Memories of Virginia
EXPOSITION EVENTS AND
EPISODES, 1907.
The Exposition as an historical event should appeal to every American as an object lesson to create admiration, nor should we forget what the tercentennial celebration stands for. It is of little moment whether all detail to please the eye and secure comfort is perfected or not, but to keep in view the historical fact that Jamestown is the birthplace of our country is important. This truth is sufficient to invite a pilgrimage to the James River, and from a comparative point of view between now and then, inspire patriotism and create satisfaction.
I stood under the Powhatan Oak, on the Exposition Grounds, an oak known to have been in existence at the time the colonists landed in 1607, and it is declared by experts in forestry to be three hundred and fifty-five years old and still a vigorous sentinel of the coast, once known as Powhatan Oak of Weyanoke and later the Oak of Denbigh, the grand old tree known from generation to generation and enjoyed by those who have long since rested under the shade of the eternal trees. Its age is marked with a tablet, perhaps it is the only tree extant to tell the wind and wave story of the pioneers, when the birth of our nation was recorded three centuries ago.
The International Naval Review is so impressed upon my vision I must add a supplement to Virginia memories. The great naval fleet gave me an opportunity to moralize upon changed conditions since the arrival May 13,
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