Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-06-29

out and deliver within a week or two after
sale. Several times it has been necessary
for the customs officials ON duty In the ex.
position to arrest foreign exhibitors fol
selling articles on which the duty had moi
been paid. All the imported goods here
are by law in bond, and the exposition in
that sense is 9 great bonded warehouse.
The American exhibitors are notas keen
for trade as the foreigners. Not many OF
them make any effort TO sell their goods
on the spot, except the manufacturers il
in Machinery hall who carry on their pro.
cesses before the eyes of visitors. This is
-pardonable, for every one likes to purchase
some article which he has seen in the pro.
cess Of manufacture. The American ex.
hibitogs, as e rule, seem to be content
with giving their wares the advertisement
which accrues from display before the
millions who visit the fair. If all were as
eager TO sell as the majority of the foreign.
ers appear to be the dignity of the exposi.
tion would be much impaired.
A curious Illustration of the foreign de.
sire TO profit commercially by this exposi.
tion, not only indirectly but directly and
Immediately, is found in the Palace OF
Fine Arts. The French section there is
notably inferior. 1t is not representative
of the best that the artists of France can
do. And why? Simply because the artists
of that country became imbued with the
spirit of commerce rather than with that
of artistic rivalry. They sent hither the
works which they happened 20 have on
hope was to find o market In America.
Therefore the French section Is represen-
tative only Of what might be termed the
rurrpnf mud nNarEat Hla x,-nr1y nf ~ m x&s.4o
of that country. A little of this spirit is
to be seen in all the foreign sections of the
Art gallery, England perhaps excepted;
but it is more noticeable In France than
elsewhere, and has made the display OF
French pictures, while interesting enough,
somewhat disappointing to critics.
And yet the law of compensation has ap-
piled here to lift the standard of excellence
in the Art palace very high, even In the
handiwork of French artists. The United
States is today the best and most gener-
Gus market in the world for oil paintings.
Our people buy twice as many pictures as
any other country, and in the aggregate
pay about four times as much money for
them. Having for years been liberal pa
irons of the arts, Americans have secured
possession of many of the most famous
paintings Of the world. There are nearly
l50 pictures here grouped as foreign works
loaned from private galleries in the United
States, and of the $50 masterpieces fully
t~hree-fourths are by French artists. The
result is that American purchasers of
pictures are able TO make, collectively, a
better retrospective exhibit of French art
than can be made in France. Eminent
ett critics from Paris with whom l have
talked admit that In French masterpieces
we have a better showing than was made
at the Paris exposition four years ago,
though the standard is lower here in the
general display made by the artists them
selves. There could not be a more strik-
ing commentary on the liberality and
rnunificence of Americans as purchasers of
the work of foreign artists.
1t Is interesting TO note that of these $50
foreign masterpieces from private CALLER
les In the United States, nearly onc~third
are loaned by citizens of Chicago. This
city Of the Worlds fair is said tx be the
best market for high-class works of art in
the world / am told that CHICAGO paws