The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-12-23

49, N~'~EN15 4
waiian now on a visit to the United States.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. Is. 1876.
The Centennial Exposition is over ua hala Ia
noni. In place Of the crowds that thronged the
main building there is now the appearance OF de-
ertion, and where you heard the hum of ten thou
sand human voices, you now hear the carpenters
hammer and the orders given for the packing up
of the various articles. The main building covers
a space OF more than twenty acres. Think OF 1t!
Twenty acres rooted over. In this building were
the exhibits of the different aupunis. Machinery
hall covers | think about thirteen acres. in it were
exhibited the different kinds OF machinery pre-
sented at this great fair. All the machinery cover
ing this thirteen acres was worked by one immense
CUrliss engine situated in the center OF The build
ing. Thirteen acres of machinery run by one
engine. How is that for highE Well, 1t Is all
oyer. Arrangements are being made for having a
permanent exhibition on the centennial grounds,
and these two large buildings have been retained
for that purpose. But the centennial kxpositlon
is pau. / made my last visit to the grounds last
Saturday, the place seemed deserted and lonely.
Ouly the day previous there were nearly two hun
dred thousand persons on the grounds. In machl-
merry hall the unnatural quiet in the presence oil
such a vast array of machinery caused a feeling
akin TO sadness. The closing ceremonies OF this
greatest and most successful of all the worlds fairs
were set for Friday, the 18th inst. preparations
| had been made to have the closing exercises at the
western end of the main building a large plat
| form had been raised for the speakers and the Or
MUItt the SpdAC III EOhN Vi NHC A@bOAA
wus for the accommodation of thousands. The plat
form itself was beautifully dressed in flags OF
every nation. Had the closing ceremonies taken
Mace here it would have been one of the most
imposing sights ever witnessed. But Friday prov
ed to be a very rainy day, and as a last resort,
| after waiting in vain for the weather to clear up,
it was decided 10 carry ont The programme IN the
indges' hall. Il building Il little TO the north of the
main building and quite near to it. On a platform
in the northern part Of this building, on the main
floor sat General Grant. surrounded by seVerai
| IT-tinnuishaH ma1 among them were Geneial
| Goshorn, the Director General of the Centennial
EXPOSITION, and General Hawley, the President of
the Centennial Commission. The programme
opened with music by the orchestra. Rev. Mr..
| Seiss of this city then offered prayer. General
Hawley then introduced Hon. Mr.. Morrell who
made a speech, but | did not hear one word. Hon.
j. Welsh and General Gashorn made short
speeches then the Hallelujah chorus was rem
dered. General Hawley then made the closing
speech, and when he closed General Grant stepped
to the front of the platform and declared tnat lne
Centennial Exposition was closed, he then waved
his hand which was the signal for the electric tel
legraph to flash the message across to machinery
hall, and almost instantaneously the great Corilss
engine ceased its work and the hum eff the ten
thousand wheels in that world renowned hall
died out forevermore. The original American
flag was then unfurled over the speakers STAND
the orchestra rendered the hymn " America" at
the close of which the vast assembly joined IN
singing the Doxology. l tell yon it was grand,
It was a scene never to be forgotten. 1t sounded
like the triumphant shout of a host. 1t was an
hour of triumph for the spirit of American institu-
lions. In machinery hall when the engine stopped,
men started, and stood still and looked at eacn
other in wonderment.
have seen here the magnificent authority OF a
free, Industrious, intelligent people. This Exposl-
ton has been the coronation of American insatn-
tons and all the nations have assisted in 1t and
done honor to it. A King once said 4" Seest
thou a man diligent in business, he shall stand
before Kings This truth has been Verlhed TO
this people in the history of this exposition. In
the development of her natural resources, a de-
yeiopment that is as it were only in its infancy; In
the scope and breadth of her civilization and
christianity, America stands before Kings. she
takes the precedence of all. The dignity OF IN
dustry is one of the great lessons to be learned
from this exhibition. Working hands and work
ing brains make men, and they have made these
United States what they are. Another thought
that impresses one here is the superiority OF man.
| have seen how man grapples with the iceberg
and overcomes the inclemency OF the polar sea
how he harnesses his iron horse upon the track
and travels off at the rate of 40, 90, and 90 miles
an hour how he causes steam to weave his
how he commands the lightning and it carries his
message around the world how he flashes the
storm signal along the coast, cheating old ocean,
even. out of her prey. we see. toor the lmproVa.
bility of man By the side of Franklin's press OF
a hundred years ago, worked by hand, we have the
modern printing press worked by steam; In con-
trast with the old log cabin we have all the mod
ern improvements in house building ana mouse
keeping. Along side of Washington's homely
carriage we have the most beautiful show of our
modern vehicles. This show of Improvement, OF
progress, has been a l marked feature in the exhl-
hilton, Talk about man descending from the
monkey tribe! Why, the monkey and the baboon
we see here is the same that we read of in ancient
history The same old ape of ages ago without
any Improvement whatever! Man alone is shown
to be progressive. But one thought that Inn
pressed me as much as any thing else was the evi-
dence in the exhibition of the value of Christian
culture. Passing along from hall to hall, through
the different departments you could tell in a mo-
ment whether the various exhibits were those OF a
Christian country or not. China and Japan show
ed some fine specimens OF carved work. There
was a carved bedstead for sale for $4000-But
their work showed no breadth of thought, no ele.
walton of the mind. 1t is not to be compared
with the work of American mechanics. America
Great Britain, Germany and France showed most
clearly in their exhibits the results of Christian
culture, while Italy, Turkey and other lands showed
a sad lack of it.