The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-06
BON the Philadelphla Record.

ment.
From the Philadelphia Record.
Worlds Fair, Chicago, H., Sept ~
Born like dream, to fade like dream
such is the inevitable fate of the magic
White City. In vain the enraptured
pilgrim to its marvels, gazing on that
scene of transcendent but perishable
beauty, the Court of Honor, exclaims on
the curse of time that is soon to wither
its delight. These phantom palaces of
marble, these glittering domes and
temples, this dream-like Peristyle, this
wonderful wedding of Greek and Venetian
glory with its golden statues, its silvery
fountains, its sun-lit rialtos Will, almost
while he looks, vanish and leave not a
wrack behind.
Despite the host of suggestions, begun
with the very beginning of the fair, the
exposition authorities, who are well
aware that the superb vision did not
arise altogether like a magic exhalation
of the night, but by the most herculean
effort, have abandoned all hope of pre-
serving aVestige of the grand court, unless
it be the beautiful basin itself. They APP
preciate the fickleness of "staff" To be
sure, Architect McKim, who designed the
magnificent agricultural palace, has pre-
served in his garden at New York, a
staff statue for twelve years. "Staf"
is not such a new thing after all. But to
preserve the least of the great worlds
fair shrines would be to entail an
expense on the park commission too heavy
to be borne. Furthermore IL would be
useless to keep only one.
The exposition is under contract to re-
move all buildings from Jackson Park i'm
mediately after the fair. Only one has
been erected to remain, and that is the
classic Art Palace Although the colon
nades and columns of even this structure
are of staff" the main building is built
entirely of brick and has been rendered
as fire-proof as possible. This will I'M
doubtedly stand as a lasting memorial,
and, such is the movement now afoot, will
be converted into great Chicago muse
UNI. AS for all the other exposition
structures of ''staff," they will be torn
down for the sake of the vast amount of
iron, steel and timber employed in their
huge skeleton. The exposition counts,
perhaps a little extravagautly upon
$3,O0O,0 900 salvage.
TOO FRAIL TO BE PERPBTUATED.
Contractor Philipson, the man TO whom
the credit is due, or at least who claims
the credit, for introducing the wonder
WORKING 'Sbdu 10 Jue WORTH ) IdlI dEGHl-
tects has Just preached picturesque but
unfeasible plan for retaining the Court of
Honor He would transform it from
splendid quadrangle of palaces to Rhine
like vision of ruined castles His only
wand of magic would be the ivy vine.
He would trail the evergreen ivy along
the lagoon, send it clambering up the lofty
white walls, climbing to the highest pin
nacle and dome, and fashion everywhere
trelliseS and banks of verdant beauty.
The conception is certainly romantic but
hardly practicable enough to save the fair
scene from its impending doom.
The park commission will have all it
can do to keep the lagoons indestructible.
The ramparts are not of stone, but of the
same ffimsy stair as the buildings, and
the idle tapping of the blue waves is
constantly wearing the false granite
away. The spectator who now enjoys the
rare scene, can only exclaim in the old
Roman phrase, Hail and FAREWELL"
Upon the spot where it fades away, as a
funeral stone to mark its unseen ruins and
as a memorial to the lofty architectural
genius who conceived its glory to the as
Constituent of the world, there should be
gratefully and Feverently erected a shaft
to John w. Root. In his brain, beyond
question, was born the Court of Honor
1t did not leap forth, full clad; many
minds aided in its gradual growth into
ultimate perfect beauty; but the es-
sential conception was first given birth by
the dead master architect of the worlds
fair.
Before he was called to this great
work, John Root had already achieved
fame Although not yet entered into
middle age, he had designed the chief
architectural monuments of modern Chi
cago-the Great Northern Hotel, the
Women S Temple, the Monadnoc and the
skY-piercing Masonic Temple. With him
came his partner, Daniel w. Burnham,
who was installed at once as director of
works, and upon Mr.. Roots death in the
winter of 1891, as his virtual successor.
Root conceived; Burnham executed. Both
minds boosted the loftiest scopes. Di-
rector Durham, indeed, is said to have
no notion of money. He is an autocrat of
resources and has squandered, with lord
ly recklessness, whole fortunes. But
only such princely squandering could
have given birth to the White City, the
veritable city of wonders.
EVOLUTION PROM A MARSH TO A PARK.
AS for the landscape beauties of the
White City, these are due to Frederic
l.. Olmsted, who is also to be thanked
for the selection of Jackson Park When
the three Chicagos--North, South, and
w est lLlBlcWOOu anu al IIS
adjacent suburbs were quarreling for
the site, Olmsted at last cast the die
for the marsh-like and forbidding Jack
son Park. "The more difficulties that
beset,' he explained to Director General
Davis, "the greater the triumph"
OJefferson Park was a mere marsh until
the building of the big aqueduct in 1888,
and in the spring Of 1889 one could pad
die all over it in a flatboat. Where the
A i 49,
soil had to be created. And as water
was where land was wished, so land lay
where water was desired. The lagoons
did not exist; little inlet trickled in
near the Fifty-ninth street entrance
Both sides of the Wooded Island had TO
be dredgedS Where the basin of the
present Court of Honor smiles in the
ROSE a .discouraging hillock of
he AYsuf ,4,a,, 60, 4 IL.