Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-08-03
ENGLAND'S SHOW.
That Country is 0warfed by
France and Germany.
Plain and Almost Insignificant Cases
Which Contains the Exhibit.


4 "OAAos aug tTfS~eA~l
People who have paid much attention to
the foreign exhibits st the Worlds fair
have been struck after only a crrsory ex-
animation Of the somewhat Insignificant
showing made by Great Britain As com
pared with France and Germany, and on
| the other hand-although this sounds like
paradox-with the might and vastneas
Of the British empire. Of how that empire
| stretches from that little patch Of islands
| rising out of the north Atlantic to still
migh,ier empire in the far east, and how
| to north, south and west there are links in
| that great chain Of government which Is
| known as Great Britain. We all know
| that the sun never sets on the British em-
pire, but one must so to thesWorld's fair
and have that empire placed at ones feet
| TO thoroughly understand how much that
| implies.
Englishmen who have visited the fair
and who have noticed how Germany and
France overshadow their display have
come away rather disappointed and very
| much tempted to write TO the London
Times all about it. the never failing re-
source of your true Englishman when some
thing goes wrong and he does not know
| Just exactly who is responsible. 1t is no,
| that England has not acquitted herself
well, but it is because both France and
Germany, and especially the latter, have
| surprised everyone by the magnitude OF
their displays and the artistic spirit shown
| in their installation.
1t is not surprising that France has dis
played that great artistic taste for which
she is famous; one expects IL and would be
disappointed if it We're missing, but It is
as pleasing as it is unexpected TO find that
Germany is not one step behind that OF
her neighbor and that the works of Ger
many's manufacturers and artisans are
seen everywhere and show degree of fin
ish and rare excellence which tells of the
Importance attached TO the exposition by
the German authorizes and her people
generally. This is really the explanation.
Germany realized that here was a greater
opportunity TO let the people OF the great
new world know what she had to sell and
exchange than could be reached in any
other way. The appropriation made by
the German government was very large.
$50, 600, and it has been judiciously ex-
pended On the other hand. England.
perhaps Indifferent or perhaps feeling that
her wares are too well known to need any
more advertising. displayed but little in
terest in the fair until she discovered too
late what her great commercial competi-
tors had done. Her parliamentary grant
was less than one half that of Germany's,
which compelled her commissioners to
work on an entirely different plan.
On entering the great building devoted
F.. nd ha1 t.yra ri q
is struck by the plain and almost inSig
niticant cases which contain the English
exhibits Here and there are larger and
more imposing pagodas and enclosed
spaces with the products Of the British
workman, but the majority OF his goods
are exposed to view in a way which suffer
by comparison with those of our own ex-
hibitors. But it is when the center Of the
building Is reached, when one stands al
most under the great clock tower with its
peal If silvery chimes high overhead and
con,emplates thoroughly the magnitude
and noble proportions Of the great build
ing that the way Great Britain is dwarfed
BY Germany and France is fully compre-
hended The clock tower forms the hub
to the spokes from which branch out the
territory OF England, France, Germany
and Russia, and Of all four the entrance to
the German is the most impressive. Ger
many has erected magnificent creation
of stone and iron, the gateway to her pos
sessions, and which alone is an exhibit ofa
high order. France has n conspicuous set
ting for her jewels, and Russia is there to
be seen by all men. but England has moth
ing Of the kind and her wares form only
part of the great whole, without dividing
line or anything else to rivet attention.
OF the goods sent by England 1t may be
said, think, that with the exception OF
pottery and in that she Is still pre-
eminent-she shows nothing which we are
not able to duplicate on this side Of the
water. Probably some of her fabrics,
more especially cloth for the wear Of both
men and women, are finer and have a
higher finish than those of our looms, but
that is a question which must be left to
experts and which cannot be decided by a
cursory examination.
The same difference between the British
and German exhibits is to be found be-
tween the headquarters Of the commits
sioners for the two countries. England
has contented herself with a substantial
but somewhat plain looking reproduction
- half timber house of the sixteenth
Century, which compared with the preten-
tious but really beautiful mediaeval struc
ture of Germany is like an ordinary coun-
try fair to this greatest Of all expositions.
The interior of "Vietoria House" as the
Britishers have called their headquarters,
with its handsome oak panellinG, wai,ls-
coating, elaborate ceilings and rich and
artistic hangings, atones for great deal,
but for one person who goes inside hun
dredis will only look st the exterior and
then make the same comparison between
England and Germany as did.
This much having been said in way OF
criticism of the British exhibit, and es-
pecially in comparison with what Ger
many has done, now for the other side OF
the picture and which, as / said in the
commencement of this article so impresses
the average visitor with the great re-
sources of England and the position which
she occupies in the commercial world. Go
where you will, in almost any building,
there is some space allotted to Great Brit
ain or her colonies, until you are almost
tempted 70 ask what would happen should
Great Britain lose her place in the history
of nations and become merely memory.
As might naturally he expected in the
Transportation buisiing England occupies
considerable room. The models Of some
Of the best known Of the famous trans
Atlantic liners look beautiful in their
glass cases, and side by side with promot-
ers Of peace and friendly feeling are the
mini.ture steel clad seDtineis Of the sea,
war ships built for the English and many
foreign governments, the most eonspicu-
Gus OF all Of them being a magnificent
| model of Admiral Tryon's ill-fated flag
ship, the Victoria, and which since the
disaster off Tripoii is Of greater interest
than ever. Ii is also appropriate that a.
In England the science Of steam was first
applied to land propulsion, the British
railroad exhibit should be very complete.
One Of the great English iatlrnad com
panies has sent over record breaking 10
c0Enotive and several very handsome cars,
j its sleeping car in particular being the
| acme Of beauty and comfort The car is
! divided into compartments. which gives
4, not only greater privacy but also more
| comfort and which may perhaps induce
our railroad builders to ADOPT the same
| pattern. Not less interesting Is it TO com
! pare these modern carriages and engines
capable of reeling of their sixty miles an
| hour over perfect track. with the cum
bersorne engine which was first employed
| to supersede horses, and which In its time
| was regarded as the height Of mans In
genuity and audaeity.
| As you wander about the various build
| ings you constantly run upon something
| which Is either English Or British, and In
| the latter term include the empire out
side Of Britain itself The ingenuity and
| enterprise OF Australia--or rather New
South Wales, az that is the only part Of
| the Pacific colony which has an exhibit
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