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West Virginia at the 1893 World's Fair

Wheeling Intelligencer
August 24, 1893


WEST VIRGINIA DAY.

She Joins Hands With Delaware at the World's Fair.

SPEECHES BY REPRESENTATIVES

Of the Two States - Governor MacCorkle and Ex-Secretary Elkins Boom West Virginia's Resources and Laud Her Enterprise and Progress - Festivities at Night When Delaware's Famous Peaches and Lots of Good Things from the Mountain State Comprise the Good Cheer - Large Numbers of Citizens from Both States Present.

Special Dispatch to the Intelligencer.

WORLD'S FAIR GROUNDS, CHICAGO, ILL., August 23. - This was West Virginia day number two at the fair. Our former day celebrated our anniversary on June 20. This one celebrated nothing in particular and everything in general, as for instance, the discovery of America, the existence of the United States, and the successful institution of this fair. Each of the states has had or will have one of these Columbian days. Delaware went into partnership with West Virginia to-day. She glorified in the fact that she was the first state to adopt the federal constitution. Also in the fact stated by her chief justice that it had been lately discovered that the original Garden of Eden was in Delaware and that it was a Delaware peach and not an Asiatic apple that tempted Eve and caused all our trouble.

The exercises began at 3 p.m. at Festival Hall, Governor MacCorkle leading off in a written speech, followed by the governor of Delaware in an off hand speech, and he in turn by ex-Secretary Elkins and many others. There were entirely too many speeches. Those of Governor MacCorkle and Secretary Elkins were valuable as compilations of facts and figures that showed the remarkable resources and remarkable progress of the state.

Commissioner St. Clair was in poor health and made only a few remarks. He said that in no place in America but in Chicago would this fair have been possible.

The musical part of the programme was a case of "Hamlet" with Hamlet left out. In other words, the songsters that everybody wanted to hear did not sing. For some reason Madame Rolls did not appear on the stage, much to the regret of the audience. The fair lady from Charleston, Miss Jacobs, sang very acceptably and was enthusiastically encored.

The programme as prepared, with the exception mentioned, was carrried [sic] out, and the whole constituted a delightful affair. Governor MacCorkle, of West Virginia, and Governor R. G. Reynolds, of Delaware, presided jointly, each delivering addresses, as noted above. The remainder of the programme, as it had been originally prepared, was as follows:

Address by Hon. Stephen B. Elkins, of West Virginia.
Address by Senator Anthony Higgins, of Delaware.
Vocal solo, "Dira Visetti," by Miss Francis St. Leger Jacobs, of Charleston, West Virginia.
Address by Hon. John W. Harris, of West Virginia.
Address by Chancellor James L. Wolcott, of Delaware.
Address by National Commissioner J. W. St. Clair, of West Virginia.
Address by Chief Justice C. B. Lore, of Delaware.
Vocal solo, air "Sampson and Delilah" (Saint Saens), by Mme. Kate Rolls, of Wheeling.
Address by James Pennewell, of Delaware.
Address by National Commissioner George V. Massey, of Delaware.

The night entertainment in the West Virginia building went off to the satisfaction of all the numerous participants in the festivities. There was an abundance of good cheer, and the two states vied with each other in hospitality.

There was a great spread of peaches, watermelons and other dry and wet refreshments in the assembly room, and everybody did full justice to the lay-out.

An unusual number of West Virginians were in attendance all day and evening, and Wheeling was particularly well represented.

Admissions to the fair to-day were 178,699, of which 147,939 paid.

After having devoted nearly three full days to the discussion of theoretical subjects of the electrical science, the members of the international electrical congress now being held in this city visited the fair to-day with a view of making a personal inspection of the exhibits of the electrical apparatus found there.

Over two million dollars worth of blooded horses, and cattle to the value of half that amount were paraded in the big stock pavillion this morning in the presence of ten thousand people. Men who have attended the principal live stock shows in Europe and America for the last twenty-five years went into ecstacies over the sight. They declared it to be the finest display of blooded animals ever brought together.


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