The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-09-28
ROADBRIM'S LETTER rLoi FAIRS
THE UNITED srArLs III rAnru2Hr.

Jay ulii''y Vi everything You see. To the
European who has studied Brother iona.
than through the medium of Sam Slick or
the broad caricatures of Yankee Hill. il is
somewhat startling revelation that The
young man who was once Bother Jnma-
than, but has now become Uncle Sam. is
one of the most ornamental and aesthetic
OF all ornamental and aesthetic persons.
HIS kentucky jeans, which used To reach
bali way between his ankles and knees,
are changed for the finest of cassimeres
his necktie of blue or yellow or green is re-
placed by the most immaculate of chokers.
lie never wears an Alexander larger than
six and three-quarters, and the set Of his
superb swallow tail is the wonder and de-
light of all the young bloods along the
bouievards. Brother Jonathan is not what
he was and Sister Jonathan is not what she
was. "Our Gal" as pictured by Nrs.
Williams, few years ago, who walked
around in 4 blue pinafure, with the most
absurd knot on the top nf her head, and
was constantly kicking up her heels To the
tune OF q Bebbing Around y can scarcely
he found in Paris. All through the Exhi
bition you realize the change that has
taken place in everything American in the
last thirty years.
remarked, at the opening Of this letter
that the practical utility OF things in the
American Department was the most str;k
ing Characteristic: but with that utility is
displayed taste unsurpassed 10y that of
any other nation. One Of the distinguish
| ing features of the French Department is
the beautiful manner in which the goods
are put up, hut the Americans seem to have
brought this popularity to the dignity of a
| high art, and the manner in which il is
uohe almost entities 1t to the dignity of
science. Allen & Co., o: Richmond. of
whom ! spoke last week, exhibit only to-
bacco; but on the various classes of goods
are labels costing thousands and thousands
Of dollars; works which. If exhibited AZ
specimens of art, might have carried off
the golden prize of the Academy In the
Department of Food firm from the West
exhibits lard; the roof of their little build
ing has been decorated by an eminent artist
and is one Of the most beautiful works in
the entire Exposition. The labels which
cover the goods of this firm are of unsur-
passed beauty, and yet they are only an
advertisement for lard, which is the most
anpoetic and unsentimental of all sublu-
nary things. Hogs lard and poetry, pigs
and sentiment, fried bacon and aesthetics
great must lie be who can unite these three.
and this the Americans have DONE and
done with perfection which entities them
to the highest credit.
Disston & Sons exhibit saws and tools. n
very simple announcement irdeed; aud yet
every article is as bright and AS beautiful
as il it were made for exhibition in a
iady's Joudoir; wrenches, punches, ham,
mers and saws rivaliug the ice brooks tenn
per. 1t used to be the ties, of the famed
blades of Toledo that you could bend them
until the point touched the hili. think,
from what have seen, that you could tie
one of Disston's saws into a bow knot and
afterwards draw mathematical lines with it
of n thousand to the inch
Madame Demorest is here with a case of
paper fashions, and if she would only teach
our wives and daughters TO dress in the
material with which she decorates her
models, she would lay the people of the
United States and Europe under a lasting
obligation. | should like to see my wife
trotting off with brown paper underskirt
and a foolscap Dolly Warden, but suppose
we must wait with patience for that happy
period till the lion shall learn TO lay down
with the lamb.
Nathan and Dreyfus exhibit steam gauges
and steam whistles very beautiful and very
useful no doubt. have no particular an
tipathy to steam gauges; in fact, | have
always said, if was going to be blown up,
| should like, il possible, to have few
minutes notice of the circumstance: but
the steam whistle look upon in the light
of personal and public enemy, and time
and again | have execrated the memory of
the man who perfected that villainous in
vention. The frights it has given me, and
the nights rest it has destroyed. have left
heavy balance on my moral ledger for
compelling the to Use language which may
possibly have endangered my salvation.
So must, therefore, be excused if do not
share in the general Authorization which
looks upon eSccrable invention in the
light of public benefactor. If compelled,
however, to carry steam whistle in my
vest pocket, | must admit that | should
prefer the whistles OF Nathan aud Dreyfus
to any have ever seen.
The Auburn Manufacturing Company. of
Auburn, New York, have an assortment of
agricultural tools, not only very useful but
very beautiful. The farmer who recol!ects
the hay fork of forty or fifty years ago,
weighing something less than hundred,
would be delighted with the elegant play
things made by the Auburn Manufacturing
Co; light but strong and handsome, they
are the most perfect models have ever
seen of what agricultural tools should be.
The magnificent case exhibited by this
firm is the same they exhibited in Agricul-
tural Hall at the Exhibition at Philadel-
phia in 1876, aud if it were not that it lacks
the imposing surroundings. one might sup
pose himself transported back to the Expo
siton of two years ago
Connecticut, which may be called the
Belgium Of the United States, is here with
a number OF inventions. am not aware
that the modern Yankee is i particularly
beligerent animal, and yet there are some
of these New England cases which seem to
bristle with fight. The Gatling Gun Co...
of Hartford, have here a couple of their
murderous mitrdilleuses, which look as if
they could NOW down a whole battalion.
A gentlemanly looking person is there to
show you how they shoot, and he looks as
though he would blow the top of your head
oil with the greatest of pleasure and with
out any extra charge. One of the guns is
4 very elaborate, and speaking from a mill