Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1900-11-30
The Matter With Virginia.

nia!' inquiries the Norfolk Nlrglniau
Pilot giving figures to show that
North Carolina has rosstdus in the
census report, having in ten years
gained 5000 more population than
we did.
The first Thing the matter with
Virginia, esteemed contemporary, is
that in the past we have refused to
acknowledge that anything was the
matter. We have come along with
our calm sense of superiority and
invincible satisfaction and have
let other States, South and North,
run by US.
Another thing the matter with Vir-
GINA is that in every community we
have a number of most estimable and
lovable gentlemen who died in 1865
and yet continue to walk around and
exert influence. They stopped think
ing in that year and concentrated
their fine faculties on remembering.
They are more interested in some
disputed point of battle of the Civ
ii War than in any proposition look
ing to the building Of new factory
or railroad.
We have fingered fondly in an in
dian summer of dreams and memo
ries, our associates the traditions of
beautiful but vanished past; and
while we were there the people in
North Georgia aud Western North
and South Carolina have pushed
right into the living and strenuous and
booming present They have learn
ed to think to the last minute of the
last day they are living in and are
in touch with the newest and Invest
ideas there are. They have put away
old prejudices and narrowness and
down to ground scufiling, man against
man, brain against brain. They
have become q thoroughly and prac-
teal modern people and have learned
about thrift and push, about adver-
Using and making every edge cut and
watching for opportunities and TAX
ing swift and prompt advantages of
them.
The city of Atlanta, for instance,
has far outstripped Richmond in
growth. We confess that to us the
city of Atlanta is city of ambitions
because it has, we think, borrowed
and faithfully initiated the most vi
cious qualities of Northern CONNER
cial life, but it is not necessary to do
that to be modern and thoroughly
up-todate. We can learn to value
and respect the dollar and to be alert
and relentless in persuit of it without
surrendering anything of honor or
manhood OF individuality. To be
modern it is not at all necessary to
be vulgar.
Virginia has an enormous equip
ment of brains and character and
talent and natural resources. The
matter with her is partly that too
much of this has been diverted to
unproductive uses. 1t has gone into
oratory and politics md pitiful but
heroic efforts to make new conditions
bend themselves to old methods
which can't be done.
1t seems that what Virginia needs
is to put the past down into our
hearts aud out of our heads and lives
and to swing right into the process.
sion. The State used to be a power
but 1t was not by her brains alone,
but IN great measure by her con-
servative wealth and strength. Her
wealth almost grew OF itself then,
but it must be made now; and wealth
power for communities as for indi- 1
viduals. The fine contempt for the
spirit and for the pursuit |
OF which We yet see and hear
a good deal means stagnation
and retrogression. We may send
orators and statesmen to Congress
and maintain the most exclusive and
delightful social conditions and
dream the most exhalted dreams and
keep the highest of standards, but
we will fall into weakness and ineffi
cheney SO long as we drag along |
losing position among the States in |
comparative population and wealth.
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