Litchfield enquirer., 1876-10-12

all is to take tour of the grounds on the narrow guage railway. We get in that way pretty good idea of the compara- tive importance of the various buildings and of the size of this enormous exhibi- tion. Among the smaller buildings every Connecticut Yankee must of course visit his own State house. It is rather odd than pretty, modern antique Tn style, yet we'll worth a visit Over. the mantel piece hangs the identical ''queen's-arm with which Putnam shot the wolff there ever was such wolf and various other objects of local interest book contains thousands of Connecticut names, end this is probably the likeliest place for meeting acquaintance on the grounds. Among these smaller buildings, that of Kansas and Colorado attracts the largest | crowds and is really we'll worth the visit. The Moorish Villa, the Japanese build ing and the Turkish Cafe attract large crowds, and the Woman's Pavilion also has it's hosts of visitors though we confess to seeing nothing very remarkable there. It is only larger and less mercenary church fair. .
 A comical contrivance is the elevated railway between Horticultural and Agri- cultual Halls;-an engine and car that buzz across the ravine between these buildings in a sort of explosive way that interests children extremely. This is ev- idently the contriyance of some Yankee of Yankees.
 ART GALLERY.
 There is no place on the whole grounds so constantly and so abomniabIy crowded as Memorial Hall This is beautiful building and designed to be permanent Isis now full of paintings and sculptures of all kinds, and apparently of all degrees of merit. We say apparently" for to say the truth our opinions of art are so crude that we venture nothing by way of criticism-we speak only of what seems to us good, bad or indifferent Yet there are some things in this exhibition so striking ly bad that there is no real room for doubt That dreadful statue of Washington, am- putated of the lower half of his body, and stuck on an eagle much too small for him with every feature contorted into agony by the mutilation-is really abominable. Yet the Aruns watching the effect of 8 bow-shot, just opposite the Washington. is very spirited and good. To the left we enter gallery of American paintings in which is what seems fair likeness of Gen. Robert E. Lee. There is in the hall splendid portrait of Gen. Meade and one or two of Grant,-not very good, we guess. The most monstrous picture of all, in every sense of the word is the battle of Gettysburgh, denounced as dreadful daub. by common consent.
 We were struck by picture in the American exhibit of Mary and her Lamb-pious in design but simple mar tyrdom in execution. The most pleas ing American pictures we saw were those of Eastman Johnson. "What the Sea Says, boy holding conch shell to the ear of his grandfather, '"The old Kentucky Home," and "The old Stage Coach" and other paintings of his, seem specially fine. There are Copley and Stu art portraits of great historical interest. and hasty v1ew showed us crowds of in- teresting works of American art. We guess that our own paintings are fully equal to the foreign work on exhibition The Spanish.section has some striking works of art Among others a cruciixion, by Murillo, impressed us much as Bach were similarly reminded of our rawness by Turner landscape in the English sec. l tion. It was to us @ complete muddle. We could enjoy Wllkie's Reading the Ga. zette," and thought the Lawrence and Reynolds portraits very good, but the solemn, dingy old celebrities of the past century only excited curious inte. rest in our uncultivated breast.
 Among the objects of interest we no. ticed the identical "Circe and the follow. CTS of Ulysses" about which so good a story is going the rounds of the papers. l The sorceress has transformed the follow. CTS of the old Greek Sinbad into swine and some Democrat, looking at the paint. ing recently, remarked that it was 'pretty hard on Grant P
 For very old English paintings by art ists of note, curiously enough, one must go to the Canadian exhibit in No 26, of the Annex. Here are several portraits by Vandyke and Sir Peter Lely. | OUT OF THE GATE.
 l No one must expect to see this mag. nifcent display without many discom. forts. The mosquito was pretty numer. ous. evenings; cars are crowded, and the fatigues of successive days of sightseeing tremendous Most go home tired to death, and some sick. There is much worth seeing in the city, but few have time to look up the ordinary clty sights Philadelphia will always be with us, but the Centennial will soon be only a reminisence. The Geological gardens, the Fairmount Waterworks, Independence Hall and the U. $. Sloop-of- War Ply, mouth. at the foot of Arch Street, may receive occasional visits, but the million swarm over the Centennial Grounds and have no time or inclination for an ythine else.