Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1905-04-25


Our well-known and popular county
man Col. w. H. Kearfott. now at Nor
folk. Va. sends us handsomely ialus-
trated copy of The Southland and other
interesting printed matter IN regard to
the Jamestown Ter-Centennial EXPOSE
ton, to be held in 1907. From an able
contribution by c. Brooks Johnston we
quote:
The Exposition of 1907 will comment
crate not only the birthday of Virginia
but the beginning of the sway Of English
speaking people on the Western Cont
nent. and it will celebrate as we'll the frs.
practical experiment in unrestricted suf.
frage. Henning says No representa-
tive government was ever instituted in
which the principles of universal suffrage
and of full representation were carried
further than in Virginia. The right of
suffrage was originally exercised by all
freemen; who were not compellable to
go from their plantations to vote for btsr-
gesses. but might give their suffrage by
subscribing paper" While the Dutch
held New York, year before the Puri-
tans landed at Plymouth Rock. Virginia
was self-governing colony whose laws
were enacted by popular chosen legis-
lators. The Tercentennial will
be both land and water show. The
land features will be radically different
from those of any other exposition and
the water display will be entirely unique.
In the effort to remove the ig-
norance of the mighty influence of ole
Virginia, the exposition will be modelled
on historic lines. 1t will be planned to
teach the truths concerning the days
when the nation struggled for existence.
1t will show the growth of our country
oy periods from 1907 to 1907 and exem-
plifv the development of the country in a
similar way. The houses OF the earlier
part of the seventeenth century will be
placed in contrast with the buildings of
later periods, the haphazard planting of
those days may be compared with the
systematic and scientific farming of to-
day; the methods of locomotion then and
now will be shown. Luxuries of those
days will be contrasted with necessities
of today. The advance of the land in
well-being could in no better way be dis
played. There will, naturally, be a great
indus trial show; without this adjunct an
exposition could not hope to succeed, but
1t will not SO dominate the entire theme
that the other features will sink into in.
significance as Simply side-shows. On
the water, Hampden Roads, that SPLEEN
did bay where the Merrimac and Mont
tor fought their famous duel, the great
est rendezvous of warships and merchant
vessels that the world has ever witnessed
VIII be held. Right within sight of the
exposition grounds iron-clad first clashed
with iron-clad and by that duel revolu-
tionized naval architecture for all time,
1t IS far cry from the first Monitor
which looked like a cheese box OH a
raft" to the splendid battleship of to-day
One, at least, of the old Monitors will be
there to serve as basis for comparative
study. The will be many gunboats tor.
pedo boats, destroyers, cruisers and bat
tleships. Our navy will have its choicest
representatives large number of them
always Juggling at anchor. Great Britain,
who owes nearly, if not quite. as much
to Jamestown as does the United States,
will be represented by the best she has;
and the other nations of Europe will
certainly not allow England to outshne
them on this occasion. The site
of the jamestown Exposition, which is
admirably chosen, has about a mile from
tage on Hampden Roads. The water
front lends itself most advantageously to
the perfection of unique deveope ment
A splendid boulevard will traverse the
grounds from end to end at the waters
edge, and the bulkheads and buttresses
which will confine the road have been
designed with view of making the
stretch ornamental at all points,