The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1878-09-21
Correspondence baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM PARIS.
The Exposition-A Brief Description of
it and Some of the Exhibits.


Probably no more difficult task can be assigned
than to require a description of the Paris Expos-
ton in one brief letter. The difficulty will be
apparent from the fact that the catalogue simply
of the Art departments of three prominent ma
tiOns alone is a volume of several hundred pages.
simple enumeration Of the articles exhibited by
all nations in all departments would fill many vol
umes the size of Webster's Unabridged. One can
not examine all the exhibits with any degree of
thoroughness in less than six months, and in
single letter only general account can be expect
ed and impressions given rather than descriptions.
We enter the principal gateway from the Place
du Trocadero through the grand Trocadero itself,
the finest building on the grounds 1t consists of
q large circular structure with wings facing and
curving towards the main building the OppO-
site side of the river Seine. This building which
is Substantially made of stone and brick, is intend
ed to be permanent and belongs to the city of
Paris. 1t has very large concert hall in the CEN
tire, thanked with long open cOlOnnades. The cen
trail building has high tower assembled by an ell
evator from which there is fine view of the
grounds and entire city. From the upper balcony
of the Trocadero you look over the great artificial
waterfall which flows from the second story of the
building, and over the basin and fountain beyond,
and see broad walk leading across wide
bridge up to the centre of the great exposition
building, quarter of a mile away. On both sides
of the river and on each side of this broad walk
are beautifully laid out grounds, with choice flow
ers, fountains shrubs and lawn. Dotted through
this open space are many small buildings
used for restaurants the others for the minor dis
plays by Egypt China, Japan, Tunis, Algiers,
Morocco, Persia and other nations. In the res
taurants food is served in the style of the country
which they represent, and in the little shops cheap
trnkets from foreign countries are sold. Here the
dark eyed, swarthy buccaneer from Tunis, with
the stem of a water pipe in his mouth and small
arsenal hanging to his person, inveigles the un-
wary into buying some worthless steel or shell or
nament at ten times its real value, and near by
the incessant chatter of barbare music invites you
to some saloon where African Asiatic drinks are
served in all their native nastiness. Here the
French government has buildings in which
displayed the result of its Investigations of the
ravages of noxious insects, its forest culture and
its meteorological department.
Across the river on each side of the broad walk
also many small buildings representing the
interests of horticulture, photography, navigation
etc. One conspicuous object of special interest to
Americans is the gigantic bronze head of the fig
ure of Liberty, which the French are sending
present to America to be set up in New York
harbor. Most of my readers will remember the
huge hand of the same figure, which was at the
Philadelphia Exposition. At the left is large
building filled with fruits and flowers, but will
not tax your creduity by attempting to tell the
size of the oranges, ctrons, grapes and peaches,
from Sorrento on the bay of Naples. To an Amer
lean, from the northern States particularly the
fruit is simply wonderful. An almost intermina-
bic annex is filled with varied exhibit of French
agricultural products and machinery. L was sur
prised to find the great amount of intricate agri
cultural machinery, like reapers and mowers,
steam thrashng machines, and portable engines
for farm work, which is in this department. Near
this is novelty, long building devoted entirely
to q display of oyster culture. Twenty or more
long tanks through which water is constantly pass
ing are filed with oysters of all ages and cOndi-
tons. In many of the tanks there are also fish
and sea animals, whose strange forms and bril-
liant colOrs a source of unendng delight
The main exposition building is divided into
FIVE parts, attached to a common hall in front and
rear These parts each many hundred feet in
length and together cover many acres of ground.
The central one which is separated from the 9TH
ers by walk of twenty feet ON each side, is de-
voted entirely to the Art department. To the
right of this as you enter from the front are the
general departments of all nations except France.
Beyond. it to the right, machinery of all nations
except France, and beyond this large number of
detached buildings belonging to various nations
and generally devoted to special displays. On the
left of the art department and occupying space
equal to that used by the other nations is the dis
play of the French. Back of this immense sys-
ten of buildings is large number of detached
structures used for various purposes.
The plan of breaking the large building up in
to long, separate sections leaves no point from
which such grand view can be obtained as
through the central aisle of the main building at
Philadelphia. Owing to this the vastness of the
Exposition does not impress itself upon one at
first sight as it did at Philadelphia and il is only
when you have tired yourself out three or four
days in walking through the sections that you be-
gin to have realizing sense of how large the
display really is.
Time permits mention of the exhibits of sepa-
rate nations only in general way. 1t is expect
ed as a matter of course that the nation in whose
country the Exposition is held will on the whole
excel any other and to this France has not proved
an exception, for while in quantity her exhibit
nearly equals that Of the rest Of the whole world,
in quality of many things she is not inferior 10
the best Thisis particularly true of all the forms
of manufactured silk. and Of the practical app
cation Of art TO manufactured articles Of every
kind. England exces in machinery, particularly
that used in the manufacture of cotton. Fixing
ton Co.'S art jewelry and plate the finest in
this Exposition as they were at Philadelphia, and
Minton's china is certainly but little inferior to
that Of Seyres. Germany is eonspicuOusly alb
sent. having no representation at all, as cordial
relations have never existed between France and
Germany since the last war.
Since the Philadelphia Exposition Switzerland
has felt that her watch business has been in
critical condition and she has this time made an
unusually fine display carrying of the highest
honors. She has on exhibition a very compiled |
ted piece Of machinery for embroidering, which !
admits roll Of cloth fifteen feet wide and works
it into any desired pattern. steam road wagon
which came from Switzerland over the ordinary |
roads distance of $50 miles in seven days at |
tracts considerable attention. The lmitless dis |
play of Swiss carved wood which has haunted |
every Exposition for the last twenty years is on |
hand this time in full force. Italy sends beauti- |
full glass ware from Salviati and Venice, mosaics |
from Florence and Rome, coral from Naples, and |
some necabinets of ebony inlaid with ivory. As
usual the italian department is vast bazaar for
the sale of jewelry.
The Chinese and japanese exhibit about the |
same things as at Vienna and Philadelphia, curl
Gus silks, ivory and carved wood work, vases and
lacquer work. The Chinese have two of |
the same carved beds with open work pillars and
canopies which they sent to Philadelphia. A
beautiful shawl made for the marriage of the En-
peror, and valued at $4,000 is much admired. The
body is of the finest and heaviest silk with large
ANIMAL which looks like between DON
key and peacock, worked in the centre in rich
cOlored silk and gold thread Russia makes
good display of gold cloth from the east, jewelry
and art plates from Moscow, iron, leather, fur and
velvet robes, and of course of malachite. sim
gle vase of this material eight feet high, is
valued at $4,000, and pair somewhat smaller at
$13, 600.
But how about the display of the United States,
my readers are probably asking. While thequan-
tity of our material is nothing to what we had at
Philadelphia, our part of the Exposition is as
whole credtabe to us. Our machinery is good,
and our reapers and mowers among the best. In
scales, locks, fire arms, pumps chemicals, organs,
books, watches and many other things our exhibit
is good.
Not the least interesting and instructive part of
the Exposition is to see the people from all parts
of the world, of all compilations and costumes,
walking about the buildings studying the minia
ture world in which they are.
Nothing can moro effectually take the conceit
out of one whether he be an American who thinks
his country is the greatest in the world in all re-
spects, or South Sea Islander who prides him
self upon his superiority, than to see how much
other nations have accomplished. When we see
the immense amount of money and labor which
has been expended on the Worlds Exposition, and
think that it seems to be necessary that each one