Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-06-09
A StauntOn Man at the Centen-
NAL.

A Staunt0n Man at the Centen-
NAL.
THE BIGGEST THING THE WORLD EVER
sAW-MANAGERs CAN'T MANAGERS IT
JAPAN, AND ITS WONDERS OF WARE
AND IvORY-CHINA, AND HER CURIOUS
WORKS OF ART-EGYPT, HER MUAIMIEs,
CUTLERY AND CLOTHS,
&C, &C., sc.
Correspondence of the Staunton "VINDIcAToR. "
PHILADELPHIA, }
June, 5th, 1861
You asked me to send you some Cen
tennial "dots," and in an unguarded mo-
ment committed myself, or you would
not now be perusing "these few lines"
You doubtless recollect remarking that
you had not seen real good Centennial
letter, and wondering at it. I venture to
express the opinion that you will continue
to hold these views. and continue to Won
der until you come here. When you can
find me an artist who can paint the rain
bow, will engage to find you good Cen
tennial correspondent. I confess I am
stunned and bewildered at the magnitude
of this immense show, and know not how
to begin my effort at describing it,. The
world never saw anything like it. Those
who have seen Paris, London and Vienna
say this goes a long way ahead OF the eX-
positions at these cities. But the display
has Outstripped the men who attempt to
run it, and it, like locomotive without
an engineer, has on a good denl of steam,
and is pretty much running itself by de-
tail, and with the details a good deal con
fused. But that is not much concern of
ours: the huge show is here, and it is for
us to look, wonder and admire, whe ther
the thing pays Oh not.
Well, this much for an Introduction,
and now where shall I commence. [ will
not attempt a Descriptions will merely
refer to some notable things as they struck
me.
After paying your SOC. note 1.-TWO 25s
won't do, neither will 81 do for two), you
pass into the main building. This is the
TwENTY-ONE ACRE HOUSE,
and if you will follow me through the
maze of stalls and wares, chattering
foreigners from every cline, with the pre-
ponderating and astounded American ele-
ment, to the centre of the vast building,
and ascend with NE the winding iron
high, furnished with comfortable chHirs,
you can get bird 's-eye view of the wnole
thing, see what is before you, and select
your place and mode of attack.
Here you, like Satan on one occasion
1.-THE writer does not pretend to say on how
many other occasions you may have re-
sembled him), have all the
KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH SPREAD OUT
BEFORE YOU:
Great Britain and Ireland, France,
Spain, Russia, Austria, the German
States, Italy, Sweden, Norway, China,
Japan, Egypt. Canada, the African States.
South America, the Isles of the Sea, a
number of lesser considerations and every
State in the Union. Descending our spiral
stairway, a few vigorous strides, and as it
by magic we find ourselves in the
EMPIRE OF JAPAN,
walking among her gorgeous Pagodas,
gazing with rapture on the thousand mag
niticent vases of every imaginable design;
the royal silks and satins, and among
hundreds Of other wonderful works Of art
the inimitable and elegant carved ivory.
Let no one visiting this building leave it
till he has found the case of japanese
ivory, containing among other beauties
lofty pagoda and two japanese vessels,
with their crews at the oars, and their
decks thronged with Oriental figures, all
in ivory.
THE WORKMANSHIP is EXQUISITE.
and is not excelled in the exhibition.
There are also in this department, notably.
two magnificent carved bedsteads lnlaid
with ivory and pearl. These are exhibited
by Mr.. Sing Sung Pung, of Ningpo, and
can be had for 81 800 and So 500 respect
lively: I put my private mark on both,
with view to making bridal presents of
them to the editors of the VINDICATOR,
worthy by their enterprise ere the close OF
the exhibition of such a token of my dis
tinguished regard
BY the way, has the senior editor and
proprietor put in his appearance yet. He
hurried away from here (you know he
hurries away from everyWhere) two Or
three days ago, the bearer of a
PRECIOUS ORIENTAL MEDICAMENT,
which he luckily obtained from an obscure,
but itinerant Esculapius. This great dis
covery is nothing less than miraculous
Corn Plaster. If the agonizing bunion is
on the toe or on the side of the foot either,
stop and put patch of the plaster on the
outside of your boot, and; presto change,
the corn is gone. If it is ON the heel of the
foot even, apply it to the heel of the boot,
ana the corn is numbered with the things
of the past. Your correspondent under
stood that the cause of the senior EDITORS
hurry on this particular occasion was in
order to carry relief to the late lamented
r. e. B., whose. feet he represented as
painfully afflicted. owing to recent and
violent pedestrian exercise.
But | was unwittingly carried from
Japan to Staunton. So we will leave both
and strike across into China, which adjOinS
Topor, tha ia1 man Op1u thrnn
good steps separating the two counties.
The Chinese wares are very fine, but
there is great deal of sameness in their
china and glass ware. See few patterns
and you have pretty much seen all, though
the size and fineness is as varied as the
hues of the kaleidoscope. There are some
very curious paintings and surroundings
in the Chinese booths grotesque repre-
sensations of professions of insects of all
kinds, clad in Oriental costumes, with an
army of frogs looking on; another of every
quadruped known to China, walking on
their hind legs. and dressed like men and
women. These are largely and gaudily
painted, and their regularity, as well as
all the paintings aad rich embroidery, the
large collection of ores and woods and
vegetable productions attract much atten-
ton, but the Chinese exhibition is not by
far so interesting as that of Japan.
Egypt comes next, with her
NUMMIEs, HER MINIATURE PYRAMIDS
AND HER FINE CUTLERY,
and cloths and elegant ware. The Egyp-
tian quarter is partitioned off with lofty
and massive enclosure representing a
temple, and one the front face. these words:
| "Egypt, the oldest people Of the aoorld, sends
its morning greeting to the youngest nation"
But the writer has undertaken too much
to lin letter written between bed time
and the ''wee sma hours'') give you an ac-
count of such things as particularly in
terested him, and must postpone "further
consideration Of this subject to a more