The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-06-04

Some friends at the Convention
asked me 10 write about my visit to
Mr.. George Vanderbilt's chateau.
One lovely lady whom 1 have known
for years, in whose party was on the
ride to the millionaire estate, de-
clared she would memorizc what l
might write and use it as her dcscrip-
ton of the visit. That was rash
statement, and l hereby absolve her
from her promise. She has much
better command Of adjcctvcs Of the
plessanter sort than |, and only ad-
jectives and an active Imagination can
describe the Vanderbilt estate.
And my poor Imagination is run
down, worked out by days Of hard
pressed actions. The scenery is
splendid on the Biltmorc property,
but so is it elsewhere. The hand Of
the artisan. encouraged by the purse
of the millionaire, has worked Won
dcrs. but so has it in the cities The
distinguishing feature Of the beauties
Of the Bil;morc estate seems to be
that art has taken hold Of nature in
her virgin lovclincss and spent money
and effort with lavish hand, so as to
show off the possibilities Of the two
when they are properly united in we'd
lock. Mr.. Vanderbilt had plenty Of
money with which to do this lie
seems to have made it fad. lie
spent his millions for the chateau, /
suppose, about as I would spend few
dollars in erecting a shack for an out
ing after the fnny tribe in the noun
tain streams. 1t is certain that it was
of no greater relative cost to him than
my shack would be to me. Perhaps
he had been to Europe and looked
with greeneyed jealousy on the old
piles Of buildings in which titled
aristocracy abides, and thought he
must start up ountcr-demonstratio
in the Republic.
Anyhow, Mr.. Vanderbilt did the
thing, and the deed has made him a
wonderful reputation. Every paper
has spent ink and space on it; every
body has talked about it. For the
confusing of persons Of critical and
socialistic words ancnt the expendi
ture involved, casuists have arisen to
show how it is a good thing for Mr..
Vanderbilt to spend those surplus
millions in an effort to make himself
a snug retreat in the mountains. And,
indeed, if it costs Mr.. Vanderbilt
some millions Of dollars to buy piece
of land and erect little home where
he may modestly retreat from the din
of city life, the heat Of summer, and
the bite Of the mosquito, whose busi
ness is it? He is great man, says
she world. Behold prince. Let us
shout his name with acclaim. Let US
visit his estate in a hired carriage,
and ride over the ten miles Of magni
fcent driveways and look with open
eyed wonder. Let US clandestinely
take green leaf from one of the ten
hundred thousand trees we pass on
the estate, watching for the guard
meanwhile, and take it home that we
may preserve it's powder when it is all
dried up, and say to our less favored
friends "Sec, got this on Mr.. Van
derbilt's estate, when by his special
invitation I made visit to his cha
teau."
Thus sayeth the world; and thus
did we. So I have very little heart to
fight the world for it's foolishness, and
just now not near enough energy. 1t
seemed to me that every one Of the
thousands of Convention visitors took
the drive over the Biltmore premises.
Mr.. Vanderbilt or his agent had made
some special concessions in allowing
the grounds to be open for the visi
tors, and we went
1t is four or FIVE mile drive from
the heart Of Asheville. Yuu cuter
the grounds by the side Of the lovely
Swannanoa river, and drive down its
bank for a while toward where its
crystal waters unite with those Of the
French Broad. Then your carriage
way bends to the left am,i you begin
on perfect road, gradual ascent, so
gentle that it is scarcely rerceptiblc,
and for two miles you pass through
scenes of sylvan lovclines> Oaks,
mountain pines, che>,puls, laurel, all
kinds of wild flowers, grow in profu-
sion. but always with IL certain artis-
tic propriety. For Mr. Vanderbilt
has number Of men salaried for the
explicit purpose Of rectfying Natures
errors. and making more nrnnuunccd