The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-10-12
How to Build Up the Commonwealth
BY {. B. Camper.

Following is the paper written by
&c. Il. Camper editor of the Fincastlc
Herald. which won second prize for
the money offered by Colonel John
Murphy, on the subject. How 10 Build
Up the Commemorative:
Aside from the religious moral ana
social conditions of the people Of vir
ginia. the subject Of first Importance
is How to Build Up tho Common.
wealth"
This subject has been discussed for
decades past; but the fact that il IL
still vital one discloses the issue as
remaining unsoivcd. With geoEraphi-
cal position unsurpa ssed; a climate Ia
chailenge the most favored sections of
nc world; soil capable OF sustaining
many millions OF population: a social
Sohaitioh unriNa!ed: a homogeneous
people OF pure Anglo-Saxon strain. the
Tact sti!l stands out in bold relief not.
withstanding this splendid combination
Iof conditions and forces. that We are
evidently tagging behind the busy
world IN the matter of material wealth
ana comfort, and. in consequence, paw
ing the penalty in the innumcrabl..
ramifications and channels of our daily
life.
And yet the basis for this condition
and the remedy are closely related and
are OF the simplest complcxion IL
( Us last analysis. 1t may be said that
The use OF modern methods DEVELOPED
by science and approved BY practice
nave found insufficient practical favor
among the masses OF the people This
! is especially true as 10 our agric,,l-
turai interests, and as these form the
basis Tor all substantial advance and
Improvement in almost every concciv-
able line OF business cndcaVor, il fol-
lows that the basis upon which we must
huild our future prosperity. in order
10 build up the Commonwealth" is
weak in structure and especially lack
/ ing in force.
"Rehind the Times"
In plain terms. the basis for all our
prosperity. involving directly the ac-
tivitics OF three fourths OF our people
lies on substructure confcsscdlv he
hind the times" To the Intelligent
cltizen this statement cannot be con
troNcrted, though it should not be re-
Earded as a reflection, because the cx-
listing conditions are the result OF en-
vlronmcnt and forces that have been
diihcult to overcome. In our beloved
state we arc not cultivating the soil
with the forkcd stick and the on. as is
Zone IN other parts OF the world
! Neither are we using the steam plow
ana other modern machinery. our
methods are relatively midway between
the former and the latter. and our ma
tcrial condition fairly corresponds with
| the middle condition here Indicated
/ Reduced to its last analysis the posi-
4 ton we hold in the world BY com
/ parison with more wealthy portions Of
j our country is the lack Of education in
/ its broadcst sense. We do not know
7 how, because we have not been taught
| We have no just conception Of the
/ producing capacity of our lands.
/ While the farmer in France. or Eng
| land, Germany, in far-away Japan, and
even in our Northern States may ac-
\ quire competence on ten acres OF
/ ground besides rearing and educating
a family. many Of our farmers delyc
/ without substantial results on broad
I acres. maintain a steady horizon OF
! agricultural slavery. and hold the re-
! mainder of the populate to a rcla :
1 lively INDECENT condition. These plain
! facts necessarily here condensed in
statement. are generally recognized as
true; but there has been no fixed and
! stcadfast determination to strike stead
, lily at the root of the evil. We have
| been too complaisant and satisfied. but
| the time is now here when we must
I move forward. or our position in the
, sistcrhood of States and among the
nations OF the world will become one
| OF profound rcproach to us, a condition
l OF apparent rctrogreSsion, while the
| world around us moves Oh with the
! steady and virilc stride OF giant re
| freshed with new wine"
Education the Min Remedy.
And the rcmedy-cducation. the dis
scmination of the knowledge OF what
the world is doing and what we may
do. We must educate the great mass
OF tho people that they occupy n land
Ma Il axNr,, al IN.
and honey" a goodly lana-a mine OF
/ wealth. from which may be easily dug
fortunes: heritage, greater than any