thonsand years old, on whose streets Koman I-'mperors 

 have walked, and whose roads were ])lanned and built by 

 Roman enc^ineers before the lime of the Saviour. The 

 Englishman said: "Bless my eyes, I never Uiou>;hl ot 

 that; it puts a new lij^ht on things here, lor, eome to 

 think of it, this is a new eountry, and of course the cities 

 nuist ])e new, too." 



Oh, i)ut won't these Iuiro]>ean tourists have wonderful 

 stories to tell on their return 1 Many and many will be 

 the imitations of Dickens' "American Notes,'" and many 

 and nian\- will be the foolish criticisms made u]n)n and 

 about us. But our \isitors will l>e jirofoundlx" impressed 

 with the extent of the country, with the variety of its 

 climate and scenery, with the restless, irresistible push and 

 nerve of the people, with their material welfare and their 

 prosperity, and they will return with broader views of 

 humanity and the world than they ever dreamt of. In 

 this respect the World's Fair will prove a blessing and a 

 grand advertisement for the nation. 



Yea, verily as 1 have said the novelist might find 

 here plenty of food for his fancy, full of richness flavored 

 with facts and seasoned with all the spice of romance. 



The genial Southern gentleman who is superinten- 

 dent of the hotel, antl known tar and wide as "The 

 Major," could if he would, unwind many a }arn on the 

 late "vuipleasantness." He might, for instance, tell of the 

 time when he, with a troop of Confederate ca\alr\-, was 

 commanding the bridge over the Green Briar River, six 

 miles below here. When from the opposite hills was seen 

 an inunense force of the " Bo>s in lihie" defiling down the 

 long road . When the Major and his troop were discovered. 



115 



