The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1876-09-22
M is eIlane O us.
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE EGIS
The Centennial Exhibition.

On entering the turnstile a stranger is
struck with amaZement and wonder at the
magnitude of what lies before him. In
| deed it is matter hard to decide where
| to 90 and what to look at first. Our little
party, consisting OF five persons in all, Wis
| tied first the Main Building. Here, as be-
| fore, one is lost as TO which direction to 90
| FIRST and hence it was almost matter of
| impossibility to keep together. In one
| portion of the Paris displays of fine silks,
laces and satins, as well as ornamented
works of glass, gold, furniture, etc, one
seemed to be in the full realization of some
fairy tale. On every hand was magnifi-
cenCe and wealth, and the eye was dazzled
| and lost in an ocean of beauty indescriba-
| BILE. 1t is impossible to describe each de-
partment in detail, and hence purpose
mentioning things here, there and every
! where, as they appear to stranger.
The wax figures among the foreign ey-
| hibits attract general attention, and are as
life-like as can well be conceived They
are arranged IN groups of four and five
each and each group has seperate object
which is soon seen on close inspection.
For instance, one group represents jewel
er of the 177G times, sitting at his rustic
*.
| Near by is the mother, in q bending DOS
turc, as if speaking to the husband, while
| Just behind her is the daughter lcokino
anxiously on-tirst at the young man
standing near the door, and then M the
father and mother The old man looks
troubled and thoughtful, and it is evident
that the young man and daughter are low.
ers; that the young man has proposed
marriage to the daughter, that the daugh-
ter has told her mother and she in turn is
consulting her husband
Another group represents the death of n
child. The child, II mere infant, is living
in a cradle, looking as much as possible
| like a corpse. The mother bends tender
| ly over the cradle, while the other occu-
pants of the room look sober and sad.
Another scene, attractive and interesting,
is the birth of our Saviour in the Manager.
An old stable, like those VIC have seen at
some time, is the place where the Saviour
is represented as born. Above are scatter
ings of hay and provendcr, while racks for
horses to eat from are prominent. On a
little bunch of hay on the floor lies the
new born babe, while just outside are the
attendants, among whom are the kings of
the East, casting their crowns at his feet.
Another group represents Joseph sold by
his brethren. One who is familiar with
the Bible and history generally, need have
no trouble to determine what each group
represents, for it is self-evident, although
there is not word or letter to inform the
inquirer.
The Chinaman exhibits his fancy para
phernalia in great abundance and his
carvings and fine work in wood, pearl and
gold stand as so many monuments of pa
thence, ingenuity and skill for his race. Their
dress is peculiar but neat, and looks well
on them, and their twisted queues look fam
ciful and odd.
Wandering up through the exhibits and
crowd, thousand things await observa.
ton, and around the most curious objects
there is in almost every case the greatest
number of curiosity seekers
| In one display of harness and leather is a
double set OF buggy harness, with buckles
and ornamented rivets of solid gold; the
set being worth ten thousand dollars.
Everything presents clean, tidy appear
| ance, even to the floor, which owing to the
crowd would seem almost impossible.
| Just here we would add that in the tow
er of this building are ten OF twelve bells,
about the size of common church bell,
each set in post by bolt through the
post. They are arranged side by side and
wire fastened to the clapper of each one,
running each to a separate lever in the
story below. Here man has his music,
and each lever is certain note, Just like
an organ. Here he pulls and hauls, keep
ing up u continual chime all day, which
may be distinctly heard in any part of the
ground. These bells were made at the
McShane Sc Co. bell foundry, Baltimore.
A familiar face in such place is seldom
seen, and yet / saw one from Hartford, too,
in the person of Hon. William B. Stephen
son, who seemed deeply absorbed in the
surroundings.
Candy-making is exhibited by several
prominent firms, and although simple in
itself, the steam process it goes through is
evidence of advancement in the art. The
glass blowers too exhibit some fine speci.
mems of work in that line, which are worth
noticing.
In my next will mention the objects OF
interest in Horticultural, Agricultural and
Mechanical Hall, the Maryland building
and the principal places of note on the
grounds.
| EIFCTpJCAI