Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-10-06
Welcome 70 the Exposition.

welcome 10 n EXPOSITION
Richmond to-day throws wide open her
gates and comes out TO welcome all of her
visitors, whether they be from the neigh
boring counties, from distant parts of the
Commonwealth, from the States around
about us, from farther sections of these
United States or from lands beyond the
seas.
The special object OF interest TO which
abe invites attention is her second Expo
sition (which is to be ~inaugurated this
morning with a trades PARADE, where
many exhibitors will contend for the
prizes TO be offered, and where for three
weeks she expects to have her citizens
constantly mingling with her visiting
friends.
We are at that period Of the year when
the suns rays are genial and ki~ndly-when
they no longer enervste. but exhilarate.
IL is the threshold of Indian summer, be-
loved of the poets, yet appreciated by the
most prosaic, which is without doubt the
most lovely period of all the year, since
il yields the perfection of blue skies and
balmy air; and ii is a season when our
farmers can spare o little time from their
fields 10 come TO Richmond. Hero they
may confidently expect to meet agricultu-
rists from many sections of the State; to
receive the greetings and hospitalIties Of
city kInsmen aud friends; to find pleasure
in the hustle of the streets and IN the
sh~ow-windows Of the stores; to renew
their acquaintance with Richmond's his
toric objects, and. above all, to find at
the Exposition not only'a wonderful e1-
hibit. but that agreeable excitement which
belongs to great crowds OF pleasure
seekers.
For all such people Richmond will be q
very attractive place to-day and during
the next three weeks; while for Others
who have fewer opportunities TO visit us
there is a special harvest of pleasure to be
reaped in roaming about the localities
made historic by ASSOCIATION with the first
English settlers in America and with the
two greatest wars which have occurred on
this continent. Standing at her open
gates, Richmond invites all the world to
come to see her and to Join her in making
her streets n scene Of gaYety and her Ex-
position a success.
Our Exposition is o State affair, but
Richmond is the most important factor IN
it. She has furnished much money and
many men to make it a success, and what
is more she has undertaken to give ecidt TO
the opening dag by a trades parade, which
will at once advertise her own numerous
industries, give impressiveness to the oc-
casion, and furnish a collection of exhibits
which may easily be transferred from the
floats where they will appear to-day to APP
propriate places in the Exposition halls.
This parade will necessitste a general
holiday in Richmond to-day. For the
masses work will be impossible. Not only
will there be hundreds of floats in line to
bewitch the public eye, but there IS to DO
an escort of military, police, mounted cIti-
zens. &c, with bands of music and all the
other a-ccompaniments Of pomp and glory.
Under such circumstances work Is we'll
nigh impossible.
1t is to be expected that our city mill
tary will appear to unusual advantage, ln-
asmuch as oil the branches of service have
of late been very successful IN getting new
recruits and both officers and men have
manifested an extraordinary interest In
drills and inspections. So we have the
promise Of O handsome procession, in
which both men and manufactures will
claim the attention of the beholders.
The committeeman who visited our
manufacturers in the interest of the
trades parade werequite astonished at the
variety of goods which they found manu-
featured in this city. We all know some
thing about what u large manufactures
are doing, but we ore not so well advised
as to the output of the hundreds OF small
factories and shops. We predict that in
this respect quite certainly the parade of
to-day will be a revelation to our own peo-
pie, especially to those who neglect to read
the 1st-of-January statistics and who leave
TO tho newspapers and TO the trade or
PLANTATIONS of Richmond the sole duty of
proclaiming the progress Of the city.
The parade is Richmond's own enter
prise. but she will be held responsible
also for the success of the Exposition, for
without her it cannot fulfil expectations.
SO we must not only do all that we are
asked to do for it, but more. In no way,
however, can we so well promote its sue
cess as by giving welcome to visitors and
by making their stay here agreeable. The
friends that we thus make will be our
friends for life. SO let US be generous in
hospitality. and attentive to the comfort
and pleasure of those who accept our in
vitation and enter our gates.