The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-13
Ihe 1ai1g Atans,
Continued from second page. J


which he never sought it is but commonly
just and proper that honorable mention
should to day be made. Whatever causes
may be assigned for the fact, however.
it is certainly a fact that the vast ma
jority of our people have as yet
nothing like an adequate apprehension of
the extent, the beauty and the significance
of the grand enterprise which is now to be
formally opened in Philadelphia; and,
should the weather be propitious, we
doubt not that the myriads who will
throng the Paramount grounds to day will
leave them at night wearled perhaps, but
far fror, satiated, to propagate far and
wide through the land sudden enthusiasm
about it. The noble buildings of the ex-
hibition and its grounds, frightened with
the springing verdure of May, would suffice
of themselves to excite admiration and
astonishment But although an immense
number of the interesting and beautiful
works of industry and art which are finally
to fill those spacious and luminous edifices
still remain to be unpacked and set in
their places, enough has been accom-
plished even in this direction, during the
last few busy weeks, to satisfy the most
careless and the most skeptical of observers
that the Philadelphia Exposition Of 1876,
considered simply as an exhibition OF the
arts and industry of mankind. will hold its
own most worthily in the dazzling line which
began with the Worlds Fair at London.
in 1851. and which is to be taken up and
carried forward again, two years hence, at
| Paris, under the auspices of the French
Republic. 1t is this assurance which is
most needed at this moment in regard to
the exhibition, and this assurance we are
heartily glad to feel ourselves justified in
giving to our readers. The mere pagean-
try of the opening day will have but e
passing interest even for those who are
at the pains of leaving homes to witness
it. We are rarely successful in
this country in getting up the
decorative business of such occasions.
Neither the instincts of the English blood
which predominates so largely in our ma
tional composition, nor the spirit of our in
stitutions, can be regarded as favorable to
the pomp aud circumstance of great civil
parades. Our dignitaries do not even
wear gowns and geld chains like English
mayors, and you may easily congregate
the executive and legislative grandees of
all the states of the union on a single plat
form. without making it easy for the unin.
formed spectator to decide at a glance
whether he is looking on geographical
congress or revival meeting of Moody
and Sankey. The governor of Massachu.
sets, it is true, means to illuminate the
scene to-day with the uniforms md gold
lace of a suite Of more than four hundred
persons, as becomes the only common
,, wealth in the union which has expressly
conferred title by its constitution upor
t its chief magistrate. The foreign diplo
;, matte corps too, it is understood. will con
i tribute the glitter of their varied oficia
costumes to the spectacle But all THU
: will be as a bubble blown in. the air, no
= will it arouse any particular or lasting in
| terest in the public mind. All the drum
beating, speech making and flag flying il
the world would fail to lift the public min,
of the country up, if there was not behint
n it al, awaiting the caimer inspection an
deliberate verdict Of the intelligent Amer
d lean people, Il real. well organized, richl
;; constituted display Of the highest result
e yet reached 10 industry and in the arts b
: the eagerly competing nations of tn
N world