Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-05-19
Opening OF the Centennial.


Opening OF the Centennial.
George Alfred Townsend. in the New York
Graphic.
The space between Memorial Hall
and the Main hall, where the cxer-
cises were held, is not less that 500
feet. Here were assembled ut an
early hour at least $4,000 people, a
number out Of proportion to the
acoustic possibilities and to comfort.
The distinguished guests, however,
were recognized by their glittering
uniforms, and were allowed to press
through the terrace and the semi
circular seats of timber which had
been prepared for this event.
At the brow of the terrace, nearly
in the middle of the huge crowd,
two rampant horses, in bonds, dom
mated over the masses of hats, bon
nets, and uncovered heads. The
clean, new profile in granite of Me-
mortal Hall, adorned only with some
flags and colored sculpture, was filled
with people. On the roof and arches
at the main gate were hoisted for the
first time the arms of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and the United States.
The chorus were seated on speci-
al stand III front of the terrace and
extending out from the main edifice.
Whenever the crowd buzzed a little
nothing could be heard few feet
from the platform, and very little
seen except the lips of the chorus
moving and Theodore Thomas,
bareheaded, making his characteris-
tic gestures. The organ could scarce
ly be heard at all, although the mill
tary bands parading the grounds
were very distinctly heard in many
directions. In short, the vocal music,
having all of out of doors to circulate
in, failed to produce any effective
impression.
The scene when all was ready,
about 10 o'clock, was prodigious,
but the exercises were inaudlble to
all except few persons. Meantime,
as anybody could enter the grounds
by paying, the public streamed in
throngs through fifty gates and dis
persed in front of the various edifices,
waiting until they should be formal
ly opened and ready for admission.
When President Grant, who had
spent the night in Philadelphia, APP
peared, there was loud and long-con.
tinued cheering. Blaine, however,
got still warmer reception, which
lasted several minutes, and General
Phil Sheridan was huzzaed with pro-
digious vigor. Phlladelphians were
generally phlegmatic on all such sub
jects, but the strangers and the mill
tary made it lively. Senator Conk-
ling, Governor Tilden, and the Brit
ish Minister were subjects of ap-
plause. The Emperor of Brazil kept
on the outskirts of the crowd for
some time, attended by Mr.. O'Kelly,
who accompanied him from Rio over
all his travels, and is much depended
on by the Emperor.
If there is to be any broad criticism
OF the Philadelphia Exhibition it
must be that there is too much of 1t.
The usual visitor is stunned and con-
fused by the extent and varity Of the
buildings and walked off his legs.
His wife invariably goes home mad
and refuses to be cons olcd, and says
she never was so tired in her life.
The children are spanked for moth.
ing In particular, and the head Of the
house pulls off his boots, cuts his
corns, and says women are unreason-
able.
There is too much of it, because
everybody has been allowed to build
something, and deceive the eye with
the ostentatlon of public ornament.
There is bakery; there are sewing
machine edifices; soda fountains
cover themselves with palaces; every
State and many foreign States have
housed themselves, as for an archit-
ectnral lark. What do you think,
Aristides, of 100 separate and differ
ent cdifces in this extravagantly
large inclosure of 238 acres? 1t is
SO great all enclosure that railways
are built to circumambulate it, with
stations at the larger buildings. 1t
is so rugged and uneven an inclosure
that bridges 500 feet long span its
ravines, on which hundreds of carria-
ges and steam railway cars cross at
one time. The buildings themselves
are OF such extraordinary size that
the largest is more than twenty-one
acres Of ground surface, every foot Of
which is interesting, and the circuit
of this building alone will weary
young man afoot. There are, in all
seventy-five acres under roof.
lam justified, therefore, in saying
that the Exhibition fails only in tho
lmmensity of its success. That is,
it surpasses necessity. 1t is like
marrying the fat woman. She was
all we had expected, and more,
too, and we were unable to compre-
bend the whole of her in our affec-
tons, and made our acquaintance in
instruments.
| was ut the London Exhibition Of
1862 and at the Paris Exhibition of
1867. My brother, who is a good
observer, and does not have to brain
himself in the newspapers every day,
says that the Vienna Exhibition was
exteriorly the inferior of ours, and |
think that both the London and Paris
Exhibitions were less pretentious
than this.
They were, however. strictly inter-
national Exhibitions of art and pro-
ducts, and not landscape parks. In
fine arts, particularly in sculpture,
they cxcelled ours in quality and, l
think, quantity. They were. more
compact and moro accessible from
their cities, but their buildings were
neither SO elegant nor SO cheerful
as ours, and they were not SO express
sive OF the daily life and energy of
the nation which prepared them.
The American Exhibition is stamp
ed all over with our faith, confidence
and individuality, and in most re-
spects we outshine other peoples
with our products and pursue them
closely in the arts. Our machinery
leaves ENGLAND. France. Prussia