The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1904-07-27
Ia BELLE CREOLE
Louisiana, the Mother Of the West,
Smiles Among Her Children ut
the Fair.
BY T. X. HEDRICK.


lana! How tittingly is she typified in
her symbol. the traditional Pelican
which wounds her own breast in order
to give sustenance to her Young.
Carved from the imperial domain
that Once bore the hOnOred name Of
Louisiana, fourteen glorious States
now come to celebrate the birthday Of
the territOry's accession to liberty's
dominion, and to honor before the
world the parent of them all.
And proud in her splendid memo
ries, serene in her accomplishments,
and certain of greater goods to come,
Louisiana, the mother of the Middle
West, sits in state among her daugh-
ters.
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 transfer of the Louisiana Pur-
1903. This is the official home of
Louisiana at the Fair. Quantity
furnished with household treasures of
the colonial period, and adorned with
priceless paintings and %statuary of
rare historic as we'll as artistic charm,
this structure breathes the spirit of
the past, and is a ~stOrehOuse of
memories and traditions. Within its
hOspitable walls the visitor by means
OF relics, pictures and documents and
the courtesy of ante bellum days that
has never waned, is made acquainted
with the Louisiana of the past. But
that is not the Louisiana of to-day.
Passing from out these portals and
viewing the Louisiana exhibits and in
the various exposition places, the Wis.,
itOr learns that the State is one of the
most fertile, most resOurceful and
most progressive of the new South.
1t has grasped every opportunity to
exploit its social and commercial Op-
pOrtunities. One learns with amaze
ment that despite its comparatively
oAA0Al dlCds 1OulSldAl0 StdAlOo SCCOAlO
among the States in the lumber pro-
ductiOn. that its output of agricultural
products is larger, in proportion to
acreage, than that of any other State,
and that it has great mineral re-
sources.
The wide range of its agricultural
resources al be apprOximated by the
knowledge that it produces large crops
of wheat in the Northern portion, and
grows oranges extensively in the
Southern part of the State. Specimens
of almost every variety of farm, gar
den and fruit orchard products are
shown in the Louisiana displays.
Louisiana's sulphur mines are the
largest in the United States, and its
salt mines are second largest in the
world. These, with oil and building
stone and clay, form part of the valu-
able display made in the Mining
section. A statue in salt of Lots
wife-the original rubberneck-is a
feature of the exhibit that attracts
much attention.
The student of economic and indus
trial development will find q wealth
of material for reflection in the
Louisiana exhibit in the Liberal Arts
buildings, where topographic maps of
the states levee system, illustrate how
adverse natural conditions have been
met and overcome, and thousands of
acres of fertile land reclaimed from
. district formerly subject to con-
tinual overflow. Interesting historic
ally are two hundred other maps of
the Gulf Coast, from the year 1900 to
the present time. A working model
of the great United States dock at
New Orleans is shown in the same
building.
In the transportation building are
illustrated the methods of Mississippi
river transportation for the past
century and q hall.
Adverting to the display in the
Agricultural Palace, the Louisiana
Exhibition of processes" is peculiar
" interesting. Here are shown .
complete sugar house, q rice mill,
IN irrigation plant, and cotton gins
and presses. The tobacco display is
large and varied. Smokers Of the pipe
will be particularly interested in the
showing of the world-famous "Peri-
que" which is grown only in Louis
lana. Good qualities of cigar leaf