Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-02-25
Some Comments ON Mr.. Armistead Cor.
don's Book of Staunton.
BY THOMAS P. GRAsTY.

A few years ago all Christendom was fairly
flooded with fulsome euIogies of W estern town
in the shape of pamphlets and "hand-books,"
the effect of which. to thoughtful readers
was generally enormously discounted by the
fact that neatly every statement "bore upon
its face the persuasive odors ofits own improb'
ability" Another serious. aye. semi.suicidal.
feature OF that alleged descriptive literature
arose from the ia ct that its authors were, with
exceeding rare exceptions, mere comp1lers OF
stereotyped phrases and glittering generalities.
Nevertheless, despite all drawbacks and all
defects, 1t was the distribution of these scrap
book descriptions, coupled with extensive
newspaper advertising, that built up Mime
apolls. st. Paul. Omaha. Kansas City and
score of minor Western towns, but landed. sew
eral millions ofindustrious tillers OF the soil
on the surrounding blizzard-stricken prairies.
The contrast between the crude work OF FIVE
or ten years ago. when the West was sin the
saddle" and some of the exQuisitely artistic
work now being done by certain progressive
Southern towns, Is a matter tor special con-
graduation, in that it shows that at least some
Of the managers OF Southern enterprises are
acting on the principle that 1.-The best is al
ways the cheapest" Mr.. M. Erskine Miller,
the man who has "burnt the bridge behind
manufacturing city as well as an educational
and social center, has. In the matter of ltera-
ture as In most other matters he has applied
himself to succeeded in bringing, out the most
admirable descriptive pu olication ever issued
in America, the chief merit of which lies not
in the illustrations, which are very beautiful
an true, not In the paper and binding, which
are of the highest order, but in the literary ex.
cellence of the description ITSELF And herein
lay Mr.. Miller's sagacity-that he secured the
very best man in Virginia to write the story
of Staunton, namely, Armistead G. Gordon.
Esq, whose name is a familiar one to maya.
zine readers everywhere.
There are few towns anywhere with more
attractive environments than Staunton-still
fewer with SO many advantages alike from a
manufacturing and commercial and home-
seeking standpoint. Mr.. Gordon has written
of it without fulsomeness. without exaggera.
ton, in that simple charming way which In
terests the reader and at the same time carries
conviction to his heart. The illustrations are
from photographs by Berkeley. and therefore
artistic and true; but Gordon's description is
just as true as are Berkeley's pictures.
Ihave said so much of this publication not
alone because it ought to be in every ones
hands, but because 1t shows how profitable a
plan 1t is to have only the best. Many town
has suffered more harm than it has got advan.
tage from lame attempts at description. There
are few real poets. fewer real humorists and
fewer still masters of description. A town
had better pay thousand dollars for good
article than to be paid that amount for bad
one with publication as part of the consider
alton.
The price of ''Staunton. Va; Its Past. Present
and Future. )" in cloth. is one dollar, postpaid;
in paper cover. free. Address M. Erskine Mil
Ter. who is president of the development com.
pany.