Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-05-18
Decorating the Main Centennial EX-
position Building.

THE central pavilion, or transept Of the
main building, is about $50 feet square,
with tower forty eight feet square and
100 feet high at each corner. From the
floor to the top of the roof the transept is
100 feet high. 1t is well lighted by day,
and at night a chandelier having LAO
burners, and elevated to the vicinity of
the roof, will ill1mine the scene. On the
four sides of the central pavilion four
trophies, painted on canvas, named re-
spectively Europe, Asia, Africa and
America, have been erected Each
trophy is twenty eight feet high and
thirty-two feet wide, and, including the
halo of flags surrounding it, is sixty feet
in extreme width. The design of the
artist was to group the representation and
symbolic elements of each grand division
of the earth, and by so doing to add his
share to the international character of the
Exhibition.
Europe (white) is represented by the
figure of woman Of the Caucasian race.
She holds in one hand Thyrsus, the
symbol Of the vine, and in the other a
cup Of wine. The figures Of Shakespeare
(the artist wanted Homer, but the Com
mission over-ruled him), artist and poet,
and OF Charlemagne, warrior and legis-
lator, crown the pediment Shakespeare
holds in his hand the pen which produced
his immortal masterpieces Charlie
magne, leaning on his sword of con-
quest, holds in his hand the terrestrial
ball behind him are the laws "Capitu-
lar'' which have made him famous. On
the central cartouch is the word ''Eu
rope" The symbolical head of the horse
is in the middle Of the trophy.
Asia yellow is represented by bava
dere, one of the female dancers of India.
richly dressed, and holding in her hand
the symbolical tea-plant. Beneath her
from gilded field appears the head of an
elephant, surrounded by specimens Of
Oriental architecture and a crown of pea
cock feathers. Two Chinese monsters re-
tain by their weight a large cashmere
shawl, on which is embroidered the word
Asia. In the middle of the shawl is q
panoply composed Of a HindOo shield.
Japanese swords and two gigantic fans
made OF ostrich feathers On red
ground appear the names Of Confucius
and MahOmet Confucius, the DhilosO-
pher, holds in his hand scroll of paper,
upon which IS written Chinese inscrip
ton, which, being literally translated,
means: =" Hundred years; great Centen-
mall" Mahomet as military and re-
l1glous chieftain, wears a green turhan,
the green being the Prophets color, and
in his left hand holds book, from which
| detaches itself the word AI-Koran -
In the other hand he grasps the bare
| blade of his scimeter. Between him and
| the symbolic horse-tailed crescent of the
| God of Mecca is the inscription: "Great
is Allah, and Mahomet is his Prophet. /"
Africa (black) is represented by the
figure Of young slave girl offering a
waiter on which is served coffee. This
trophy is almost exclusively Egyptian.
and the play of colors is archeologicaIIv
explained. The otos plant expands at the
top, just at the feet Of the female figu1e
In the middle is the ''BIack Scarabee -
the symbol of Immortality, its feet sup
| porting the sun, where the fancy of the
artist has placed the head of 3 camel
The two figures, each wearing diadem
adorned with snake and feathers, repre-
sent Rameses and Sesostris, the founders
OF two Of the most important dynasties of
remote times. They are sitting, their feet
resting on the heads of sphynxes. The
names of these sovereigns are engraved
underneath. From a frame showing the
profile OF door the word Africa detaches
itself
America (red) is represented by the
figure OF an Indian girl holding in one
hand cornstalk and in the other a horn
hlled with liquor. She rests on an anvil
and cogWheel, emblematic of the in