Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-07-10
MIR. John Baird's Reproduction of
the Centennial.

y number OF citizens were assembled
by invitation last evening at the Spring
Garden Institute, Philad, lphia, to view
the reproduction III model form of the
Centennial Buildings and Grounds
which Mr.. John Baird has had con-
structed, and which he purposes TO
make a free gift TO the city OF PhiladeI-
phia. The view of the model excited
not only the admiration of those pres
ent, but their astonishment-that the
beautiful and wonderful scene in the
Park ut the Great Exhibition OF 1876
could be so exactly reproduced. There
before them was everything that was
IN that enclosure of 236 acreS-eyery
one of the nearly two hundred build
lngs, from the majestic Main Build
ing To the smallest editice- every piece
Of open air sculpture, every statue,
very fountain, every road and path
and Lakeland, in word, every object
Of every description reproduced on a
precise mathematical scale as to length,
breadth and height, the scale being
large enough to admit of the introduce
tiOn Of statue, and to afford a model
of the Main Building nine feet in
length, thus leaving every object clear,
distinct and individual. The materials
are marble, metal, hard wood and
ivory, the whole of it so colored as 10
show the hues and tints and material
of the buildings as they stood during
the Exhibition, and OF the landscape of
the Park. Even the undulations of the
ground In the Park, are reproduced SO
Us to exhibit the topography.
We are not aware that there is any
thing like it anywhere. OF course there
are numerous models of famous or his
toric buildings, i'll wood, in paper
mache, in plaster, in clay, some of
which are very fine, but here are hun.
dreds Of buildings and objects. There
are models of cities also of wood or
clay or plaster, but none of them that
we know of comparable with this. 1t is
grand, comprehensive, exact in every
detail, novel aud beautIful-and, as we
believe, entirely unique.
1t is wholly of Mr.. Baird's own orig
ination, and constructed wholly at his
Individual expense. The production is
so uLique that no artisans could be
found skilled and practiced in the kind
of work required, and so in one sense
even these artists were generated as the
mOdel progressed. That it exists at ali
comes about in this way. The Cen
tennial Board OF Finance that WAS
charged with the raising of the mil
lions of money required by the Centen-
nial Exhibition is still in existence, 1t
was created by act OF Congress, ami
cannot dissolve except by consent Of
Congress. Its affairs are all wound up
its accounts all audited but there IS
small balance of money remaining in
its pOssession-sO small sum that any
attempt to divide it among the mil
lion of shares of stock would eat up
the whole of the money in expenses.
1t was, therefore, contemplated by
the Board at one time to devote this
balance TO such marking of the Cen
tennial grounds by memorial tablets as
would perpetuate a knowledge of the
sites where the many buildings stood.
This gradually took a wider scope.
But the Directors of the Boards having
doubts of their authority to use the
meney in any way not sanctioned by
Congress, although Congress had no
claim upon this money. they abandoned
the plan. But not 50 Mr.. Baird Hav-
ing entered upon the matter as one OF
a committee. he studied out the sub
Ject, got fascinated with the idea as it
took form in his mind and acquired
shape under his hands, and he resolved
to 90 on with it upon his own account
to pay for it out of his own purse
and 10 make gift of it TO the Centen-
NAL city, in order that what the Cen
tennial was should be visible in the
concrete for all time. Such is the gen
esis Of this beautiful and unique pro-
duction.-PUbItc Ledger, June 20.