Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-07-21


neyngs through Main Building. Not that
there isn't much moro TO say and many
times as much more to see and enjoy. But
cart is long, time is feetng," and our
purses though complacenuy rotund at
starting, grow beautifully less" as the
days wear on. Otherwise it would be de-
lightful labor TO study the exhibits of all
the nations represented so thoroughly as
to be able 10 classify and compare them
Above all in the ceramic department; more
especially when we consider the pottery of
a country-and from Dl Cesnola's recent
Cyprian exhumations, the tile libraries of
Nineveh, &C., It would seem that we might
as at the same time a test and exponent
OF its civilization, in the record 1t affords
us of national manners, customs and prog
ress.
have spoken of surprises. sin anolh-
err awaits us in the large number of the
most expensive articles in the building
which are marked "sold - aud this entire
ly outside of the extensive grabs perpetrat-
ed by the Philadelphia Museum of Art,
which makes nothing apparently Of appro-
priating whole stands of iaience, bronzes,
ETC.; showing that In one respect, at least,
the good city of lraternal affection wisely
intends rcaping permanent advantage
from the Exposition. This word "sold,"
by the way, becomes slightly annoying
when, for about the fiflieth time, aud with
some painstaking, you bend down orslretch
up to the card upon greatly admired arti
Gle, hoping thereby to gain little informa-
ton with regard to it, and instead are con-
fronted by the tiresome monosyllable. But
IL never conveyed a sense of personal in
jury that know Of until / found myself
| standing in adnlrng amaZemeut before
the Mexican marbles; and then it pdS
| somewhat CXasperatiug. For these iascin-
aling bits Of beauty are some of them
small and valuable enough to make lovely
brooches, earrings, sleeve buttons, &c. and
would probably come within the purchase
of an ordinary purse; an occurrence suili-
| ciently rare 10 be worth mention. Every
one wishes 10 bring away some memento
of the Centennial. Few care TO buy what
! is easily obtained elsewhere. But no soon
! err d. we fix our eye and heart upon some
! thing uncommon enough 10 lie desirable,
| than siraigh;way the price i found soaring
Il long way above our modest possibilities.
| Aud so l can't forgive the somebodies-
| Philadelphia schools Of art or other folk 49,
who have prevented me from securing to
myself a small section OF rainbow in one
OF those seductive, opalescent Mexican
marbles.
We must not leave Main Building "for
good" without a more particular look at lis
fountains, two Of them are especially ad-
mira bic. one is a single pile of granite
boulders fiom which up-springS cross OF
Ihe same with the invitation engraved up
on its arms" IIo, every one that ihirsleth -
The water liickles between the rocks from
the base OF the cross over few solid gran
lite flowers, leIves and grasses, with an er-
feet as charming a. the design is simple
| Unfortunately there seems to be no way OIL
introducing ice into the water. The other
fountain would please you, l know. II
seems tu be Of terra Gotta and has raised
base upon which two children are walking
under dripping umbrella the boy is
holding ii while the shy little girl nestle'
close 10 him with half aveued head-only
in part for protection one surmses-and
with the most bewitching air looks coyly
out through the falling drops to see if any
one observes them. The rest Of the foun.
tains, so far as l noticed them, were Of the
ordinary shell and spoutins dolphin sort
sufficiently commonplace in design, though
delightfully."- cool and refreshing with theii
cou slant splash and spray.
One of your experiences in walking
about within this building, gazing upon st
man Y things Of foreign manufacture, see
ing so many strange outrc-mer costumes
and being ell bowed by all kinds Of people
Turks, Armcnans, Russians, Chinese, Al
banians To say nothing Of such common
folk as Frenchmen and Spaniards-i,
that you begin 10 have a queer and by M
means uncomfortable sensation of being
traveller in some strange, far. of land. Ant
the cosmopolitan feeling is sill farther in
creased by the ringing in your ears Of al
sorts of foreign languages-the French, o
course prevailing. Turks and Spaniard
rattle il of as glibly as Frenchmen them
sci YES and in some of the departments
knowledge OF it is of great use. Indeed, il
this matter of languages, il is astonishing
how far very little candle sometime
throws its beams. As for example when
visited the Argentine Republic aud had tn
good fortune TO meet very agreeabl
young commissioner. He knew half doz
en- words each Of French and English, ant
l just about the same number OF Spanish
and these eighteen words served TO carr.
on pleasant conversation and to give IN
all the information gained of the Argen