Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-07

II the two Houses of the virginia zen
raj Assembly appropriate fifty thousand
tollars for the collection and exhibition
# srecinens of Virginia products at ST
1cuis this State ought to be greatly ad-
Ean;aged
One OF the opponents Of this movement
has declared that there is no occasion
Tor us TO make this expenditure, because
Virginia is well-known the world over"
n one sense-in q historical sense-that
is true. but otherwise. with many peo-
ple. profound ignorance on the subject
prevails. There Is a widespread opinion
that ours is a realm of tombs and bat
tlefeIds; a land of broomsedge fields and
6ne old mansions gone into decay
Our population. these people fooiish'y
imagine, consists chiefly OF white men
sho sit on worm fences and squirt tobac-
20 luce and negroes who dance and play
The banjo. day and night OF industrial
Virginia they know nothing. CT the min
eral wealth OF Virginia they may have
heard something. yc, they have but a
vague idea as to the division lines be
tween the old State and the new. In
short. they don't know which is which.
Yes; it is a fact that outsiders know
gerry little of industrial Virginia. And
the fault is ours. not theirs. Other States
nave been using tremendous energy and
,penGing large sums OF money to adver-
Use themselves Maryland to the north
# us West Virginia and Kentucky
no
md above all. North Carolina
% the south. have left no stone unturned
% make the world acquainted with their
resources. Meanwhile we have been do
ing nothing, that is, nothing like what we
should have done.
At Chicago the So. 600 State appropra-
tor was mostly spent in reproducing the
Mount Vernon home and in paying the
rrenses OF the commissioners. AT Buff
.alo we did well in parading on Virginia
lay. and some good practical speeches
oerc made on that occasion. but our ex-
.ibit was ridiculous. The story was
,bou the same al Charleston. In neither
That the Mount Vernon house was one
If the attractions at Chicago is unde-
liable And ii was a great rallying place
tor persons of Virginlan descent. but
shen the crowds came on the grounds
re soon learned that it cut no figure with
business men. with intending settlers or
With the captains of Industry.
Mich to our modification we found an
idea was quite prevalent that ne didn't
,sre to advertise ourselves as a wide-a-
rake and up-to-date commonwealth OF
aard working men and women
II the SIS 600 there spent had been In
rested in creating the nucleus OF real
exhibition to be permanently maintained
here at Richmond and to be sent hither
anu ttither to expeditions. as needed.
ou- condition to-day would be far su-
ptrior to what 4, Is
The Dispatch mournfuliy acknowledges
lts share of responsibility for these errors,
we want 1t charged off with all of the
other errors of our youth. We want TO
see the State do better now. We should
like to see littie-mighty lttle-of the
Appropriation asked for expended on
commissioners. Too many commissioners
ought not TO be appointed-on State ac-
count; Let the number be moderate the
material excellent. the cost small. Work
ers will be needed. Ornaments we shall
nave 20 try TO do without
Yes: the hulk of our money ought to
60 into the creation of an exhibition and
III transporting II from Richmond to St
Louis and back Our collection must be
taken there and put up IN the buildings
devoted to agriculture fisheries metal
lt.fgr. etc. Observe that we shall first
have 10 gather the exhibits here at Rich
n'oaa: then forward them to ST. Louis:
then have them displayed In TIE day and
guarded at night. and at last brough,
back 10 Virginia.
If nifty thousand dollars be voted ey-
cry cent Of Il Will be needed for essentials:
but in return we shall have gotten an
advertisement that will do Virginia much
good. and we shall have laid the founda
con OF permanent exhibit: an exhibit
70 be preserved at Richmond and drawn
upon thenccfor.h whe: needed for State.
national or international expositions