New-York tribune., 1878-05-11
THE WORLDS FAIR AT PARIS.

p,ovFn AT THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IN THE
AMERICAN DFPARTMEET.
ryR0N A STAFF CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNEI
PARIS April 26.-SInister rumOrs are flying about
to-day that the opening will after all be postponed
mr. ibat the Exhibition will open and close again.
They are not credible but they indicate clearly the
general opinion how dcploraby incomplete the EX-
hibltion must be on the 1St of May. The official
Frcnchman and the patriotic Frenchman are accord
ingly redoublug their efforts not so much to get
the buildings into something like readiness for the
honeessness Of any such effort becomes daily more
eyidenO but to dazzle the spectator with 40
much ceremonial and external splendor that he
shall less clearly perceive the actual con-
dition of things inside The papers are
full Of suggestions for making the lst "i
May a general holiday and festival; for covering
the city with flags, for Illuminating in the eVehpg'
for closing public Offices, and the like. NJ dc vi
lardin, whose brain generates ideas more ralhuN
than most mems, has given great impulse to the
notion that the ceremony of opening should not DC
limited TO the TrocadCro and Champ de Mars,
but extend all over Paris-that everybody, whether
he gets one of the eleven parti-coored tickets or
not, should consider himself participant in the
colcbraton.-that the Parsians should once more
show the world that they can surrass The world in
magnificent paGcantIy. There is something
grandiose. if not grand, in NJ de Girardns concep-
tions and it is only sympathetic nature which
would decorate and illuminate great city IN token
of welcome To tho strangers within its gates, You
are 10 understand also, that 1t Is the Exposition
which will finally restore France TO her old position
among the nations of the world. The Partisan Is
quick to accept hints and readily understands that
the more gorgeous he can make his display the
greater will be the number of those guests to whom
he is so eager to offer that hospitality at price, of
which have before spoken. He enjoys writing to
his newspaper, also, and NJ. de GiTardn gets nu-
meTous letters Of adhesion TO his plans; numerous
enough, he thinks to justify him in pro-
claiming that its success is assured. ii Is
announced, also that the Navy Department and
the courts will be closed; other departments being
expected to follow this good example. There Is
even dispatch from London to the effect that the
principal snopkeepers Of BoEent-st and BoUnd"-
st. are going to illuminate in honor Of the ENhihl-
tiou: which may or not he. Indeed, If Is too soon
to say anything yet positively. We are still wait
ing for the official announcement that the LNiIhl-
ton viii be opened hay 1, and for the Official pro-
gramme of the ceremonies which are TO take place.
OF uon-oficial accounts there Is no Lack bui 1t is
open to the Government to change their minds on
any and every point 80 long as they have not pub
lished their plans in their own official journal.
The foreign Embassies aud Legations and the
foreign COlnml-o lUc IS-'1cltl3l nave ltttlNtu 10
communication respecting he matter.
Meantime, The Ca>saPuac clique, who have been
railing against the Exhibition for weeks past have
received strong reinforcement. The priests have
iomed the BonapartIsts-uot for the first time. The
Clerical and LeGtiuist organs, the paper inspired
by the late Due dc Broglie ,his political intemcnt
took place last November, and the paper that
ioins IN hosting the white flag which futtcrs from
the distant windows Of the COmtc dc ChambOrds
chateau, have discovered that the Church of Rome
is to have no part in the TrocadGr1 soemnities :;
and they do not like 1t. it is not enough for them
! that Madame MacMahon should have put off the
hour of beginning from 10 10 o'clock, IN order hat
| she might go to mass-fOr that, III addition
10 the question of tolcttes, one
reason for the postponement; her dislike 10
permit her breakfast TO be intcrfercd with being a
third. What they wanted was-to quote French
account-that the Exhibition should open with
PRAYER that the Archbishop of Paris successor 10
him who chanted a lie Deum over the Boulevard
massacres of Louis Napoleon in 1871, in grand cos
tune, should bcs,ow his Episcopal bcncdiction on
NJ. KIant2s work-pos,bly that the cdlfces of the
TrocadGro and the Champ de Mars with all their
contents should be dedicated 10 the Sacr6-CGnT 10y
NJ, de Belcastcl, or that a discourse from NJ. de
ChcsneloBg should lend to the festival an air of
mai sty which without that il may be feared it will
want The Church has thus far stood aloof from the
Exhibition the clerical party has shown no good
Will 1T; but since il promises 10 thrive the priests
step in at the last moment, in their usual fashion,
with demand to De allowed to profit by the success
which they had hoped might prove a failure. II IS
too soon to say they may not yet carry their point
Ii does not seem to be expected that good Catho-
les shall abstain altogetncr from visiting the EXli
bifioD No anathclna has been launched from Rome.
nor does NJ. Veuillot forctcll damnatIon to all the
readers Of his amiablc paper who shall venture to
set foot inside the doors. Wise in its generation.
usual the Church means TO make the best OF what
it cannot prevent. II is gong 10 bold Congress,
grand Catholic Congress like that of POtlcrs III
1875. This as sembly viii meet, says one Of the
Church organs naively enough, in a city near Paris
on one of the great lines Of railway connected with
it, so as 10 permit Catholics who shall come TO Paris
foI the Exposition TO take part easily in the Con
grcss. Place and days Of meeting shortly 10 be
made known. To quote French opinion once
more the priests will avail themselves of the oppor-
tuni;y, in company with the malcontcnts Of italy
and Germany and the families of every country,
10 take up once more the threads Of
the meddIesome policy they have pursued
since 1870. and until the death Of Plus
TX interrupted 1t for the moment That IL
what the great statesmen of the Church propose 10
do in behalf of the Exhibition, and that, indeed is
the way in which they would naturally figure IN il.
NJ Gambettas organ hopes that the patience Of for
eign Governments may be equal TO the French
adding with a cyniclsm which they who best know
what cercallsm means in France can best excuse
that the collection of supcranuuaed absurditIcs
which this Congress will put forth might form val
liable supplement to the retrospective section of the
TrocadGro. 1t may be worth noting that one of the
leading Catholic journals, distustiul of the unsup-
ported power of its ghOstly auXiaries, argues
that religious ordinance would, even from a
worldly point Of view, produce good impression on
Al