The morning call., 1893-07-16
Some CuriOsities of the
Great Exposition.
THE CALIFORNIA BUILDING
Relics Shown by Some of the Older
States - Utah'S Peculiar
Display.
Correspondence OF THE MORNING CALL.


NO" replied a Californian; what we
lack in fine furniture and old relics we
make up in exhibits that show what Cali
fornia is made of. And we're right up to
date. too"
Morning. noon and night it is the same
thing This is State exhibit" is upon
every ones tongue. Coming directly from
the northern quadrangle of State build
ings, as most of the visitors do, a compar-
son is nconsciously made upon entering
the portals of the Golden State building.
For this reason, at least, CALIFORNIA; loca-
ton is especially advantageous.
Certainly 10 State building can compare
with ours in point of variety and complete
ness Of exhibit. Instead of the regulation
lawn surrounding the building we have
California fruit trees, shrubs and flowers.
The building itself is of typical old Cali
Iornia architecture. Once inside the Wis
itor sees more than the mere wealth of
mountain and valley. of orchard and vine
yard, forest and field. He sees display
OF literary works and 4 gallery OF paint
ings which leave him dumb with aston
ishment. And he walks along aisle after
aisle of educational exhibits, after which
he may rest III free reading-roOm and
laZlly turn the pages of a pOnderOus volume
OF sheet music by California composers.
Across the road is the Indiana building,
with its large rooms filled with elegant
furniture. But of what, pray, is elegant
furniture suggestive. kamchatka might
buy furniture.
And because Idaho possesses forests she
must needs build an immense log cabin for
State building. aud equip 1t completely
with ali manner of imitation frontier fur
Eiture-with bear skins curing upon the
walls near the rude fireplace. Does Idaho
realize that the COlum bian Exposition pro-
poses to give nations and States an OppOr-
tunity Of showing the world what they now
are and not merely what they have been?
Virginia shows relics until YOU wonder
whether the people have anything else TO
eat Nor does Massachusetts, herself the
braInest OF all the bralny New England
States. reserve more than a nook of her
averaged-szed building for something be-
ante-revolutlonary literature.
Many OF the State buildings are simply
havens of rest for weary sons and daugh-
ters, not only Of Their own State but OF
every other State and nation. Places to
rest are good things and by no means too
plentiful at the fair, but alter wandering
among pretty resting places for while
one naturally wonders whether few eX-
hbits illustrative of the industries and re-
sources of the States themselves would be
very much out of place.
At the Virginia building. which is
perfect fac simle Of Mount Vernon,
Washington's old home, old ladies weep
and young folks wonder. You squeeze
you way into Nellie Custis' music-rOom
and run into an exact fac-simile (most of
the relics are ''eXact fac-similes') Of the
harpsichord upon viii h Nellie used to
RsSas snG n1fna ssonr lay tEe thef
gloved fingers gently upon its old
and battered surface and reveren-
TALLY glide away. Then they admire
the pictures Nellie painted when she was
sweet 16. Being mostly labeled, it is n OF
d fficult to determine what Nellle's pic
lures were intended TO represent. On the
wall in a gilt frame and protected by
thick plate glass is "a piece of a dress
worn by Martha Washington. owned by
Colonel j. j. K. OF Roanoke County, Va,
and the relic-worShiperS stare and stare
and gently touch the glass and then all but
kiss their fingers. The ''piece of dress"
is a little rag about six inches long.
Then you go upstairs TO Nellle's room,
and if you want to be right in the swim
you must stand by Nellie's canOpied bed.
marvel at the old mahogany posts, sigh at
the cOunterpane and try to Imagine the
musical and artistic Nellie sleeping peace
fully. or perhaps snoring. In the middle OF
the interesting couch.
from the edge of the little mahogany
dressng-table and carefully wrap hem
up in their handkerchieis. In George
Washington's room the people stay awhile
and the farmers wives and daughters
sigh and occasionally drop tear. Every
thing except George himself is there.
Why lie is absent is perhaps only to be
explained by the wel-knOwn fact that
wood is more durable than even the most
patriotic of flesh.
But the women manage to take a great
deal OF comfort ln communng with the
invisible spirit of the departed. In this
room also are several chairs into which
Lord CORVALLIS used to drop when
greatly perpeXed over some plucky move
on the part of the Yankee rabble called all
army.
After viewing this exhibit of Virginia's
antique resources upon departing from the
building the visitor is handed little
pamphlet which tells of the wonderful
growth and recent development of the
State. and what nice place it would be
for young Westerner to go to, so as to
grow up with the country and raise a
family. But the relics scare away intend
ing settlers.
Utah's exhibit is rich in everything ex-
cept spelling. A young man with more
mechanical ingenuity than education has
contrived series Of upright folding pho
scenic views ard pictures of mines and
buildings. There is "Sein" on the
Grand River and picture of the ''Hiland"
mine and the "Quean" of the Mountains.
Boston people stare awhile. but say 9th.
ing. The Montana building exhibits hun
dreds Of stuffed animals and furs.
all from the "Rockey" Mountains.
as an extensively painted sign pro-
claims Another Western State building
has some eagle ''plooms" tastefully iacked
upon the wall, and still another possesses
some statuary, upon each piece of which
is printed request, reading, Kindly
hands off, When asked whether he
thought kindly hands would be more
likely to damage the works of art than
unk ndly hands, an attendant answered
irrelevantly that peoples fingers are not
always clean.a
The spelin and grammar of the signs
in the California building are immaculate.
but then it must be remembered that we
have two universities, while many of these
Western States have none.
Besides spelling. Utah has another
unique exhibit, which is also drawing i'm
mense crowds and that is her mummles of
ciiff-dwellers and the curious relics found
buried with them. Geolcgists and anti
quarians differ as to the age of these relics,
but they undoubtedly belong to prehistoric
ages. The large mummy ia laid in q lonC