The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-05-24
GERMANTOWN, May 10. 1876.

AA.Oas Fatntan4. Wood
Carving. Industrial Exhibits, &c,
GERMANTOWN, May 10, 1876.
10 The Editor Of The Press:
Thursday it rained in Germantown. 1t had
gotten to be a confirmed habit, believe, every
where, this stormy weather The morning
broke so dull and cloudy that enthusiasm was
dampened. Nobody thought of Fairmount
Park with any pleasure, and it was natural
enough. Our very flags, so gay In sunshine
and breeze, had limp, detected appearance,
from these repeated dismal days, that all their
red, white and blue could not viyify. But one
heart was faithful yet. to speak Ia Barbara
Frietehie. pitied the stay -at-home inclined
family and started for the grounds by myself.
Everything was fresh and fair along German
town lanes, and plucked a few large violets
with leaves, growing wild by the way, and
tucked them into the buttOuhole Of my coat
thinking how pretty their petals were twink =
Eng with dew, and how much less was due on
them than the boutonniers at the Exposition for
which they charge fifty cents; a minglipg in
my mind OF economy and sentiment 1t re-
minded me OF little incident in the big build
Ing where L saw, a day or two ago, burly,
joyial-looking sailor, young man buying at this
same price, rosebud and bit of heliotrope
for his mother. She was q little, old woman
in black bombazne-the name gentlemen al
ways give to a black dress OF any material, you
know, but this time, really black bombazine,-
with a wrinkled face and old fashioned man.
ners. And she did seem SO pleased and happy
when he affectionately gave them to her, in
stead of presenting them to some Haunting
girl, who would not have cared for the posey.
As the train approached to the grounds 1
caught myself smiling with pleasure at the
sight of the roofs of the buildings, already
grown familiar-the statue on Memorial Hall,
the flags and towers Of the main building.
have enjoyed so much at the City CenteRnidl-
for the park now is city in itself-I shall not
like to say good bye.
first directed my steps to the main hall and
spent half an hour listening to Gilmore. Near
by lot of people gathered round display of
toys propelled by maohinery-they were watch
ing eagerly, among all the wonders. pleased
with a rattle, tickled with straw" New ex-
hibits had accumulated here, as they do all the
time. proceeded to machinery hail. where
stopped at a printing press and asked If
might buy sheet of proof paper. to write
letter bye and bye. 1t was given to me and
then purchased a copy of the New York Her
aid. They had been giving them away, the
past week, ad libitum, as also the New York
Times. do not know of any other papers but,
with the Herald, the boy told me the orders to-
day were to sell at five cents.
At the "Trois Freres Provenceaux," the
French restaurant, paused, Ito get a cup OF
chocolate and some rolls. The walters were
fine in broadcloth and embroidered shirt fronts,
not even their long aprons concealng their ex-
quisite toilets. did not find them 50 SUPER
polite, though looked for rather more-as at
the Vienna Cafe, At last reached the wo-
mems department, to which meant to devote
the day in investigating. The building is not
as handsome as some of the others outside, to
my taste, but the interior is lovely; decorated
in blue that gives a bright, cheerful air. It
stands on the east side of the Belmont Ave-
nue., north of Fountain Avenue and covers an
area of 80 900 square feet Before we criticise
let us consider what the women have done.
They have given $50, 900 TO this their building
aud S950OO to the Exposition. They paid
1or tne music on the opening day
and as it was a local celebration, the ceremo-
nies of the opening, they paid for it out of the
local fund. That is, money raised by them in
Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. To Wagner
they paid S565O, selling the copyright of his
march for $500, the return to be five cents on
a copy. The amount of brain aud body work
that our women have put into this is not TO be
estimated, and all honor is due Mrs. Gillespie
and her faithful and efficient aids throughout
the states.
Let us try to get an idea of the contents of
their department. at the Exposition It has
been objected that there are too many inferior
articles here, for instance in the Art collec-
ton there is much that is below the average
which Miss Hosmsr (wbose marbles % are INC" not
yet there) and Rosa Bonheur will place their
masterpieces? All these productions of our
schools and youthful artists that We see here
are well enough, but we want ''the highest type
OF women's work" They said SO themselves,
the committee, and beginniugs, however good,
are out of place. All through the other ex-
hibits you may say the same, they are not all
choice. But certain things must be taken into
account. In the first place, the various other
states accepted many things before they came
here Then, people were so backward in send
ing that the committees really feared there
would be nothing to show, and so were driven
to taking, in some instances, what they could
get.
Among the visitors this special morning
not iced Prof. Lopgfellow.
In the center of the hall is fountain sur
rounded with plants and flowers. At the right
OF the entrance is an array of Japanese work.
rams, screens, r0markaDie achievements In
crepe; blossoms, birds, among other things, a
cock, hen and chicks, all of that material, and
a variety of lacquer-wood work. just here we
see the Lords Supper, after Da Vinci done in
worsted, chenille and floss, all with the needle.
1t is quite wonderful for the expression of the
faces is preserved. 1t is as attractive as
thing of that sort ever is-that seems such a
wholesale waste of time for the fingers that toll
over it-seems so to me at least.
There are articles of Swedish manufacture,
more of those characteristic groups of lifs-size
figures. One represents young Swedish
maiden, telling the daisy love--''loves me,
loves me not" while a youth, silently inter-
ested, stands near. Beyond hangs a banner of
white silk, embroidered in colors with the arms
of New York State. 1t is II (twelve) by 10
(ten) feet and valued at 5000. Presented by
of course, Among the great quantity of oddi-
ties are fish scale jewelry at $50 q set. A tip
pet and muf made of the silk of the milk
weed. A whistle actually made of the tail of
pig. 1t is sent from one of the great pork es-
tablishments at Chicago. These lines are
printed:
"There's a prOverb as ancient as scOtland's famed
That out Of "Pig's Tail' you can't make whistle
We believe we've accomplished that wonderful
thing,
In one case are two dolls dressed by Moor
ish princess, one in the Jewish costume, the
shoes, gold handkerchief for the hair, and a
'Shashia, that is a 'tez," elegantly wrought
IN silx, velvet and gold. Here, too, is an
Egyptian prayer carpet" and cloth with the
prayer Itself worked in gold. There is another
curious thing. A screen. five or six feet high,
OF wood painted black. One of those standing
screens that bend in aud out, covered with pic
nn ana Il ANA