The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1900-01-20
Lana YETZE I/WG
ONWARD.

The Lafayette papers are jubilant
over the success of Lafayette in Sc
curing the location Of the State In
dustrial School for Southwest Louis
lana. For great many years back
it has been customary IN many sec
tons of the State to look upon La
fayette as an old fashioned non pro-
gressive community which was a
hundred years behind the times.
The unparalleled pluck which she
displayed IN giving 100000
bonus to secure the location of an
educational institution will utterly
dispel all such notions and will
certainly put TO shame many much
larger towns which have heretofore
affected to look down upon wha,
they were pleased to style her
primitive ways We know of no
such progressive spirit displayed by
any other town in the South of
twice the size of Lafayette, and we
arc quite sure that the money spent
in securing this enterprise will be
found to be the most profitable
investment Lafayette has ever made.
Her public spirit in this matter
reflects credit not only upon the
progressive population of lafayette
but upon the State as well, inasmuch
as it shows the interest which the
people in the entire State feel in the
cause of progressive education. BY
reason of her location, the mag
nifcent country by which she is
surrounded and the facilities which
she possesses for transportation, La
fayette is destined in the near future
to take her place in the front rank
of progressive Southern towns, and
this generous act of hers will go a
long ways towards focalizing the
eyes of the country upon her. 1t is
by long odds the handsomcst and
best paying advertisement which
any town in Louisiana has ever
invested in, an the coed people Of
that fine old town are to- be
congratulated upon the splendid
object lesson they have given to
other more pretentious towns in this
and other States.
The foregoing article is from the
pen of our friend, Mr.. Will Chcvis,
the able editor Of the Baton Rouge
Advocate. The neat and, we be-
iieve, deserved compliment paid
our town, is very much appreciated.
AS our contemporary truthfully
remarks, years ago Lafayette was an
old fashioned town where the moss
back pursued the even tenor Of his
way, unhindered by the elements Of
progress. Moss grew luxuriantly
on the corner-post. the bobolink
nursed it's young in the gardens, the
cheerful notes of the festive lark
rang out melodiously in the am
brent air and softened the harsh
tones of the batrachian band play
ing its twilight serenade down in the
time-honored village pond. Then
the mossback reveled in rustic
monarch Of all he sur
veyed; happy within himself and
at peace with his narrow world, his
mind was restful and his heart was
overjoyed.
But the locomotiv came along
That great pioneer Of progress made
its influence felt. The town dotted
the hoary garments of inactivity
and lethargy and lost no time in
the more attractive habili-
ments of progress. Mossbackism
fingered a while, then silently with
drew from the strife for more con-
genial environments and men with
public spirit and modern ideas came
to the front. The town moved on
at good and steady gait, KEEP, up in
the race with surprising speed and
soon outstripped its more preten-
tious neighbors.
Lafavette's prosperity has not
been Of an ephemeral character.
Its growth has been substantial and
its steady advancement has been
based upon solid ndations.
There has been no inflated boom,
but the town has grown because of
its splendid location and superior
advantages and it is not to be won
dereG at that when the citizens
abandoned policy of inaction and
more intelligent methods
the town took its place among II e
communities of the
State.