The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-19
7,s Valley Of Virginia the Diadem
in the Crown.
LAND OF POETRY AND DREAMS.
Scenes of Beauty and the Air Like WING
II Has Its Blessings and Its Curses.
High and Low Caste, and Many
Of Its Own Pecuarities.
written Tor The Times.)

that axe weather., where there is ,rare
money in circulation. and where life Is
more strenuous. but tho beautifri Val
ley of Virginia is the gen, bailiwick Of
the Old Dominion. The air there is ike
vine and the scenery is the scenery OF
land OF poetry and dreams. On either
eide stretch huge mountains their line.
stone aanks verdant with timber. Great
cssges fal! down to the lowlands casting
1'e1' shadows across the deep. quiet
hoi.ows where li,npid waters kiss NOISY
rocks and flash like diamonds in the
occasional sunlight
From the top Of one Of these noun
talns ono may rest his eyes upon vistas
that surely are reflections OF paradise.
ne loot hills. green and grassy. touch
the rocky ridges and stretch In countless
fluctuations to Were they battle their
feet in the sinuous river. There are thou
sands OF cutie upon the hills, and
. through the crystal air one may count
thousand happy homes They dor the
Hills and holiows, they gem the meadows
and plains. The valley is criss-crossed
With golden streams that are tangled
like ribbons among the sseternal hills.
Everywhere crawl ther lazy country
roads. They loiter by the woodlands;
they coil about tie hills; they wind along
the creeks: they plunge uncertainty
through the hollows. disappearing in
the forests and reappearing in the clear
ings, cleaning like gold in the strong
sunlight
DOWN IN THE VALLEY.
Ca,rtpr dr,.-, into tho yal]a,, ,,,,,ob of
the glamour and poetry. of the scene Is
lest. but it is beautiful still. The corn
Is in the shock and there are broad acres
Of ncw-plowed land. Huge stacks Of
straw attest tie Size Of the wheat crop.
but recently threshed. They are the two
great cro4s. Down in Augusta county
are wheat fields that make the finest
grain in tho world. There is nothing
pretuer than great Augusta wheat
field swept by the breath OF June. 1t is
as though the hills OF gold became OF
sudden alive as we'll as beautiful.
The Valley is not what 1t used to be.
Time was when it was the richest sec
ton OF Niginia, but. with the war. that
time passed, possibly forever. But from
1iarperls Ferry to Bristol there are thou
sands Of beautiful homes. denoting
wealth and culture. The farmers are. as
n rule, well-to-do: but there are many
10 ALS JIG AiiSA - " 80
many mortgages IN the Valley.
TIMES HAVE CHANGED.
Times are not what they once were.
eilaer. In old days. and not SO many
year ago. cattle-raising was great in
dustry. Two-year- brought SEQ and
SO: three-year-olds We're worth $40.
!. i9roverss' went through the country
driving immense herds to market buying
IH,lo In "a
West has stopped all this. drove
of cattle has not passed through the
Valley in years. Two-year-olds bring
anywhere from IS to s12; three-year-olds,
from So to $50. Cows that were once
worth $50 may be bought for $50.
Time was, too when wheat was worth
allBthe way from ninety cents to sl.so.
Every farmer expected to get, ana GA
get, at least 81 for his wheat, and TIE
boys'' made a nice little stake ou1 Oh
tba ..raknes,'' which sold at eighty
cants a bushel. Now. dollar wheat is
lerend-a memory Seventy-iiVe cents
ia thankfully received. The West oio
that, TOO. -,
. .,.a time was when Lynchburg was the
,,e.+ tobacco city of the world ana eV
.y,.h,ay within a hundred miles Of Lynch
,n,r,, raised tobacco. hauling 1t across 1iie
In huge wagons. The journey
days, but there was sood money
i, tho crop. BY and by. the wore
..,- the tobacco center moved south;
to,.scco raising in any extensive way WAS
a ,h,nc of the past. The little that IS
raised now brings small money. Ire
trust lNed that
CORN IS KING.
Hut, With all the vanishing Of the good
ole times. the good new times have
brought conpensatiors. and money - still
made In the Valley. though not SO easily
no., so prodigally as 1t once was. Corn
T. an easy crop, and the land is splendid
t. adapted TO it The price Of this sta
Me has Remained fairly even, advancing a
an ,f ANYTHING. in spite of the raNases
Of The unholy West
,r1la people of the Nalley--there are no
better on earth, Scotch-lIish they are.
with all thu virtues OF the COMBINATION
and the faults Honest. honorable, thrifty,
nteliie.ent. cultured, Astounding in hos
pitality; a bit rigid. inclined TO be lHtol-
erart. living much in the past and set
ling great atore By graveyards and fam
IN trees that are not worth as much now-i
ssnSs as n ton of coal. The society OF
the Valley is the most exclusive and COM
rlnx in america Woe to the STRANGER
there who makes false begin
nirg. 1t IS never forgiren. There ar. |
sl;fflNt SOCIAL Sfait.S, GeIliieO
fs the castles Of India. and as infringe
ellic. Each family moves in its circle.
Ind there ia very little ascending and de-
ecending Money counts for little II
ron have the wealth of the trusts and
|:aNc not birth and breeding. YOU cannot
De 4 social success in the Valley.
POOR WHITES
The curse OF the Valley is the ''poor
) hlte trash, Of whom there are many.
They take the place OF the negro to
'aiee extent From their ranks the Ia
bcrcrs are drawn. but they ale not worth
much TO the employer They are shift
ess, immoral illiterste, without ambi-i
nan. without price. lacking in most of |.
The essentials OF manhood-a contemptible
people They SO not to school. neither t
10 they goato church. save 10 OCCASIONAL |.
REVEALS where they are converted on |.
sunday and fail from, grace on Monday.
,,neu cannot read. nor can they writa
II, their houses are no books or pa,,crs
md tie Bible is an unknown book to
many OF them. Some OF them know alb
,,.,nteIy nothing about religion. Their iri
Il rance and superstition are more gross
han the Ignorance and superstition of