Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-09-06
Correspondence.
I'uris letter.

No. ~ Ave. WagNm, PARIS
Aug II, 1878.
The plan of the Universal Exhibition of
1878 is 80 far as the Champs de Mars is con-
cened, simply an immense poralelogram, in
tersected ut right angles by numerous ave-
nues, between blocks Of glass cases full of the
most ingenious and the most highly finished
specimens imaginable of everything that can
contribute to the convenience. the comfort
and the luxurious enjoyment of life. There
is obviously no limit to the productive pow
ers Of humanity, if there be an adequate sup
ply of the raw material, of capital, and of
mechanical or of manual labor but there
docs, SO it appears to me, occur from time to
time a visible halt and surcease in European
inyentiyeness. Such stoppage of the inven-
tive faculty is II defect characteristic of the
enormous BOzaar beyond the Bridge of Jena.
The 'ronring looms Of time make as stun
ming clatter as ever; but it is the old, old
tissue that is being woven. There is a maxi
mum Of gregariousuess and n maximum of
isolation among the exhibitors. You look in
vain in these intcrminable corridors Of shop
windows for many rare specimens of individ-
ual ingenuity. Individual man, except in
very few instances, seems to have disappear
ed, and is replaced 10y great companies nnd
great firms. III paiticularzng the merit of
this or that display, one almost feels inclined
to append to tho de- scriptiou the warning
word advertisement" The Exhibition is,
in fact, carnival of en,crprisng manufac-
turers solicitous of orders, and of pushing
trudespeople who are eager to sell their wares.
Almost all the samples Of retail goods have
price tickets affixed to them and when we
find such articles us cheap boots and shoes,
and coats and pant.,loons, so marked, our en-
thusiasm about the educational value of the
show is apt to grow cool. On the other hand,
on the opposite side of the Seine, the educa-
tional character of the Exhibition is insisted
upon. The palace of the Trocadero has be-
come a social science congress- combined with
a society of arts And here the din of scicn-
tfc talk almost rivals the clatter of wheels on
the other bank of the river
1t has evidently not occurred to the origina-
tors of this Babel that mans retentive fac
ulties are not equal to his receptive ones, and
that man possessing brain which only
holds pint, to speak, cndures dire suffer
ing through the mistaken kindness of those
vino ondeavor to pour a Niagara of informa-
ton into it. BE it as it may, the principal
impression conveyed by what have hitherto
seen is that there is too much of everything
in The Champ de Mars and the Trocadero;
that the illustration of every department of
cosmopolitan industry has been distended to
extravagant and woarisomc proportions, and
that the shopkeeping element is everywhere,
save in the Fine AIT Galleries, progressively
prominent. | may be mistaken, but fancy
that have seen on some thousands of faces,
not only French but foreign among the visit
ors to the Exhibition, lstless. tagged and
bewildcred expression, and know very well
that am not mistaken in the diagnosis of my
own sensations. after three hours wander
ing to and fro in this wilderness of glass cas-
es when, | say, if little lunch were not
speedily administered to repair the exhausted
human tissues, there would be danger of
somebody going melancholy mad. Yes, We
are all very fond of picture galleries, and YES
tbules full of beautiful marble statues The
late NJ. Fortuny was a truly great painter. So
was Henri Regnlult. So are the still living
iiR5eREflnlalf AI}ftR9piGys ,ot6pfs-yGnR9Be,s
and re-admired over and over again. The
ceramics, the bronzes the crystal chande
liers, the tapestry, the clocks and watches are
all mOnstrous fine. But three hours contem-
plation of such objects, to say nothing of fly
ing glances which We have cast while hurry
ing through the cases full of boots and shoes.
riding habits, combs and brushes, and ladies
and gentlemens' underclothing are apt to in-
duce Il state of mind far exceeding detection
and trenching, indeed, on downright exasper-
alton.
To put the case plainly Is any man pre-
pared, ON a hot day in August, to walk
through five miles of densely crowded streets
looking at every store window as he goes
If he is not equal TO such pilgrimage on
foot, he should engage Il "fauteul rouout."
as the little three-wheeird. man propelled
carriages are called, as soon rs ever he has
passed the Porte Rapp. and finds himself
within the precincts of the Paris Exhibition.
C.. As.