New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-11

IT'S RELATIONS TO THE PHILADELPHIA
CENTENNIAL.


rxnxRr1KIxcs-1qt FAILURE or THE OFFICERS
or THE PHILADELPHIA ExHIBIrIoN TO SECURE
oRJEcrs EXHIBITED AT VIENNA-MIsTAKE COM
Knitted AT VIENNA
...on rnK REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUSE.l
VIENNA, Sept. 12-The Managers of the Phila-
Selphia Centennial can profit greatly by the expert
snoe Of Austria in organizing and conducting the
present Exhibition, if they have a mind to. Mis-
takos have been committed here which it would be
folly to repeat in America in 1876 and on the other
hand. there many things which they cannot I'm
prove upon and scarcely hope successfully 10
copy They appear 10 appreciate the fact that there
Is much valuable information TO be gained mere
but fear they do not fully understand the import
ance OF the opportunity presented to open such
relations with exhibitors and with Government
agents "a will result in fine display OF European
products al Philadelphia. l presume the TWO Ieau-
ing ideas of the plan of the Managers IN thelr
ARRANGEMENTS for the Centennial Fair are-iirst, to
make the best possible display of American indus
tries arts and inventions, with view oil showing
70 ourselves primarily, and 10 some extent 10 Tue
world AT large, the condition OF our Agriculture,
nm, Manufacturers our Mines our Commerce, and
onr Fine Arts; and second, TO compare these pro-
auets Of our genius and industry with the best
,osults of foreign genius and industry. No doubt
full preparatiOns making at home for carrying
out the first part of this plan but there is danger
that the second and equally important part Will be
left 10 take care of ITSELF and that the foreign goods
We will get viii be only such as manufacturers Will
exhibit who have already market in the United
states. and who will wish thus to advertise their
wares Snch articles can be seen IN all our shops,
and their display would not be particularly inter
esting or instructive.
The Managers of the Centennial Exhibition early
a. ot,oIt
with instructions to report upon the exhibition here
and to represent, i'll general way, the interests OF
cur coming fair They selected a gentleman well
qualified for the work by experience at previous ex-
hibitions and by scientific knowledge ; but unfor-
tunately they gave him neither authority nor the
necessary tends to conclude arrangements with eX-
hibitOTs and Government agents for the transfer 10
PHILADELPHIA of collections and articles shown here,
whirh il is very desirable we should have. HIS
functions are therefore, limited TO writing report
obtaining photographs and drawings OF the build
ings and Of the most novel aud attractive features
of their interiors, and personally urging exhibitors
10 send us their goods. For want of means and
authority in the hands of this Commissioner much
il likely TO be lost that would be of the highest In
terost and value TO us. For example, the admirable
educational collection made by the Swiss Govern
Jnent could am assured be had for the asking and
would be turned over bodily TO the Centennial IL
there were any one to receive it, box it up and send
X down to Trieste tor shipment on our storeships.
which will return nearly empty So of large part OF
the German educational exhibit. The advantage to
our educators Of comparing the books charts school
sppaTatms and methods of teaching of the two Euro
poan nations where public instruction is most adj
yanced with those in use in our own schools, would
be inestimable. Then there is the remarkable ex-
hibit of mining and metal working in
one of the German paviliOns, consisting of
models of mines, furnaces and irOn-worklng
machinery maps, specimens, etc. which would be OF
immense interest TO our iron and coal men. III is
made by individual firms, under Government
sasPIcss ND broken ~ IL 81 3, The close q tv EXIT
biton, will never b9 fe5ssembled thought to be Sc
cured at once The curious fisheries exhibit made by
Sweden il another example and / might mention
also the collections of grains and seeds in the Rus
sian Hungarian, Greek, and other departments
which would be very attractive TO our farmers.
There are besides, many manufactured articles
which from their skillful and elegant workmanship
ought to be shown at Philadelphia, to instruct and
stimulate our own artisans, but which will not be
sent unless special effort is made to get them, be-
cause their owners have nothing 10 gain
by sending them across the Attain
t;c at their own expeisse. IL must
Thule TO many Europeans. There are thousands of
tolerably intelligent people here who could not tell
whether Philadelphia is in North or South America.
II is too much to expect that manufacturers, whose
wares have no sale in the United States, VIII go to
great expense to make display in Philadelphia for
our Vratihcation And yet it is these very articles
that we want most TO see +; TO get them either we
mist nay the cost of transportation or foreign Gov
nrnments must do 30, and we cannot suppose that
these Governments will do more for the Philade-
mia FAR than they have done for the Vienna one.
malicious selection ought TO be made of the arti-
clcs Displayed here which it is in the highest degree
desirable that we should have at the Centennial,
and ARRANGEMENTS made to obtain them III they
make better printing presses in France or better
plows in England than we make in America, by all
means lot MS see them and improve our own. II Rus
STA or Hungary has varieties of grains adapted to
our prairies which we lack, let us have samples of
them with statistics of their yield. If Prussia and
Switzerland have features in their comInon-school
systems which we ought to adopt. let MS know all
about them Let us have the fine cloths OF England
and Germany the silks Of France and Italy, the iron
Of Sweden. Belgium and Russia. the leather work Of
Austria and the surgical instruments OF Switzer-
land 10 exhibit beside our Own. The comparison
will not always be gratifying to our national pride
but we shall certainly profit by it in the future.
There is another class of articles which are among
the most attractive to the general rdblic, and which
might be secured with little effort. j mean the
curious collections OF cO,tumed figures. domestic
utensils furniture &C.. that enable one 10 realize,
in a manner the life OF strange and out-Of-tbe-way
tribes and nations-such as the Laplanders tent,
the Persian dwelling. the remarkable collection Of
ife-size figures showing the costumes and physog-
Monies Of the various tribes IN Turkey, and the still
more artistic figures Illustrating Swedish and Nor
weglan peasant life. Such things, and hundred
Others of ike character from India Egypt, Japan,
Portugal, Morocco and other countries, do much TO
populaiize the Exhibition. and interest people who