Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-09
THE EXPOSITION OPENED
President Carn0t Officially Opens the
Paris Exposition.
Germany Not Being Represented
Causes Much Comment.
Not Sufficient Room to Allow Ameri-
cans Full Display.
Copyrighted 1889, by the New York Associated


PARIS, May 6-At O'Clock this after
noon, surrounded by his ministers and
many distinguished guests, President
Carnot stood under the dome of the ex-
position building, formally 10 declare it
open. The preliminaries have been
suspicious. The ceremonial at Versail-
les yesterday, while not of the first i'm
portance, was digniied and discreet.
The military display, which was inferior
to many which have beer seen in Paris,
was wisely curtailed so as to give visi-
tors an opportunity TO see the charms of
the most beautiful spot in Europe; whose
natural loneliness is not over matched by
its historical association, in which ro-
nance and tragedy are so strangely CO.
mingled. Speeches By the president and
others were characterized alike, by tact
and taste, and solitary marring incident
blank cartridges discharged by a
maudlin sensationalist, who today, was
ascertained to be q harmless imbecile,
deserving only pity has already bsen for
gotten. Everywhere the demonstrations
were unqualified. If the discomfort
prevailed it remained away from Yer
sailles and has up to this time, at least,
uttered no sound and given no sign. A
Taiismanic spell or thrift soothes what
ever of political raneOr may seek vent
under other circumstances. The trivial
episode of Geu. Boulanger's election to
the municipal council of St.
Queen, yesterday, arous little in
terest. As he stands under the
dome of the exposition building,
President Carnot is seen to advantage.
He is small in physique, sFraigh, wiry
Int ,uif iool hill of oh
ex pressed in the relaxation of his thin
| lips, that may be depended on for rigOr
when required. He impresses the OBJ
server az being keen and retIceDt rather
than voluable, decisive and eager, clear
and tenacious man.
| As the crystal tones of the great clocks
struck two, the trumpets poured forth
their strains and the entire assembly
under the dome arose to its feet. 1t was
| q spectacle worth femem boring. The
scenic nation has supplied during its
monarchy and empire many gorgeous
| spectacles for artists to preserve, for
poets to chant and for philosophers to
discuss, but at no time since the days of
/ the great Louis were liberty, moral
power aud beauty apd democracy
SO picJuresq uely harmonizad as it is this
| moment.
| After the Marseiilais had been played
| by picked orchestra and sung by q
chorus of mems voices, Premier TIrard
arose and delivered the opening speech.
| At its close the audience cheered enthu
siastically and Tirard was warmly con
graduated, President Carnot then arose
tn deliver his speech. His voice is shrill
but audible. His speech is
well though out. His peroration
| is delivered with considerable
earnestness. Every word is safe, ptu-
dent, plausible and generous. He has
not seized upon a national occasion to
| glorify party, to fatter a faction, or to
irrita the undertaking. He has made
no allusion to the hostile governments.
but has spoken magnanimousiy,
and Justly of the foreign people
| He has not gloriied France unduly. but
humanity still more. At the conclusion
of his speech and at the end of the mu-
81 ,al programme, President Carnot de-
secluded from the 6als and walked through
the main aisle of the GALAXY of fine arts
toward the center, where he touched sew
eral electric buttons. In a moment the
| foun tains of the exposition were all pour
ing forth their streams to the universal
sunshine, and the great en-
CINE running the machinery of the
palace was in motion. Three or four
hundred thousand people outside and in
side cheered, and every portion of the
grounds OF the universal exposition of
| 1889 is open. The exhibitors number
| 10000. Tonight Paris is ablaze with
Nominations. No vehicles are permitted
| in the streets. The city is the peoples.
| The countries represented by their
| skill in addition to France and the United
States, are Great Britain, Austria, Hun
garia, Italy, Switzerland, Russia,
Sweden, Danmark, Norway, Hol-
Hand, Belgium, Spain, Por-
tugal, Greece. Roumanie, Servia,
Egypt, Persia, Mexico, Brazil, the Argen-
tine Republic, Bolivia, Chilli, Nicaragua,
Venzuela, Guatemala, Uruguay, San
Domingo, San Salvador, Hayti, China,
Japan, Siam, Morocco and Australasia.
Unrepresented countries are Germany
an absence as inevitable as it is deplora
BILE and cons picuous- Turkey and Monte
negro. The subject matter of exposition
com prises everything that enters into the
material of civilization, while it may be
classified with extreme mprehensive-
ness under the heads of fine and indus
trial arts, it contains in the great grounds
history of the universe. The applica
ton for space so far exceeds the expecta
tons founded on previous exhi-
bitIons, that despite the catalogue of
any group ready for the printer, the
An erican representation is further be-
hind. There is not, for instance, at this
writing, vestige of our great national
educational exhibit to be seen, nor are
consignments sent from individual states
nearly ali of which are to be represented
out of packing boxes. So far as present
indications go, the American exhibition
on the industrial side is impressive,
of gold and silver sm1thing in glassware,
which has made marked sensation
among Austian and French glassmakers.
Machinery palace, rightly SO named, de-
voted TO machinery, is magnificent eol-
fee, in which a worlds congress might
sit. It's architectural beauty and the
splendor of its decorations, also
render 1t one of the great
centers of interest. The chief attraction
in it is the Edison display of motore,
machines and apparatus. An idea of the
vastness of the exposition may be gained
from the area it occupies. Although the
exposition buildings are closely grouped
on the groabd-, the surface exceeds
100000 square feet The buildings blend
strength, suitability. Hghtness and
grace in their competition. The interior
decorations surpasss in elegance of de.
sign and richness of tone, those of any
structure ever put up for similar Csc
The total number of entries in the fine
arts department is $500. This depart
ment will not be fIrmaily opened for
several weeks.