Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-07-07
Correspondence of the PHOENIX.
CENTENNIAL LETTERS.
THE MAIN BUILDING

THE MAIN BUILDING
Is divided cathedral wise by nave and tran
sept, each supplemented by avenues and
aisles. Around the music stand which is in
the exact centre of the edilice group tho four
| great nations, Great Britain, France, Ger
many and the United States. Our own
country, appropriatng the lions share, not
only occ cupies the entire Southeastern quar-
ter, but over1ows into two compartments
of the Northeastern.
Entering this structure from the West
and looking down its ample nave, your
first feeling is simple amazemeut, your
first thought Aladin's lamp, for the genii
have certainly been here. Before you
stretches changing Kaleidoscope a third
of a mile long, made up OF arches, playing
fountains, floating flags, festoons, and the
ever-moving throng of visitors. You gaze
a moment in wonder at the beautiful inn
mcnsity, trying TO take 1t all in then some
one says "Come," and turning TO the first
arch at the left, you enter the gateway of
"Italie" and begin the tour of the world.
Three days (perhaps) are spent in this one
building "doing IT, as thoroughly as one
can In the time; and then you GO home
knowing you have not seen half its con-
tents. with your brain a medley of confu-
sed images, and, oh, so tired, and, TO tell
the truth, so sick OF mosaics, wood cary
ings, porcelain and silverware, that you do
not care If you never see another specimen.
But the next morning ideas clear little,
and out OF the chaos emerge pleasant vis-
innS r. no lno outiG,I tbinn, ,yIioI, ,,,.a, T.,
terested you. Naturally in Italy we expect
to see mosaics, aid the first one that seizes
your attention is just at the entrance-a
round table three feet in diameter, in the
middle Of which is the "Romulus, Remus
and wolf" group, size of dinner plate,
surrOu nded by wreath OF morning glories
several inches wide,-a OF far more deli
cate workmanship than the commonly
worn mosaic brooch. Another table same
size nearly covered with moonlight view
of the cathedral of Milan, the shadowy por-
ton painted, the moon aud the bright lights
brought out by an inlaying of mother OF
pearl as many-hued as the rainbow. Price
$3.50. A carved ebony cabinet with this same
inlaying oi opalescent pearl is valued at the
modest sum of $500.
On the wall you see a wood carving ofa
laughing child's head full size, and so per-
feet that you seem 10 see the waving of the
wind blown hair. Among the shell canoes,
one six inches by four represents "Hora-
thus defending the bridge;" price, $500. In
a large case filled with silver filagree is a
good sized fruit basket filed with various
fruits and flowers, the whole of this deli
cate material; price, $3.50. Next comes
Norway which surprised us with an even
larger display than Italy of silver and gold
filagree, beautiful porcelain and solid wood
carvings. In Sweden everybody steps TO
look at the clay figures, so life-like even to
the expression OF face, the eyes and hands,
that you almost expect to hear them speak.
The iatber's countenance amid a group
surrounding his dead baby, is enough to
make you cry just to look at it. Here
again is large exhibit of "faience," (glazed
pottery: Among other pieces, a vase six
feet high, worth $3.50. Crossing the nave
we enter Japan where, passing right by
piles OF the ordinary lacquer waIe, we no.
tice some inlaid with mother of pearl birds,
as brilliant as any from the tropics. I'm
mense screens OF delicate-hued silk
abound upon one was the brown, scraggy
branch of an apple tree covered with love-
ly blossoms and at its foot a couple of
white storks feeding in the long grass-all
of the most exquisite embroidery. Anoth-
er tempted you to pluck a spray of convol-
vulus that was thrown over 1t. More strik
ing still were the peacocks, the metallic
colors of their plumage perfectly represent
ed by OVERLAPPING stitches of embroidery.
Elephants tusks are mounted upright up
on ebony and carved and colored in all
sorts of shapes and hues; and of course
there Is no end of fans. A step takes us
into China, and now indeed you see wood
carvings. Those of Italy, Norway and
Sweden were chiefly solid, but these are
light and airy as lace work. One bedstead
begins its carvings at the base with some
| good, solid, grinnlng mandarlns foot in
length, then tapers and refines upward in
to an openwork canopy of flowers, and
birds and butterflies on the wing. Observe
that these delicate, highly finished carvings
are several inches in thickness. Another
bedstead similarly carved is circular like
an old stage coach body, with pictures
painted upon a canopy of finest gauze.
Passing through Denmark, and Egypt with
its stuffed crocodile, its specimens of an
cient aud modern dress and tools, Its mag
nlhcent gold-embroldered satin and velvet
table covers, model sphinxes, pyramids,
&C., we come TO the beautiful portals of
Spain, its coat-of-arms and big-lettered
"Espagna," all around us. believe there
is about everything here that can be man
ufactured and In the most prodigal profu-
| sion. Immense cases OF elegant satins,