from The products Of her fields, is under
aise deiusion. These latter live almost
entirely upon the proceeds OF manu-
i%sc,ures, however true it may be that
Their Inhabitants are consumers OF much
1i the products OF the surrounding
country. But II they had to depend upon
Ve agriculture Of the state for their