Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-04-25
THE PARIS ExHIBITIoM


The rising spectre OF revelation, not
withstanding the picture it leaves on
the retina CT the French reactionist, is
n shadowy thing compared TO the
Exposition Centenairie. They have
both grown side by side, they came in
to view simultaneously, but while
Boulangism has developed with pace
easily followed, the exposition has ma
terialized as if under the magician's
wand. Little more than Il year ago "a
few limsy skeletons OF buildings were
up. Einel was working with almost
savage oarnestncsS on the arches
of his tower, while all Paris was dis
posed to regard him, chalitably, as one
g me awry in mechanical art. Nj. Al
bert Woltf, the first chronieler and
critic Of the time, had condemned the
undertaking. 1t was n fools project.
he said, intended to render the Paris
school of science ridiculous. He dem
onstrated, with great mathematical
skill, the fate Of Observation-Disclosures which
awaited the mons frosty, and being u
public analyst of uuimpeachcd G'Iiity,
his words had precisely the same eject
as those OF the clinical expert whose
diagnosis eXlinguishes the last lingcr-
ing hope ut the patients bedside. Alarm
spread among the worllmen. Their
wages had to be increased 10 dispel
their fears. Melancholy crowds
gathered on the opposite bank of the
Seine ever pleasant Sunday. What
moment might not the big iron pile
come tumbiing to the ground? Three
quarters of q million of dollars were go
ing from the peoples pocket into it;
where the alchemist to reconvert this
gold from certain ruin?
Next to France, Great Britain will
occupy the greatest amount Of space.
In the variety and novelty OF her ex-
ii its she will surpass all. Austro- Hun
gary, disposed to initiate England rath-
er than Germany, because Of fraternity
of interest in the cast, has gulped down
her theOcratic objections, and will make
n glaGd display. Italy, Modified by
the surprising moderation OF what was
expected to prove the very tartar of
French cabinets, has decided to take
advantage of the chance TO display her
industrial advancement. All the ultra
montana countries have pigeon-holcd
their grievances against the young re-
public and its thriving matcrialism,
and are working hand in hand 10 cele-
brate what is. in the vision of the super
sanctimonious the infant anniversary
of agnosticism. How striking that the
men who have so long applauded la
TecdRche! of the rabble, who banished
God from the school textbooks, and
who invited by their antagonism TO the
church, the uncOmpromising enmity of
the Catholic world, should find them
selves at the head of the state in this
season of external peace and seeming
benevolencc! NJ. Floquet and the car
have been reconclled in the formers
apology and self-repcoach for the
"Vive Ia Polognc" incident; Russia got
her big loan out of the stockings OF the
French 6OurgCoisie, and the objections
OF the MusCovite ruler have vanished.
Germany alone, of the European powers,
will remain unreprcsented.
Meanwhile the $4,000, 900 Joint sub
sidy OF the nation AMI the city was be-
ing freely spent. In the Champ de
Mars, architectural wonders began to
appear, as If borne thithcr in the night,
after the very agreeable scheme of
transportation peculiar to Arabian
tales. How Lamartine dislikcd this
spot! Yet could we have anticipated
its present site, the pain OF the past
would have seemed less severe, for
here, where anarchy raised its red flag
century ago, the republic is now
erecting its two biggest monuments 49,
the Palais des Machines and Eiffel's
shaft. The mournful contemplation OF
the latter was many months ago re-
placed by sanguine smiles. People
now come in hordes to pay open
mouthed reverence to it. NJ. Wolff
has retracted, completely, abjectly. He
has done more -lampooned those who
led him, by their assumption of know
ledge, into his error. M. Eiffel is adj
judged great; his tower is great. You
could already hide the Washington
monolith it it. The top is out OF sight
on misty days. In fair weather the
huge protruding derrick-beams look
not SO large as walking sticks; the
busy artisans resemble nothing so
much as animalcule under a weak
microscopes; you see form; slowly you
ulSCeIn HOOlOH-Dub buS SpeClcS9 NOb
knowing the form was man, you could
readily believe it is to be an insect.
Was that some smokers match that
just went out? All, no; that was the
q blast forge which wrinkles in its
labors like one of the spinning planets.
A persistent effort of the eye to pierce
the latticed work is followed by odd eff
fects. The eight hundred feet in
height OF iron Orders, bars, plates and
bolts, topple slowly over the Jena
Bridge to where you stand; you shut
your eyes against the fall, rub the film
away, and look once more, only to see
this dancing dervish make mock
salaam to The Hotel des Invalides on
your left. Descending from these
illusory attitudes, in search of rest, the
eye is sure to dwell at length on the
spreading panorama beneath; the tower
arch, higher than the twin steeples OF
Notre Dame; the Machine Palace in
perspective, its central terrace and
dome square to view. as II set in @
Monmouth terra-cotta frame; on either
side. extending toward you, the two
arms OF the main building, terminal.
ing in dome-topped fronts, in the
mosaic caps of which are emblaZoned