The record-union., 1891-05-10


tator an adequate idea Of tha grandeur of
our forests. We can make an exhibit of
woods in the greatest possible variety,
and these woods should be presented in a
great variety of manufactures in the form
of furniture. It can reproduce at small
cost, on the floor of its own exhibit, the
Yosemite Valley on such a scale that hum
dreds of people might wander through
out it. Let us suppose for the pleasure
the speculation affords that fifty feet of a
fallen giant in the Mariposa Grove of Big
Trees were converted into a vast canoe.
The most primitive form of naval archi-
lecture is the canoe. All barbarous
tribes navigate the inland waters of their
islands Or country, or the margins Of the
seas which wash their shores in canoes.
Suppose that a canoe fifty feet long, with
beam of twenty-five feet, made in a
light shell and easy of transportation
were placed on exhibition, it would
tS\Sooo1lly dCIIdCI Ll1S dllSubAOh Va LLS
world. Beyond this, there are hundreds
of things which can be done in Cali
fornia exhibit, impossible to other coun-
tries; the reduction of ores, illustrating
the processes of separating precious
metals; and relief map of the State on
the floor of the exhibition in some por-
ton of it, SO large that the topography of
the whole State could be explained from
a miniature summit of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, would be an attractive feat
ure, by far more instructive than any
printed map which could possibly be
published. The forests, mines. fields and
orchards of California are capable, when
their capacities are adequately presented
in the form of an exhibition, of illus
trating at once the most wonderful va
riety of resources and diversity Of indus
trial possibilities, and it is in this di-
versity, brought into such relation that
the world will perceive it, that our great
est advantage lies.
On the other hand, suppose these things
should be distributed into twelve great
departments. The spectator sees the evil
dences Of mining in the mining depart
ment, of horticulture in the horticultural
department, of textile fabrics in other
departments, and the production of for
ests in still other departments, and seeing
these separately he does not come to re-
alize the one most important of all facts,
that they are produced in some country.
When we lose the great opportunity Of
impressing upon the world the great di-
versity of our products, we have lost the
one opportunity that is of any value to us
in the Columbian Exposition.
Now, we appeal in all candor to the
common sense of the people of this State
if we have anything beyond this to gain.
1t has been objected that a separate ex-
hibit of California would deny to it the
attention of visitors. This is a great mis-
take. California can make an exhibit
that will add to the gate money of the Ex-
position if made separately, but if she
makes an exhibit in the departments
nothing is gained to the managers of the
Columbian Exposition at Chicago. The
fair will be just about as well as if Cali
fornia were not there, just about as at
tractive; but let her make an exhibit as
she can make separately, and she has
produced side feature of more value to
herself and to the general management of
the Exposition than any Arabian village
or any Tower of Babel, or any of the other
special features on which vast sums of
money are to be expended.