The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-08-10

Cool sWEATHER-ENGLIsH AND GER
MAN-ARTLCoNsTA MEYER-SIR
JOHN OP1E-HANNAH MooRE-TUR-
NER-RoMANcE OLA PRINCE OF Rus
sIA. ..
Special Correspondence Of the Anderson ltcRgencer
PHILADELPHIA, August q, 1875.
The more I contemplate the wonders
of this Exhibition, the more it fills me
with admiration, as it unfolds itself like
a grand scroll upon whose wondrous
pages are concentrated the universal
. wisdom and knowledge of the world.
Art, science, philosophy, aesthetics, me-
chanics, history, all are represented here ;
no such opportunity for education will
occur again upon this continent in the
life of any living American; and when I
say education, I mean education in its
broadest and grandest sense. A man
may read books for q lifetime and never
be a scholar. He may have the musty
lore of a hundred colleges stuffed into
him, and have his pockets crammed with
parchments that testify to his being an
ABB, LID, and ASS, and yet for all
the practical purposes Of life he may go
through the world like a fool. But put
an ordinary fool inside these centennial
grounds, and you would make atolerably
sensible man of him spite Of himself.
The thermometer al 10 splendid days
and glorious nights bring ging back the
elasticity; and vitality Of yonth and furn-
ishing the critics of art With intellectual
muselssto grappiiss with al the songh SUBJ
jects he!sexciting arsna Of aesthetics.
Istand beneath the grand dome of the
Art Gallery once more, and running the
gauntlet of statuary and paintings, I
hasten to little room on the north side
of the building which is filled with price
less and inestimable treasures. Don't
rush in here as though you we're going
into barn-yard, but step reverently and
softly !; yes, and remove the sandals from
your feet, for the ground is almost holy
that you tread upon. If it be possible
that the associations of sacred relics can
sanctify the dust whereon we stand, then
is this place holy. This is the collection
of ancient gems and relics by Costillana,
of Italy. Grand in past association, rich
in historic lore nothing before you is
modern, everything is covered with the
mould, the dust and CRIME of countless
centuries. The record ends five hun
dred years after the birth Of Christ, but
its beginning runs back into the very
twilight of time. Here are rude stone
rings and precious amulets, that might
have been worn by mighty chieftains ere
Tubal Cain fashioned his first ornaments
of brass. How many ages since these
imperial signets carried the weight of the
kings name to invading armies, respited
or. destroyed the, conquered legions of the
enemy, and bore throughout their vast
empires the power of life and death to
millions? Here. they are--Assyrian
Persian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman
yes, and relics of natons whose very
names are lost, and, of whom history con-
tains no authentic record. Marvellous
indeed, ,is the skill exhibited in some Of
the precious gems carved into stone
which will endure as long as time shall
last. Many of the faces are Assyrian
some are Persian, some are Egyptian
but by far the greater part are Greek
and Roman. Many of the stones are
cornelian, few, are agate, some are
onyx, but all are nlarvels of art. There
are human figures the eighth of an inch
long, cut in the hardest cornelian, anG
yet with an anatomy as perfect as i
sculptured by the chisel of Phidius.-
Animal life is there in all its phases
wonderful in design, miraculous in exc
cution. The historic value of this gallery
of faces can be scarcely estimated. Th,
List of Roman Emperors is nearly perfect
and encased in rim of gold is the heat
ofJulius, the yeritable Cesar who crossed
the Rubicon, and who fell by the assas
sims knife at the foot of Pompey's statue
Here are golden charms and bracelet
that perchance Calphurnia might hav'
worn when she wound her arms for tn,
last time around her Caesars neck, jus
as he was departing for the capitol to hi
death; and near it in another case is
necklace of precious stones that nigh
have encircled the voluptuous neck o
Cleopatra, while she reposed in the arm
of her beloved Anthony. All the detail
of their hidden life has been dragged
from out the earth and into the light O
day after the sleep of centuries, and nov
we look with curious eyes into the LITTLE
puf-pox from which, Queen Sheba nigh
have whitened her dusky cheeks to max,
her look more lovely in the eyes of th,
great Jewish king. Gold, silver, brass
copper and stone compose this magnifi
cent collection. Would I could give i
fifty pages instead of the brief notic'
which my space compels, but let me i'm
press upon those that visitthe Centennia
not to forget the collection of Castillana
The German department is exceedingl.