The record-union., 1893-09-23
With CALIFORNIAN EYES.
What Adjutant-GeneraI Allen Saw at
the Worlds Fair.
He Thinks Our Citizen soldiery VIII
Compare Favorably With Those
of Other States,

Adjutant- General Allen has returned
from his visit to the Columbian EXPOSE
ton, looking much the better for his trip.
In conversation with a RECORD UNION
reporter, he said: 81 don't know where to
begin to say anything about the fair, the
subject is so big. A man could profit
ably spend six months in taking in its
wonders. Take the art exhibit for
instance. The day I was there the turn
stiles registered 10000 people. That
means that at least 10000 were paid ad-
missions. There are four gates. Through
one go those who pay; through another
the dead heads, and through another the
laborers. There are 5000 works of art
from this country alone. Besides that,
England, France, Germany, Italy, and
in fact, every nation that has any painters
have contributed to fill the gallery.
Such another collection of paintings will
probably never be brought together
again. Ny wife and | wished to study
the pictures, but unfortunately hundred
thousand other people also wished to, and
the crowded condition of the building
rendered it impossible to give more than
q glance at each one, and often it was only
a glimpse of the best ones that could be
caught"
The vastness of this exhibit gives you
a faint idea OF the gigantic scale on which
everything is planned and carried out,
Then there is the building of Manufact-
ures and Liberal Arts, l, 700 feet long. 10
realize what that means, imagine build
ing that covers more ground than the
Capitol Park, Capitol, Pavilion, Printing
Office and all, with immense iron arches
I30 feet wide, and literally filled with ar
ticles of all kinds brought together from
the whole globe. 1t was estimated by one
of the Chicago papers that II person de-
voted two minutes to the examination or
each article IN the building. and eight
hours day, it would take him twenty
five years. 1t is hard for the mind to
grasp a statement so stupendous IN its
immensity Then there are the Fisheries
building, the State buildings and many
others, and they are sometimes so crowd
ed that it Is next to impossible to gain ad-
mission to them, although the crowd con-
tinually flows out as well as in."
General Allen stated that he took a
trip in the Ferris wheel and was glad
when he once more stepped on terra
tirna. He describes the feeling one ex-
periences as the vast machinery lifts him
into the air as very uncanny one. Most
artistic work, also, he said, was displayed
there. He described the wonderful tapes
try displayed, which on close inspection
proved to be woven of wheat ears and
straw; also, the farm yard with its cows
and other animals, made Of wheat and
grasses. yet appearing so real to the eye.
The State building came in for share of
praise.
well" said ne, in answer to ques-
ton, Il did not see as much of the citizen
soldiery as l should have liked. | saw
the Ohio battalion in line as they marched
in with their canteens, haverSacks and
overcoats in marching order. To my eye
they appeared no better than our own
boys. The West Point cadets are mar
vel of discipline, of course. moving like
machinery and with never fault that
can be detected. The New York Seventh
also is a wonderfully well disciplined
regiment. There is a continual emula-
ton between that and the First 1lli-
nois for supremacy. With these eXcep
tions, however, l think our militia, with
all their imperfectlons, will compare
favorably with any at the East. 1n To-
peka [ saw a very good drill.
BY the way, the Krupp exhibit is
wonderful one. There are great thick
plates of steel, and yet the balls from the
guns penetrate them. The exhibit of
offensive and defensive munitions of war
Is grand one.
"A Venice syndicate has bought three of
the electric launches and Sentthem to Nen-
ice as an experiment, and II 1t IS deemed
successful the whole thirty will be pur-
chased and sent there. They are graceful
and display the very poetry of motion,
and it is delightful TO ride in them. So
great is the absence of jar and sensible
motion that you almost seem floating in
air.
1.-THE fair is an education in itself, and
it is great pity all our people are not
able to witness it. 1t will also be an edu-
- " =
Islander, the Hindoo, the African will all
go home to tell their people of the pro-
gress Of civilization, and what the world
has been doing for the last generation"