The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1904-08-13
La Belle Creole.
LOUISIANA, THE MOTHER OF TISE
WEST, SMILES AMONG HER 4
CHILDREN AT THE 81
GREAT FAIR.

general resume of Louisiana's ex-
hlbit at the St. Louis Exposition,
as cleaned during oB brfsl visit
recently, but the following adrn4
able article by T. K. Hendrick so
completely covers the ground that
we can find nothing to add, ex-
cept2the acknowledgment Of APP
preciated courtesies from DR.. w.
G. Stubbs, the able and efficient
State Commissioner, and his cour-
teous assistant, Prof. Schuler,
who preside over the Cabildo,
and are ever ready to extend a
true hospitable Louisiana welcome
to all visitors:
Historic Louisiana! How fit
tingIy is she typitied in her SYM
Dol, the traditional Pelican which
wounds her own breast in order
to give sustenance to her young!
Carved from the imperial do
main that once bore the honored
name of Louisiana, fourteen glor-
ious States now come to celebrate
the birthday of the territory's ac-
cession to liberty's dominion, and
to honor before the world the pa
rent Of them all.
And proud in her splendid men,
ories, serene in her accomplish
ments, and certain of greater
good to come, Louisiana, the
mother of the Middle West, sits
in state among her daughters.
On the crest of the hill South
of the Government Building, and
west of the Missouri building,
stands the replica of the old
Cabildo in which the actual trans
fer of the Louisiana Purchase
took place on December 20, 1903.
This is the official home of Louis
lana at the Fair. Quantity fur
nished with household treasures
of the colonial period, ,and adorned
with priceless paintings and stat
uary of rare historic as we'll as
artistic charm, this structure
breathes the spirit of the past,
and is storehouse of memories
and traditions. Within its hos
pitable walls the visitor, by means
of relics, pictures and documents,
and the courtesy of ante-bellum
days that has never wahed, is
made acquainted with the Louis
lana of the past. But that is not
the Louisiana of today. Passing
from out these portals and view
ing the Louisiana exhibits and in
the various exposition palaces,
the visitor learns that the State
is one of the most fertile, most
resourceful and most progressive
of the new South.
It has grasped every opportu-
nifty to exploit its social and COM
mercial opportunities. One learns
with amazement that despitA its
comparatively small area, Loais-
lana stands second among the
States in lumber production; that
its output of agricultural products
is larger, in proportion to acre
age, than that of any other State,
and that it has great mineral re-
sources.
The wide range of its agricul-
tural resources can be approx
mated by the knowledge that il
produces large crops of wheat III
the Northern portion, and grows
oranges extensively in the South
ern part of the State. Specimen
of almost every variety of farm
garden, and fruit orchard pro.
ducts are shown in the Louisians
displays
Louisiana's sulphur mines are
the largest in the United States
and it's salt mines are the secono
largest in the world. These, with
oil and building stone and clay
form part of the valuable displa,
made in the Mining section. A
statue in salt of Lots wife-th'
original rubberneck-is a feature
| of the exhibit that attracts much
attention.
The student of economic ant
industrial development will fin.
q wealth of material for refec
ton in the Louisiana exhibit il
the Liberal Arts buildings, wher
!, topographic maps of the State
levee system illustrate how ad
verse natural conditions have beel
met and overcome, and thousand
of acres of fertile land reclaimed
} from district formerly subjec
to continual overflow. Interest
; ing, historically, are two hundre
other maps of the Gulf coast fror
: the year 1900 to tie present time
A working modl of the grea
, Government doW at New Orlean
is shown i'm the same building.
In the transportation buildin
are illustrated the methods G
Mississippi river transportatio
for the past century and half.
Adyerting to the display in th
Agricultural Palace, the Loui.
, lana exhibition of processes"
peculiarly interesting. Here al
. shown complete sugar house,
rice mill. an irrigation nlant. an