The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1902-05-30
Philadelphia 1876 Charleston 1902

on the morning Of the 10Th with face
turned towards the Charleston an,
West Indian Exposition, and it is ;
little remarkable that three Of tn,
party should have been together to on
first effort at an international eXposi-
ton, which was held i'm the city o
Philadelphia just 26 years ago. som,
frost has been gathering upon thos'
heads since then, but none Of the old
time relish for sight seeing has gone
and | dare say that no other trio of hu
man beings could extract more Of gen.
uine satisfaction out Of just such an
outing.
We travelled 10y the Seaboard Ain
Line from Richmond to Columbia, and
from that point to Charleston, via the
Southern. The service for resting, eat
ing and seeing was simply magnificent,
and instead Of WEAKNESS, strength was
renewed a. we went on our way,
appettes sharpened, interest quick
ened mile after mile, so that when we
reached our destination we were ready
for the initial scene in the unfold
ing panorama.
1t is not TO be wondered at that so
many people nova days are on the
90 since going is made so easy.
Our first surprise was felt at Column
bia, where we expected to find a
city built on sand and rising from a
level plain but instead we learned that
just there in the great bygone, nature
got a hump on and then blushed at the
freak. For hundreds Of miles around
the country is dead level and sandy.
but Columbia rests on more than one
hill and the soil is as red as red can be-
Hurrying through the city we had
only passing glimpses Of the capitol Of
the State, an imposing structure and
just now undergoing extensive repairs
What shall | say Of historic and hon
ored Charleston? This first, it is abso.
luiely unique. There is no other
Charleston in all the land and none
like her. | did not notice smoke
stack in town, nor machine shop, nor
man who looked like mechanic.
nor heavy drays. nor large warehouses.
nor did hear the stroke Of hammer.
nor ring Of the anvil, nor the music Of
the saw, but did find city Of 10000
people, cheerful, hopeful, courteous and
polite 10 strangers. did find harb0r
equal 10 that Of our own Hampton
Roads, public building a. imposing a.
those Of much larger places, stores ar
tislic and attractive, churches worthy
a religious people, homes Of elegance
and refinement, hotels Of modern com
forts and convenences, parks Of be-
witching beauty, surrounded by sum
mer resorts touched 10y sea breezss and
bouncing pillows, a street car service Of
finest sort, pure water from cistern and
artesian well, and a resting place for
the dead so beautiful that DER every
grave seems to be written: Dead though
not forgotten.
L said Charleston was unique, and
so it l.. Imagine every dwelling in
farmville turned about so that not one
Of them fronted on streets, but each
and every one presented an end-yiew
and you have some conception of
homes. They have been
faced, not so much to present impos-
ing appearances, as to catch the sea
breezes, and with their long and alto
gether charming piazzas, this they do
grandly and well. Here the families
and flowers live much Of winter and |
all Of summer, and here our party
spent some Of the most delightful mo- !
ments Of a most delightful visit.
or course, we sailed right under the |
walls Of Fort Sumpter, ana here an
other surprise was in store for Us.
The world-famed spot didn't look much
arger than Farmville garden, and /
iOubt if it contains more than three
acres.
Standing on the deck Of steamer
n that well nigh august presence and
,azing first on Fort Moultrie, and then
where Jasper hosted the flag i'm teeth
# shot aud shell, and then where
)ixie-daring delivered its first shot
md recalling the capture and the ob.
innate and successful holding on to ii
or four long bloody years, lifted my
lat to the honored past, and felt thrill
4 new pleasure to remember that the
nen who made this respendent his
DRY were my fellow-countrymen.
And what of the exposition A
plendid success and the courage and
he patience and the energy and the
ope necessary to its accomplishments
re worthy Of the noble people who
'on the industrial victory. The site is
zeal. A level plain, surrounded on
"o sides 10y salt water, and dotted
nth the most magnificent live oaks
ever expect to see. The landscape
ardener had been at work on the
rounds, the Government and some of
ne STATES had huIlf apnr,rri.to .,.,,.