The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-19

! about the South and too little aDou'
the big work Of development tha'
is going on. Along hat line Mr.. Ed
,nonds gave this excellent illustrator
and word Of advice:
AT the time of the 1881 eNpOSl-
ton in Atlanta the old Richmond and
Danville Railroad. in It's effort to Sc
cure a large collection Of the best
sDncimenS Of the of the
country tributary to its line, sent re-
quests TO many county officials aSklne
/ for collections Of minerals, timber
and other things. When one package
was being opened colonel
who had charge Of the work for the
railroad, found many splendid specf-
mems of minerals and agriculture
products. and carefully packed in with
these a umb of jars containing
snakes preserved in alcohol. Colone,
McPhail suggested to the local 9TH
cial having the matter n charge that
the snakes be sent back as they
hardly formed an appropriate Dor
ton OF an exhibit The county Off
ciaI, on the other hand, insisted that
snakes were a product of his county
and tina these We're extra fine specl-
mems, and that they ought to be giVen
a conspicuous place in the county
exhibit. In reply, Colonel MCPhaI
IOlu i11Il tldl lit pubiiA, - &c
Of the mountainous condition OF his
county, would take it for granted that
snakes were to be found there. but
that it was not necessary to call pub
lie attention to that fact. You ought,
he said, 'to show the things that make
for the upblilding Of your county,
the things hat will command the
attention OF the investor and or the
investigator of agricultural and min
eral an timber resources, but o need
not make q point of emphasizing the
makes.
The action Of the county Offcia]
is in line with what has often been
/ done by some Southern newspapers
and by many Southern correspondents
Of Northern newspapers IN giving
more attention to the snakes Of al
kinds in Southern life rather thar
to the exhibit Of good things. With
limitIesS opportunities for exhibiting
the resources, the Utilization Of which
means the upbuilding n prosperity
of the South. many people in this
section seem to have thought tina
the public would be more interested
in seeing or reading about the
snakes of discord or crime than
about the better kind Of Southern at
fractions. Everybody knows that so
long as human nature is as 1t is
snakes are likely to be found in the
South as elsewhere; but why devote
whole columns Of space in the local
press and in dispatches to the North
ern and Western press in telling OF
the makes, Of sensational things,
while leaving untold the thousands OF
stories that might be found of more
interest to the public about South
ern and the utilization OF
Southern opportunities on the farm
and in the factory and in every other
~ . II 80 wal
to know where snakes exist and to
guard against them, but hat does
not require that their presence shall
be forever heraided to the exclusion
Of far more valuable and interesting
news about the glory Of the scenery
the charm of Innate, the wealth Of
minerals and Of timbeTs, and the rich
been too prone to exploit it's snakes
and to leave unexpected in its own
press, as we'll as in the stuff sent by
local correspondents in the South to
Northern and Western papers. the
better things that might be exhibited
to advantage to the South and to the
profit Of the country. Let's have
fewer snakes and more Of the good
things
IF the columns OF The News and
like to tell Of other pleasures Of this
entertainment Of Appalachian editors
particularly Of the courtesy Of Mr..
Sanford Cohen, assistant to the presi-
dent, a protege of Pat Walsh, WI is as
courteous as Georgia's great Irish ed
ltor-Senator, and the courteous and
progressive representative Of the press
CT Knoxville. and the hospitality Of
Mr. Morgan, Mr.. Bowies, and Mr.. Cres-
we'll. But-we will all be coming here
TO the Exposition and this story can
De continued then. J. d.