Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1877-01-30
Number g.
Centennial Correspondence.
CENTENNIAL GROUNDS,
w. PHILADELPHIA.
October, 1879. }
Turkey

IOhhEH.
Did any American ever have any
other than gloomy picture of Turkey
in his mind F? Certainly never
Thought of that brutal nation, that
the halls of my Imagination were not
festooned with the emblems Of mourn
ing. The Turkish exhibits in the
Centennial are true to the ideal pic
ture. All the cases are framed in
black, and, as one would expect. filled
with opium, tobacco, cigars, pipes.
the latter made mostly OF bright, red
clay, and beautifully embellished with
gilt The silks and wooden goods
are dull and dingy in color, and the
brass and tinwares are poor specimens
of mechanical art. Wax and wax
work were in abundance. Every
where the dirty-looking and red
capped Turk offered to sell US beads
and other articles of strange and pun
gent odor, which he alleged came
from Mecca and Jerusalem. These
were made of cherrystone aud seeds
Bang and other vegetable growths =
There is little to keep one long among
so hateful and accursed a people,
whose chief distinctions are to make
Eunuchs and sell maidens to those
whose lusts and thefts enable them to
keep costly seraglios. left the spot
and went to r
NEW ZEALAND,
where England has put her civilizing
foot upon the most hostile race of the
South Pacific. Gold nuggets and cost
ly feathers predominant in the exhib-
its. Feather Muffs and Feather
Shawls of very qneer and lovely ap-
pearance make splended show. and
at once testify the wonderfully rich
.plumage Of the native birds. Ancient
and veryS crude weapons testified to
the cruel and war-like character of
the Aborigines. A skeleton of the
great Moa, or wiDgless bird, be-
fore the advent of man, is ten feet in
height. A painting represents the
Man Bird in pursuit of the Natives.
In the ..... a.r ..s.|
NETHERLANDS
was really wonder stricken by lot
of panel pictures that were made by
inlaying the panels with pearl. These
represented the city Of Rotterdam,
William Tell, Pilgrims of Canteen,
and scenes in Faust and Margaretha.
The perfection with which waterfalls,
reelected sunlight, fire-llght and
clouds were Represented are beyond all
power of pen to describe. Our party
pronounced them the most wonderful
and beautiful triumph of art to be
seen in the entire exhibition.
Having spent the greater portion Of
our time in the main building, we de-
termined to visit next
MEMORIAL HALL.
shall not attempt even hasty re-
view of the thousands of paintings
and the hundreds of pieces of Statuary,
to collect which had degarnished the
proudest art buildings Of the EARTH
Miles and miles of wall were covered
by the works of the old masters and
the modern schools of art.
Rothermel's Battle of Gettysburg
has been often alluded to, and was
curious to look upon 1t. In size 1t is
about 80 by 40 feet, and 1 am free to
say that this and the bloody memories
it revives are Its only titles to fame
As a work OF art I pronounce 1t a
dapb, and the State of Pennsylvania
was humbugged when It paid ten
thousand dollars for 1t. 1 found no
good judge of art gave 1t the least IT,
tie to respect as a work Of genius.
Our visit to -L .-
AGRICULTURAL HALL
was very brief, but 1 found 1t one of
the most Interesting departments OF the
Centennial exhibition. Directly in
front of the main entrance Is very
large display of French wines and
brandies. Two tall pyramids, one on
the right and the other on the left,
were surmounted by mammoth bot
ties of Champagne. Each of these
bottles Ia ten feet high. and, except in
size, looks exactly like the usual cham
payne bottles.
Acres of this immense building are
devoted to agricultural and other ma
chinery. These are always attended
by skilled operatives who are ready to
explain them, and they answer ques-
tions with q patience that entities
them to better fate than martyrdom
to the American weakness in that line,
Our party were asked to step on beau
tiful Howe Scale and submit TO the
operation of weighing. As each one
stepped down the operator handed an
advertisement with the weight OF the
individual marked thereon. One OF
our qulntette was absent, and the re-
naming four weighed hve hundred,
forty.two and quarter pounds. Not a
very heavy party, that
The whlrr Of machinery, the waving
Of flags and the step OF thousands
made one almost dizzy with motion
II seemed singular that In Agricultu-
raj Hall there should be so much that
is suited to tho main building. For