The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-17
TILE PHILADELPHIA FAIR.

poet Of the Centennial shsw-The Much
veaed Question Of Opening on Sundays
PHILADELPHIA, May 16.-The problem OF
the relative merits OF the four great Exhibitions
continues still to preoccupy the mind OF the
public. You hear on every step the question,
" How does our Exhibition compare with those
OF London, Paris, and viennaT The answers
given differ according TO the nationality OF the
respondent. Americans think that Philadelphia
makes not only greater display, Uut superior
one IN every respect. The Europeans think That
while tho American Exhibition has been con-
ceived and carried out larger scale, 1t ia deh-
cient In system, completeness, and refinement In
the arrangement OF details. Lots OF space and ma
terial have been wasted, and comparatively little
attention has been paid to the artistic and orns-
mental aspect Of the show. Somehow or other
the Philadelphia Exhibition lacks the irresisti-
BILE prestige of it's European forcrunners.
The truth lies,probably, half way between these
two extreme opinions. There Is no doubt that
this Exhibition Ia the largest ever produced, as
there lie also no doubt that In some of Its fea-
lures II is the most complete. The Machinery
Department, for instance, has nowhere been
half az perfec. az IL ia here. The industry and
enterprise Of the New World have also no.
where been diplayed as fully 80 they are here.
On the other hand, there are countries like Rus
generally, which are not represented at all yet,
and which formed conspicuous features In the
Exhibition of Vienna. There are also one or
two great branches OF art left here In sur
pfising neglect. Take, for instance, the art Of
navigation. With the execution Of the various
industries connected with steamship building,
all OF which amply represented In Ma
chinery 1Iall. there is but little to be refer
ring to maritime pursuits. With a country like
this, the art OF navigation is OF such paramount
importance that II would certainly have de-
served special building at least as large as that
devoted to women's work or to the culture of
flowers. In France they have special maritime
exhibitions at Havro every i've or six years.
They are Of immense interest and benefit to the
country and comprise everything that could be
imagined In connection with the sea, from
specimens Of fishes and sea plants In aquariums
up to the finest instruments used In navigation.
Neither has any attempt been made to bring to-
gether everything connected with the preserva-
ton Of public health. This Is an immense do
main of human activity. Sciences like medicine,
chemistry, physiology, surgery arts like those
upon which based the improve nent Of hospi-
tails, the making Of surgical instruments, the
preparation OF mcdicaments, and 80 on, are
surely important enough to deserve a special
display.
and organization might be given here, all Of
them tending 20 show why the Pbiladel phia Ex-
hibition will always preserve the character OF
a gigantic advertising fair, rather than that OF
an International and humanitarian museum,
which 1t should have possessed.
Another question which seems greatly to pre-
occupy the public is whether the Exhibition
will prove a success in a financial sense This
| Ia moro dificult to answer. The probabilities
are that IL will not for with the single exception
| Of the nrst London Exhibition, none has paid.
At Paris the stockholders did not lose money,
but the Government and the city Of Paris lost
several millions OF subsidy. Here the ex-
penses are larger and the income likely to
| be smaller, especially " the Sunday opening
| question Ii not favorably settled. The highest
| figure which the number Of paying visitors has
| reached yet IL 1900 en- the opening day and
| II fell as low as 1900 Friday last. The news
| papers, In their patriotic efforts to sustain the
| treat undertaking, greatly exaggerate the nsures
| OF the daily attendance. There are, 1t is said
| $1,000 people daily on the grounds with free
| passes, constituting as they do the body Of sx-
| hibitors and their attendants, OF work men en-
gagged on the grounds, and OF various ofhcial and
private individuals connected with the institu
tion. The newspaper reports invariably add
| these $1,000 to the number OF visitors but the
treasury clerks obtain a much more correct
| figure IN counting the hfty-cent stamps and sill
yer pieces paid at the turnstile.
| My own estimate, based on what consider L
| be tolerably reliable facts and anticipations, Il
that the best paying daily average cannot be ex
pected TO exceed 25,0o0 admissions, or SEES 70
every day during six months, exclusive Of Sun
days. That ould give u total Of about g., 900,
| 90 and they want tS,OOoOD to cover their ex
penses. Should they throw the gates open oil
n m
week more, which would m AXE another n lllioi
In SIX months. hut the most sanguine anticipa
lions should not place the total sum Of possibl
receipts above $3OtO.0O0. LET us have no illu
sions, gentlemen" as the old Metternich used l.
say.
The sad, yet undenable fact Is, that all hop
OF having foreigners come over to visit tn
Exhibition must he abandoned. In Paris, In VI
emma, in Londop, travellers from all parts Of tn
globe came TO pay their contribution toward tn
funds expended, yet the concerns proved sill
failure financially. Here everything Is to be pal,
by the Americans themselves. do not believ
that there are, all in all, half dozen Europea
Travellers to-day at Philadelphi who come 70
the sake OF visiting the United States and 1t
Exhibition. There are many thousand foreign
ers here, but they are all exhibitors or people 1
some other way connected with the Exhibition
and they have all come with view TO max
money, not to spend 1t. The most that the Qua
ker City can expect to get out of them Is the cos
! OF their board and LODGING.
In an undertaking ike this II Is much IN or
easy to talk Of sum like tso 10000 than to brin
It together. 1t means not less than contriou
ton Of about twenty cents head on every IL
, habitant OF the United States, including the II
dians in the plains, the babies In the cradle
the criminals in iail, the sailors AT sea, the pa,
pers IN the almshouses, the invalids In the ho
pitals and no end OF other human beings non
of whom would contribute one cent TO the greI
exhibition even II It had been still more beat
tiful. still more patriotic, and still more usef
| undertaking.
D Nevertheless, though 1t Is almost imposslbl
{ to expect the expense 10 be covered, It is high
1 desirable that a noble venture of this so
: should entail az little loss as possible, and in
for the Sunday opening question becomes e.
ceednGy important. The advocates OF Il
? opening are afraid to bring forward the nnanci
Il argument too strongly. They do not want to e
7 | sha., oil 10 eha Ia hat mn