New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-27
HOW TO MAKE EXPOSITIONS
SIR SOMERs VINE AND HIS VARIED EN-
PERfENCE.
AROUND THE WORLD FOR THE IMPERIAL INsT1'

i''S"-'
ity on expositions national and international, now
alive was at the Everett House YESTERDAY He was ,e
official agent Of the Fisheries Exhibition at Lohuo"
in 1883, Of the Health Exhibition IN 1851 Vi VI,
" Inventions in 1885, and Of the great CoiohlaA
and Indian Exhibition of 1856, for his services 10
connection with which he resolved the honor .,
knighhOod. lie has also been actively inuic'"u
in several English provincial exhibitions. ana no %
now assistant secretary of the Imperial institute
founded by the Prince OF Wales to commemorate INC
jubilee year of the reign OF Queen Victoria. ms
Institute will be a perpetual exhibition OF the re-
sources Of the civilization OF the races and couh-
tries under the British flag, and Sir somers hopes
that the people of the United States VIII not oon-
slider themselves shut out Of the show. Sir someiS
is the apostle Of the Institute. and his mission
TO visit British dominons and colonies In all parts OF
the world and interest them In the big project OF 'e
mother country. Butt he says, Il don't ike 10
say that we would exclude Americans. There Is
much in common between the two Nations that
have no hesitation in saying that American
products and resources will be dealt with In the IN
sttute in a manner which will be marked In com
parson with what is generally under'toou
by the term foreign 1t is very difficult, OF COURSE
for any Brsher speak of the United States people
as foreigners, and have scarcely ever hearu lheh
described as such.'
1t was in last November that Sir somers Vine, hav-
Board Of Governors OF the Institute, left London, ana
travelled through France, Switzerland and Italy 10
Brndlsl, and thence TO Egypt. From Egypt nc
went to Alden, then through Arabia TO Ceyloh anu
India. Then he visited Penang, Malacca, Singapore
and Johor: next Java, New-Gulnea and Austrs''
travelling all through that great islandcontneht
Then he doomed" the Institute in Tasmania, secured
for IL the support Of Ncw-Zeaand and salled 10
samoa. HIS next stOppage was at the sandwich
TeIo uha he sailed Francisco, anu
went by Oregon and Washington Territory TO British
Columbia Then he made a tour of the Provinces
Of Canada From Ncw-York he viii go to Washing
ton TO nspect some Of the departments Of the Smith
sonian Institution From Washington he Will go 10
the West Indies, and thence directly home.
This man of much travel Is tall road-shouinered
and robusty good-looklng. His face is ruddy, and
his ewes are Saxon blue He blonde, military
looking mustache, and his abundant hair Is nearly
gray lie Is in the prime of life, only forty years
of age and has had wonderful career, marked OS
unremtting industry. lie was born ana preu I"
journalist, being brought up as youngslet III u"e
Office OF provincial newspaper since deceased o"hcu
by his uncle. He afterward served In the biius"
Army but returned TO his first love, foTsa9lng inc
sword for the pen. He Joined the staff OF "lhe
London Morning Advertiser" and did brilliant WORK
az a legal and general writer For five years he held
the office of private secretary to the Lord Mayors Of
London SIR Sydney Waerlow was ono oil the LoIu
MAYORS whom he assisted in that capacity ana I'll
Somers for some years did editorial work for me nrm
Of Watcrlow & Sons Limited, issuing for them then
municipal register and record, which Is marVei VI
hard facts and tabulatcd statistics, and entueS DIT
Somers to rank as an extremely high authority Cd
matters of municipal government In England. fot
the last few years Sir somers has devoted hnseil'
with marked success, TO exhibition work.
The young knght-he is about the youngest OF the
oner-has the free aud easy manner Oh
who has been in nearly every country
in the world and has mingled with people OF all
shades and creeds and associated with men OF all
ranks. In his present tour he has met with more
success than he thought II possible to achieve and
the Imperial Institute Will surely be opened, under
the most auspicious circumstances, in 1891
The institute" sad he 10 Tribune reporter yes
tcray, Will be a standing museum Of products, the
object being TO bring together In the centre Oh the
Be EmR be dng viii Sost Oh from two to three
million dollars. the greater portion Of which - has
porary Executive Committee IS Lord Herscheil, The
cx-Lord Chancellor. The secretary IS the woridr
nowned chemist, Sir Frederick Abel, who IS now pres-
dent Of what IS known as the Explosives Committee
of the War Office and has for many years been chem
list TO the British war Department"
Among the most noteworthy incidents OF his mis-
slOnafy trip Sir SOmers Vine accounts his visits TO
two dsrks Skinned potentates, Malaaia OF samoa ana
SOmers was al samoa Just after the great Storm, the
steamship Alameda, on which he wa. passenger
eminent to take of the officers and men Of the
Trenton.
an exraordinary scene Of wrccksge It was mar.
vellops sight TO see those huge vessels tossed up like
Mataala he found to be gentleman .o.s and nd
feelings TO Irltons and Americans to the exclusion
Of ali other Municipalities lie was told what Sir
Somers Vines mission was, and begged him TO convey
TO tho Prince OF Wales of whom he had heard great
deal the expression Of his profound respects He
also handed 10 the Institutes commissioner some small
Pge of p 1aEe % omer for a s rdne
barbsrlans, type of the most amiable savages you
King Kalakaua of the Sandwich Islands Sir somcrs
found 10 be intelligent man, hospitable and
courteous TO degree lie thinks the American papers
have been q" too sore on this monarch. Sir SoInes
spent considerable time with him, and did not OBJ
serve anything very bad in his general character.
Sir SOmers Vine IS mucn interested IN the proposed
International Exposition Of 1892, and thinks New.
York is the place for IT. Here arc his opinion, about
eIal: Everybody in Chicago has an idea that there
IS only one place Where the Exposition should be
held and thai IS Chicago so far as the limited OPP
portunities al my disposal enabled me TO form any
judgment when / was there. the general opinion III
Chicago was that IT was the only suitable place IN
the ntcd states for the Worlds Fair. speaking
entirely exhibition official. must honestly say
that after seeing NewYork, and oh .erving It's sa-
ton and Its capabilities could not fall in with mar
view. No great exhibition Will ever succeed unless
you have 1t in the midst Of Or close to your largest
centre OF population and your most convenient place
OF apprCa h.. Quite apar nom tn" exhibitors N LONDON
was connected with others In England. unoflcaly
assisted ct the Manchester and Liverpool exhibitions,
but TO very small extent; but was officially con.
nected with the Jubilee Exhibition at Ncwcsstle-on-
Tyne. and also with the Art Treasures Exhibition, at
The Newcastle exhibition I'm every
respect, financially and otherwise. great success
The one at FOlkestone was financially disaster, ami
that is 10 be accounted for entirely by the fact thar
there was not sufficient population, and that
the exhibition was not of sufficiently general charac
ter 10 attract large numbers Of people. Newcastle
Is city Of some 100000 Inhabitants but then Il Is
separated by only two or three miles from other very
large towns, and altogether. within radius Of seine
thing like TWEEN y-five miles from Newcastle. You
would have population OF m illon TO million ana
half Of people. FOlkestOnc l. a town with about
$1,000 Inhabitants and is about seventy miles rom
London. The surrounding population Is not very
extensive. and really the larger number of visitors 10
that Exhibition were people from London and people
from France. FOlkestOne, with Dover. being
the main highway from London 10 PARIS.
should, therefore. ALWAYS hold 20 nc
opinion that there IS reasonable hope OF hnancai
success 10 any large exhibition unless you first OF
all secure proximity to large population. also
believe that the exhibition OF arr Giles. don't
rare how interesting they may be. or how well they
lay be displayol or how useful they may he frou,
an educational point Of view. should 10 cOmblneu
with a lar,e number OF exterior attractions. You