Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-03-04
The Chamber Of Commerce Benefit.

The Chamber Of Commerce Benefit.
An OLYMPIA audience never lis
tened to more graphic or eloquent
description of the Land OF Flowers"
the objective point for the discovery of
the Fountain of Life by Ponce de
Leon. Florida, than was given by Mr..
jackson, in Olympia Theatcr, Monday
night. And this was not entirely ow-
ing to the subject, although Mr.. Jack
son is agcntlcman of education and ex-
pcricnce, for he was aided 10y views
projected by an excellent stereopticon
under the manipulation of Mr.. La
Roche, an artist of wide reputation.
Nobody could listen To the lecture
and behold the many views OF promi-
ncnt landmarks of the least known of
the States without receiving impress
sions that will cling to the memory
during life, and enable their possessor
to form an intelligent opinion of some
elements which serve to augment
our country's greatness. Waterways
| buildings, cities, orange groves and
historic objects, without number, were
passed in review-whilc the eloquent
gentleman described their nature and
characteristics in language OF scarcely
less beauty. Some idea may be OBJ
tanned of the extent of the fruit crop
of the State by the comparison he
made with the yield of California, mar
vellous as it is. He said that Florida
annually produces 10000 carloads
more of oranges than the entire an
nual fruit product of California.
The lecture with scenes on the Klon-
dixie, Tuesday evening, made up in
wild grandeur for the gentle, humaniz-
ing influences, which were the pre-
dominant trait of the portrayal OF
Florida. 1t could scarcely be more
interesting than the former, although
closer proximity and the glowing de-
scriptions of wonderful strikes cast a
glamour over the land of ice, snow,
rugged mountains, dangerous rivers,
impcnetrable Businesses, where man
eagerly accepts the chance in a thou
sand for success against one in a hun
dred that he may not be manned or
killed in the undertaking. The scenes
Exhibited were from Photographic
views taken by Mr.. La Roche, who has
visited nearly every part of the Alas
kan and the Northwest territories.
The only regretful feature that may
be noted in connection with these en-
tertainments was the utter failure of
the Chamber of Commerce as a body,
and our business men as q class, to
patronize them, although one-half the
proceeds were to 60 to advertising our
local resources and business capabil-
ties. 1t is safe to say that there were
not over half dozen of those inter-
ested gentlemen present at either lee
ture. One of two conditions is true:
Either their business is so brisk and
its volume SO extensive that they have
no time for an hour or two OF recrea-
ton, in which case they have no need
for extending its proportions, or they
have no faith in the means that have
been adopted for inviting trade and
augmenting business, and all effort
might as well cease. The acceptance
OF either horn of the dilemma para
lyzcs all effort, for it arouses opposi-
ton to any scheme for mutual benefit.
Mankind are but grown up children,
retaining many of the traits of child.
hood through life, and nobody who
originates scheme which he imagines
possesses reasonable prospect of sue
cess wants to have it shattered simply
to demonstrate that his judgment was
unsound. Boy-like he waits an oppor-
tunity to humiliate his opponent, and
the time invariably comes for him to
drop the deadly spider ON his neigh.
boris dumping. And SO it goes, and
so the business current rushes past us,
whereby concentrated effort might
possibly divert little of the force to
our own wheel.