New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-06-03
TIE SPECTACLE IN THE HALL.


THE BUILDING PROFCsELY AND APPROPRIATELY
DECORATED-AN IMMENSE AsSEMBLAGE-- PEN
PICTURES OF The CONVENTION AND ITS NOTE
WORTHY DELEG ATES.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSEI
CHICAGO, June 2.-The National Republican
Convention met to-day in one of the most splendid
barns that was ever constructed. The Exposition
Building lies along the edge of the lake. and is
simply huge show of wood and iron and glass,
built upon a long series Of semi-crcular arches. 1t
has a dome, but no other Characteristic except
that Of vast emptiness Within this structure
huge wood-box had been built, and this was the
Convention hall. 1t was altogether typical Of
Chicago. When this unique city wants to give
trfe of 10 900 people or place to meet in, the
citizens merely fence off O piece of one of their
buildings The Chicagoan goes fast, but always
keeps COOL He behaves himself as If the world
was made for him, and nothing could take him by
surprise. If there. should be a second deluce. he
would simply turn up his collar and say that no,c,
now. the great watershed of the Mississippi would
have chance to show that it was the biggest
thing of the kind in the world" The New-YOrker
can gain good idea of the appearance of the Con-
vention auditorium if he will imagine the Grand
Central Depot noorcd. with seats and steep amphi-
theatre reaching nearly half way mp its sides and
sweeping all around the building continuous
window runs around three sides of the hall, letting
lake, while above are left bare the circular arches
of the roof that make one think he is again under
the shelter of the Vanderbilt depot. Tho
hall is one-twelfth of q mile long; it will hold 500
DELEGATES 500 alternates and 10000 spec atOrs,
small army of busy newspaper men and enough
distinguished guests to make the fortune Of an
agricultural far Mr.. BOyington, the architect
who constructed the box shaped its angles so that
each of the 10000 eager people can SEQ all the
Others and that nearly all of them can hear any
speaker with strong lungs; and without strong
lungs no man should lift up his voice in a National
Convention
The acoustic properties of the hall are indeed ad-
mirable, and all Its arrangements werc commo.
d,ous, broad, deep stage for the chairman,
tares and invited guests and another broad stage IN
front of it half way up from the floor for the report
ers while the body of the hall itself wide that
the whole convention Of hall delegates was brought
in easy speaking distance of tic chair. At intervals
of a few yards, tunnels ran under the galleries to
doorways. Each OF these was letteTed, and every
seat in the house. galleries, floor and stage alike,
which had its ticket to correspond, was numbered
and lettered also. The whole body, convention and
sncctators. thus came together with as little
confusion and difficulty as an audience at
theatre.
1t Was nearly ! o'clock before the great company
had fairly assembled and filled ont the proportions
of the splendid spectacle. As for the crowd-who
shall describe it Who can describe great
crowdf The man who first called it q sea of faces
exhausted the possibilities of word pictures on
that head 1t is vast and majestic, like the sea, and
70 put tho thought into an old adage, it brings
home 20 the observer with wonderful force and i'm
presslveness the great truth that there is somebody
who Is greater than nYbOdy, and that Is every
body, This | take 1t is the sermon Of q crowd.
APPROPRIATE DECORATIONS.
The colors aud the decorations which framed this
picture made it brilliant one. Such Of tie naked
ness of the walls as was not clothed with the flesh
of humanity was gayly dressed with the National
colors great strip Of bunting along the roof
from end to end of the hall. luxuriant drapery Of
flags picturesquely arranged. covered all the walls
with their bright hues. Busts Of Franklin. Wash
ington, Lincoln, Clay and Jackson, which stood
brackets upon the low walls rising from the floor
TO the edge of the galleries, the centres Of
vivid rosettes of the red, white and blue. Over the
stage was beautiful decoration. 1t was like
huge and glowing rose of bunting hanging with its
face downward and spreading its leaves from the
centre Of the stage to the circumference. Large
portraits of the Fathers Of the Republic and the Re-
publican party hung from the arches In the
chief place, the very centre of the hall. and
over the heads of the Convention was the portrait
OF the man who was great enough to refuse third