Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1876-09-07
Mr. Keese's Third Letter.
The Great Show.
PHILADELPHIA, August 29th. 1876.


"One day is with the Lord rs thou
sand years, and thousand years as one
dsy.p But it is different with man. In 8
hundred years, old Mother Earth will
find a new set of human creatures cling
ing to her bos3m. A withered specimen
of vitality, here and there, is only an
exception to the general rule. OF all the
CAV throngs that feast their eyes here
with the beauties of Art, and the mar
vels of Science, not one may hope to be-
hold the bi-centennial of the United
States. But he who bows to the ineyita-
BILE and worships the true God, does not
fail to rise superior to every cloud OF
gloom, sorrow, discomfort and melan-
choly!
From Natures charms up to Natures
Creator, the way is easy and replete with
spiritual compensations. A world without
flowers would be like asoul without hope.
Horticultural Hall is known here rs
"The Beauty" 1t is superb specimen
of the Moorish style of Architecture IN
vogue about seven hundred yeats ago, pre-
sentlng curious combination OF curves
and straight lines with elaborate orna-
mentation. Embellished with blue, YER
million and gold, this building is fit re-
ceptacle for the plants, flowers and shrub
berry of the tropics-a suitable gem to the
extensive and magnificent flower yard ad-
iacent The view of the State Cottages,
the Exhibition Castles, the Schuy).ill
River the green hills beyond the spark
ling waters the great City reposing in the
haze of distance-all consplre to make
this the most attractive spot OF ground on
the Continent of America.
+ Atithe centre of the Main Building,
th.re is round platform, about 3 feet
hiss, and furnished with seats, where the
musicians "most do congregate." This IS
a stopping place for all the weary sight
seers, and it is rlr from being dull, ,plaln,
or commonplace. Besides the four broad
aisles crossing each other at right sngles
and opening each vista as splendid as it
is seemingly interminable, there are in
plain view four large Allegorical paint
ings hung about fifty feet from lhe floor
and intended as compliment to the four
quarters of the globe. Europe IS repre-,
sented by q picture Of Shakespeare and
Charlemagne; Asia by Confucius and
Mahomet; Africa by Sesostris and Ra.
meses; and America by Franklin and
Washington. A capital idea, and it Is
we'll executed-very impressive, and very
suggestive.
And now scrape up some of the scraps
Of my experience and observation: l
have slept FIVE nights on the rolling
deep" without ever feeling twinge OF
sea-sickness, and l have spent ten days
and half on the Centennial Ground,
busy as bee, without yielding to see
sickness. In Agricultural Hall met an
old man, who asked me to show him that
salt "What salt" said l. "a piece OF
Lots wife," be replied; "you know his
wife was turned into pillar OF salt"
"True enough" 1 replied, "but the rains a;
have long since washed away all that
salt" Still the old gentleman seemed to
have faith in the actual presence of por-
tion of Lots wife, and continued his
search doubtless, with no definite result.
ivory is priced almost as much as gold,
silver or diamonds. l saw a French mir
ror here in heavy frame of Elephant
tusk beautifully carved, valued at $1,000.
Also knife 9 feet and Z inches long, in
cludinc the handle, which is made of solid
ivory. l suppose such an Implement
might be used by a giant in carving Ele-
phsnt hams. l observed a pair OF Ele
lphant tusks Joined together in such a
way rs to form fne archway to one Of
the oriental exhibits. By the way, it
seems to be fact we'll established in the
scientific world. that twice round an Ele
phant's foot is equal to the height of his
body saw two elephants in the Ioologl-
cal gardens here, but I did not verify that
curious measurement. Elephants, you
know, are not always very amlable.
"The New Century tor Women" Pa
per published here by women alone, is
struck off on Press run by steam. The
Engineer is q woman, and the printers too
--vorr.S.---s -.7.anr,Aa-a
bones, others set the table in roar. bpt |
would prefer to set the types that crystal
ize the most sublimatcd thoughts OF in
spired genius! Trade tricks and novelty
notions surprise and amuse one here at
almost every point and angle. A two
story crystal palace, in which are sold So
da water and other goodies" has been
erected in front of the Main Gateway to
the show grounds. Every evening, a
crowd is collected to this soda fount by a
steam organ played by hand in balcony
over the front door of the CLASSY house
The music is peculiar, very loud, but pleas
ing to the ear, and withal it tickles the
fancy. At Cookies Railway office on the
exhibit ground, you canbuy an excursion
ticket to every interesting point on the
globe An Egyptian mummy, ancient ar
NOR and weapons from the upper Nile, be-
.ides hundreds of other objects fit for q
Museum, are exhibited gratis. Villa Arabs
in tents to the rear of Cookies office, in
crease the novelty of this exhibition.
Boomerang, boomerang, and ,coaaera are
the several ways of spelling weapon OF
war peculiar to the Aborigines OF Aus
tralia. handled one, and saw several
others here yesterday. This curious i'm
plement resembles hawk or whippo-
will on the wing. 1t is heavy, wooden
club about 30 inches long, 8 wide, and l
inch thick fiat on one side and round on
the other; bent. without moving the fiat
side out,of its own plane. Just keep
green hickory stick bent until it is we'll
seasoned, then trim off one side, making
the ends sharp, and you have an Austria.
Ian boomerang, which has so often served
political writers for simile. This club IS
thrown, fat side down, spinning with
great swiftness, through the air, and it
will either come back to its owner, or turn
to the right or left, according to its first
position. If thrown with skill, it avoids
those sudden and uncertain movements
noticed in tossing fiat stones throug b the
air. But if green hand hurls the boom
erang, it is apt to come back on the head
of the one starting it. Ifa politician ad-
vances an idea that may be turned against
him, forthwith he is twitted by sly re
ference to the boomerang.
In the Mexican department, l saw a
mass of silver wei ching four thousand
and two pounds, and worth seventy two
thousand dollars. This silver cake Is
round, about feet in diameter, thin at
the edge, but gradually growing thicker
towards the centre. 1t is placed upon 8
block so as to make it look like circu1Sa
centre table. This rich lump of metal is
not enclosed at ALT being taken for
oron..d that pickpockets would hardly