The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1878-06-21

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Editor Democrat.
| have spent but two days on the
Exposition grounds, my time having
been taken up mainly in securing lodg
ings, and with the many things that a
green American has to contend, on en-.
tering, for the FIRST tirne, new ceunttyi
which, no matter what may have been
his preparations, he win find sufficiently
confusing TO give hiiu some annoyance
and cost him some money For the
/ present, shall write Of things as they
appear to me, after q very imperfect ex
animation, and try to reflect the i'm
prossions they make upon me. This, /
am persuaded, viii bs safer role than
if l were 70 attempt, after four days
residence, t. writo as one perfectly fe-
miliar with this great Exposition, great
city and great people, and, Of course,
fail
The Exposition impfesses ms, at first
sight, as being more distinetively French
than was ours American more Of 3 ma
tional fair and less &c = worlds fair
than we had at Philadelphia. It will
be remembered that, At our Centennial,
we tOek the trouble to translate circu-
lars, notices, signs, directions in the
street cars, etc, into the French, Ger
man, italian and Spanish languages.
Nothing Of the kind is done here, al
though there are, perhaps, in Paris, fifty
times as many people ignorant Of the
French language as there were in Phil
adelphia who did not know English.
The French are the least pelyglot Of all
civilized people; their vanity viii not
allow them 70 admit the existence of
any other language. But the spread Of
that language which philolcgists. of
whatever nationality, have prephesied
viii ono day be universal, is felt power
fully in Paris. II shopkeeper hes a
salesman, saleswoinan, Or errsnd boy
that can speak ever so little English. he
is sure to write on his windo~,, in large
gilt letters, English spoken
The exhibits Of other ~ .iouni.lies
have tho same general features ;hat
characterized them a. PHILADELPHIA,
and, in some instances. the precise aft;-
clcs. This is particularly notieeahle in
tho department of 6ns arts, whore those
who were at Philadelphia in 1876 will
see some familiar pictures. The French
art section, am told by one who is
familiar with the subject, presents ratl,-
er series of revived memories than Of
new sensations. Very few actusl nov
elites are shown, the gems Of the last
decade having been collected from the
different saloas, and distributed in the
galleries Of the Exposition with daz
Eling effect. The gallery of the Lux
umbourg has been robbed of its latest
acquisitions, and no effort has been
spared to mako the French section
eclipse every other. The American art
section, like nearly sll the sections of
the Exhibition, art or otherwise, is in a
state Of incompletenest, nor can it be
regarded as fair representation of our
national art. Owing probably TO the
shortness of time allotted to e,ir artists
for preparation, but few Of our prohi-
nent painters are represented. The Wis
itor sees nothing national or distinctive
in this section, and an American moth
ing that reminds Kim Of hoAe or ssun.
try. Our artists seem to have borrowed
all their inspiration from foreign scene
ry and foreign subjects, and not to have
found anything worth reproducing at
home. Oar section is fortunate in pos
sessing tive small fine works as the
Funeral of Mummy" by Mr.. Bridge
man, and "The Death of q Vendean
Chief" by Mr.. Wylie. But one cannot
help asking why could not the artist
have wrSakOd his genius on the funeral
Of an Indian chief, subject quite as
rich in picturesque aAd dramatic ele-
mcnt2 And what is there more tragic
in TIE death Of a royalist Of La Veudee
than in that Of man who yislds his
life in taith or fanaticism for any other
cause9 VIII we never excel in the
production of anything but plows and
prima donnasl
! will write more in detail about the
Exposition when l have had time to
give it more careful study. To Amer
leans disposed to come here this year,
Punch's famous advice about getting
married is good 1'idon't." The wonders
Of the Exposition are little, when COM
pared With tho wonders of Paris, and
Paris can be seen with much less ex-
pcnse in a year from now Prices,
everybody tells ne, have been doubled.
1t is not necessary to say more in en-
phasis Of their exorbitance than that
they are higher than they were in Phil
adelphia the 6rst few weeks of our
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