The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-01
MARKS ERA IN AMERICA
SETTLEMENT OF JAMESTOWN IS
 TO BE OBSERVED.
Event Commentaries a Most Impor- tant Phase of Civilization. Historic Scenes of Early Days
 Will Show Progress Made.
Chicago Chronicle.

Cnlcdg0 chronicle.
 Although 1t was with Columbus that certainty as to the existence of the west ern hemisphere began, the new world and Anglo-Saxon supremacy date from the
 time of Captain Christopher Newport and
 the settlement of Jamestown, on May 13, 1 1907. The voyage was begun Dec. IS, 1906,
 when a handful of adventurers on the Discovery, Good Speed and Susan Con- | stant sailed down and out of the River Thames nd, after many hardships, landed
 on this side of the ocean, near the mouth
 of the James River.
 It was in Virginia that this little band of 100 sturdy colonfsts planted the seeds of
 the great power the world knows at the
 present time. The event might be 1ikened to the throwing of a pebble into the placid
 waters of q lake. Little nipples were then
 started which have since enlarged and grown in strength and scope until they are felt upon the shores of every civilized country on earth. History has never re- corded such a wonderful growth as that of the American Republic, which had it's birth at Jamestown. The old world has
 for some time stood aghast the unparal-
 leled and phenomenal success this coun- try has achieved.
 An Epoch of the Race. The settlement of Jamestown marks an
 
 speaking people that once and forever | lifts it above the sphere of a local inci- dent in the history of the world. At this time the Spaniards had already estblish- ed themselves in the West Indies and | around the gulf and the west coast of Florida. and were even preparing to pos sess themselves of the Carolina coast, and | failure of this English colony at James, | town would undoubtedly have been foi- hxra tah American republic and the world at large
 owe much to the success of this settle ment at Jamestown.
 | Although the island is almost deserted | and uninhabted, save by a few souls,
 there is no more sacred spot in America,
 and this settlement will never die so long
 as the Americans cherish and love pa- 1 triotism.
 The three hundredth anniversary of the | first English settlement upon American
 soil will be held May 13, 1907, and this
 event will be celebrated by the American
 people in a becoming manner Tn what
 better way could this be done than by
 holding a great naval and a maritime dis
 ply and exposition?
 By joint resolution of the General As-
 sembly of Virginia 1t was decided to hold,
 in honor of the occasion. a great exposi-
 tion on the borders of Hampton Roads. | in 1907 and for this purpose a charter was
 granted to 100 of Virginia's most infiu- ! ential citizens who are to have charge of
 the management of the celebration. The | President of the organization Is a man
 whom Virginia and the nation have seen
 fit to honor on more than one occasion,
 Gen. Fitzhugh Lee of Virginia. | A Good Selection.
 A better leader could not hve been se-
 lected. nor a more beautiful spot in the | world at which to hold the celebration
 than historical Hampton Roads There the mighty James meets the Elizabeth,
 close to the mouth of the Chesapeake | Bay. It was there that the English set | tiers landed and found comfort, as the | first vessels to penetrate this expanse of water were the Good Speed, Discovery
 and Susan Constant, bearing the fore | fathers. It was there that the French fleet an- chored during the siege of Yorktown. There also Is the birthplace of the new American navy and the scene of the revo- | lutionizing of the naval architecture of | the world, for al that very spot the Con federate ironclad Virginia better known as the Merrlmac met and fought the | Federal gunboat Monitor Within reach | of twenty miles of those waters are some | of the most memorable spots upon the American continent-such as Yorktown, where the American army was victorious
 under General George Washington and | Williamsport, the second oldest town in | Virginia. which was built on the site of the former Middle Plantation, where Ba- con and his men took the first oath l against England and which was the site | of the old Capitol of Americas oldest | commonwealth. There, too. stands today
 the second oldest university in the new world.
 America's First Charter. The first expedition was sent to Amer | ica by James I, and he himself drew up
 the royal charter for the Government of I the colony and signed the same on April ! l6, 16OS. This charter (the first charter of