River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-10-26
CENTENNIAL LETTER.
The WOmen's Department and horticultural
Understanding about the
GrOu' ds-Beautiful
Exhihife

lit is much pleasanter for me to praise
than to censure, but the faithful chron-
icler has something to do besides
beslobbering with laudations the
things which are utterly unworthy.
The women's department is a beauti-
full building to look at, and it has one
of the finest situations on the whole
Centennial grounds. 1t stands on Bel
mont avenue directly between the
Government building and the Horticul-
tural Hall. The railroad passes in
front of it, and in the rear the mag
nificent terrace, gaudy with the lovli-
est flowers, stretches out like royal
garden, gladdening the heart with the
exquisite beauty it unfolds. This
building was erected so says the
guide, at cost of thirty thous.
and dollars, contributed by the work
ing women of the United States. /
confess my heart warmed when |
heard of the project of showing wo-
man s work at the great Worlds Ex-
position. | thought it was in the
hands of those who would not only
show us of what women are capable,
but what they are actually doing. 1
| expected to see the new avenues of la
Dor that had been opened for her adj
vancement, and 10 be greeted with the
| evidences of her work. | expected to
see the practical workings of that ed
ucation which would make them bet
| ter wives and mothers, and, in short,
to have their attention turned away
| from the frippery, nonsense and gew-
| gaws which are to-day the curse of wo-
man in every land from Labradore to
China and this conceived to be wo-
mans mission at the great Centennial
Exhibition. vanity of vanities,
said the preacher, ''all is vanity" and
he was right. These daughters of Eve
have learned nothing of the great
problem of life. Many of them "sow
not, neither do they spin, and yet Solo
mon in all his glory was not arrayed
like unto them"
Three young ladies sat by a printers
case, composing stick in hand, working
at the trade which has made the
names of Guttenburgh and Faust i'm
mortal. | took Off my hat as | passed
them by, for here was an element of
women not afraid of soiling their ting-
erS-not ashamed to be seen earning
their bread by the honest labor of
their hands. For them all reverence
and honor. Among the articles eXhib-
tied one women had invented writ
ing desk, and to show how impractical
women are when they NEEDLE with
things outside of their sphere, the cost
of it would furnish house from bot
tom to top for the family of respec-
table mechanic, but she never thought
of the cost. She had succeeded in IN
venting writing desk that nobody
ever did buy, and nobody ever will.
Another women had invented pat
tent life-saving mattress which left
your body and legs dangling III the
water SO that sharks might come nib
bling around them.
Would Mrs. Gillespie or some other
advanced female apostle teach these
young maidens who are to be the moth
erS of the coming generation the best
way to bring up babies and how to
take the best possible care of them
selves. so that they shall not be con-
slant affection to their husbands,
with headaches and neuralgias, and
backaches and rheumatism, and ali
those fashionable ills that afflict the
present female generation. Will they
show them how to make light bread
and broil steaks, ard concoct stewS
that will delight the heart of man
and set lightly on his stomach after
they are down, instead of making him
dream all night of the Guyaseutus and
all sorts of other horrible things! II
the exhibitions at the women's de-
partment of the Centennial are the
only evidences of woman's advanced
work, there are centuries of thraldom
yet in store for her, for she is so heaY-
lily yOked in the bondage of vanity that
it will require ages to free her from
the thrall. Another disappointment
is the Horticultural Hall. The build
ing is magnificent when viewed from
the distance. The style is moresque.
rich in gaudy color. Standing at the
end of grand parterre of the gayest
and lovelist flowers, it is the admira-
tion of all beholderS. Entering the
building, one expects TO see tropical
flowers and fruits from every quarter
of the globe, and it is with an unqual-
flied feeling of disappointment that, on
arriving Oh the inside you find nothing
you expected to see. Take away the
tree ferns, which are numerous, and
the dozen or so Of banana trees, and it
seems as though there would be very
little left. With these two exceptions
there is nothing disappointing in the
whole of this vast exhibition. Every
other department so far exceeds the
expectation that these minute spots
upon this glowing, radiant sun are
scarcely worth recOrding-nor would
| now speak of them if could have
passed them by, but as | intend that
these letters shall be running expos
itOry of all the buildings after the eX.
hibitiOn is over, | could only speak of
these two buildings in praise at the
sacrifice of truth.
1t is with feeling of intense salts
faction that turn from the theory of
woman's advancement to witness its
practical workings as demonstrated by
the true women who put their Shout
ders to the wheel and work. They do
not drive here i'll carriages paid for by
the wages of wretched working girls
they do not wear long trailing dresses,
trimmed with The finest of costly lace,
but they work. If you would see a
specimen of woman S work come over
to the Agricultural Hall. | love to go
there. Its exhibits are real sterling
stuff. No sham, no nonsense, no cheat.
Long before we reach the stand to
which | am going to take you, we hear
voice pitched in a high key, and the
man seeakS with the volubility of an
auctioneer. lie stands in front OF a
case of the most luscious preserved
fruits ever exhibited in any land. Let
us step up and examine them. Magni.
ficent Bartlett pears, beautiful peach
es, cherries, pine apples, and all sorts
of fruits Here is q Mnman'S work