The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-25

proposition, but we not all America by a
great deal--as we find out sometimes much to
our chagrin when we get little distance
away from home. Many of us have never had
the fact brought home 10 us that there is among
, nT ISii'eeh Lath american countries one tBra-
hi) Whlch could cover the United States (minus
Alaska) like blanket and have enough terri
tbbry tnckeu IN to form another Germany Or
that there is another Argentina which exports
10 the world more corn more wheat more wool
ana more beef than does the United States In
fact when you come to think of IL there is a
Whoie lot of America which we have been in
the habit of not figuring in on the name at all,
ma hiEihs somewhat arrogantly appropriated it all
20 ourselves and thinking of the term synony-
nous with the United States
frequently it is not until our average college
E'dohate happens to read article in the sun
u us supplement of his newspaper dealing with
the Arlca-La Paz railway the results of a
sciehtinc exploration into the interior of Peru.
VI perhaps friend has read magazine ar
tlcie describing trip up the Amazon river to
!qultos' an Atlantic seaport 5000 miles from
the ocean itself and appeals to him as an edu-
Gated man to tell him something of this re-
narkahie country, that ii begins TO dawn upon
him that he knows precious little about some
Things He begins to. realize that there
something like 10000. 600 people, living in the
present and on his side of the world, too with
whose history, customs, activities and location
even he is less familiar than with those of the
ancient Greeks of the land of the Pharaohs,
or the achievements of Alexander of Macedon
the average boy is told when but child, but in
sixteen seventeen years of academic study,
from the startling announcement, Il see fat
men of the primer on through all the weary
routine-eyen to a mental wrestling bout with
Rants CritiGue of the Pure Reason-where does
he read a paragraph telling him Of the heroic
struggles of q Jose de san Martin. a Simon
Bolivar. BerUardo OHiggins2 He may
member much Of Caesars Gallo wars or have
a lingering admiration for the 500 of which
Byron wanted but three to make a Their
mopylae" but does he know anything of the
magnificent heroism of the Latin American
colonists who under hardships and difficulties
almost Incredible threw off the yoke Of Spain
hghtng necessarily for dozen years in some
instances before gaining the liberty for which
SO many gave up their lives? Yet this is mod
ern American history. History but little over
a century old--history dealing with the fathers
OF the men of today with whom want
ing to cultivate more intimate relations, and in
cidentally with whom we want to trade
The writer has disposition to decry classi-
cal learning. 1t has great value---as an element
of culture. the point he desires to stress Is
that some of the many weary hours devoted to
1t could be more prefttably employed in gaining
little knowledge which would prove Of some
practical benefit 10 the individual and to the
ton We have the reputation Of being n COM
mereial nation and yet have neglected the
greatest commercial opportunities chat were
ever opened to a trading nation in the history
of the word-and that largely through own
Indifference and ignorance. II seek to
strengthen commercial relations with our Latin
American neighbors let us take steps to learn
something of them if If the classical
learning must needs be curtaited The Ptole-
mics of Egypt the kings of Babylon, the p6iloso-
piers of Greece and the Roman legions may all
he Of great academic interest-but. forsocth,
they haven't been in the market for goods for a
long time now speaking from strictly com
mercia1 standpoint. the history Of Latin America
is Just interesting and considerably more
valuable to the man who has machinery or cot
ton textiles to sell for good working knowl-
edge of your customers viii help you sell goods
every time. Had we been careful to teach
Pan-AmeTican history we have been to
cram ancient tales of Greek gods and hoary
dctions of antiquity into the wearied brains of
+ stion to speak Of amicable relations with and
fraternal interest in our southern neiehbors,
/ That the work of the Southern Commercial
congress is timely and well directed must be
patent to every thoughtful citizen who is alive