The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-09-07
FORMS OF BEAUTY
Made from All Substances at
the Fair.
THE MANUFACTURES BUILDING

Worlds Fair in Itself- Displays of
Magnifeence Which Have Never Been
Eeu2Iled-Some Facts About the Con-
struction of tho Great Building Itself
WORLDS FAIR, Sept. s. = Especial =
Beneath the, high arched and iron sir
dered roof Itself marvel of science and
art of the Man fnlfaet1fes and Liberal Arts
building are gathered the richest results
OF thousand years of, the skill and taste
OF all mankind from Nova Zenbia 10 Pat
agonia 1t is impossible TO mention a
substance from grass to gold or from Cos
samer so light that it must be shown un-
der glass because a breath would watt it
away, to the hardest flint, but one may
find it there in scores or even thousands of
forms. There one might, II life were not
go brief that days only can be given where
months are too short, trace that evolution
of the arts of every race OF mankind and
gather abundant materials for the elucida-
ton OF an answer to the great question
why does each nation develop its arts
along it's own peculiar line despite the in
fuence Of other nations?
On those forty acres of floor space is
piled real wealth exceeding that of
work embodied in the articles has been
roughly computed as equivalent TO the Ia
Dor of 10000 skilled men for twenty years.
Are you interested in ivory? There you
may find it in hundreds of forms from the
polished elephant tusk down TO comical
figures an inch in length on the faces OF
which the patient aud skillful Japanese
have depicted all the emotions Of human
ity. In wool? 1t is not possible in col
umn Of print like this to give the bare
names of the fabrics, from delicate stuffs
worth their weight in gold to heavy robes
and cashmere shawls and Navajo blankets
SO closely woven that water can be carried
in them. In silk? Familiar as they are,
language can scarcely convey en- idea OF
the delicate fsbrics wrought on the looms
of France by artists (they cannot be called
artisans) Of such skill that, it is said, chill
dren followeds their parents in the same
line Of work for two generations before
the hereditary talent was developed up TO
that capacity.
In wood there is more scroll work and
VI q SACatcI variety tIdI was CNcI pSiO4C
collected in one place, and the carvings can
but be mentioned because they cannot be
described. Leather, which seems in COM
mon so very plain and homely an object OF
use, is there the basis for fine art, and
when one sees the changes wrought in it
he is almost persuaded that if no other
substance were available refined civiliza-
ton might easily. Sind expression in that
A II IL. 1rx,l
are worked into. objects of surprising
beauty. Under the hands of the japanese
the common distinction is lost sight of and
iron is made as precious as gold by the
artistic work done on it. In so plebian an
article as clay, including the finer kinds
Of earth, there are over 1900 articles in
every conceivable form and style of beauty
from the Sc, 900 vase Down to bits of pot
terry no longer than ones thumb, but glow
ing with color and rich in elaborate deco
rations.
Other buildings are merely parts of
worlds fair; this is worlds fair. In
bronzes, vases, damascened work and some
other lines il so far exceeds any previous
exhibit that comparison seems ridiculous.
There is a touch of the humorous, too, in
the surprising uses made of many sub
stances. Snakeskin does not suggest
beauty, bnt here it is seen in many lovely
forms. The show of parohments is con-
plete Vellum is exhibited in every con-
ceivaole style. Grass, grains. gums, wax,
teeth, hair, paper, bark, bone, fish scales,
celluloid, coral, rushes, bamboo, all the
skins of all the animals, leaves and vines
and roots, are all worked into forms OF
beauty The most riotous imagination
held with the loosest rein cannot picture |
an artistic form in any substance, but you |
may find it here.
And yet there are those who say that |
the building itself is a greater curiosity !
or rather d greater triumph of skill-than |
IN it. 1t has often been de- |
scribed, but the main points Will bear one |
more repetition. 1t is l,Gs7 feet long and |
7S7 feet wide, with height along the GEN.
trail hall of 245515 feet, and deducting there |
from the root and the space below the |
floor the height in the clear interior is 203 |
feet. The sides and corner pavilions Of |
course are lower. Over all this central |
section extends single span truss of 3s2 |
feet. Deducting the side support there is |
thus self-supporting, iron arched roof |
oo4 feet in the clear, without pillar or in |
cline brace, the largest roof of the kind in |
the world. There are L, GO0, 600 pounds of |
steel in the trusses OF central hall and |
2, 0o0, 0Oe pounds of iron in the nave; and |
all these magnificent arches and girders, /
all the iron II the roof in fact, were sold to
St. Louis parties before being placed here. |
There are over 8, o00, 600 feet of lumber il
the floor and i've average carloads of nails /
One thousand cottages Of % by 20 feet |
each could be placed in the building; and
as one walks through the space occupied
by particular natiCn he often comes upon
a separated huilding which by comparison
seems small till he enters and finds it
miniature worlds fair. Thirty great stair
cases lead to the galleries. Two avenues
dfty feet wide traverse the building in It's |
two extensions, crossing in the center; FIVE
narrow avenues On each side run the full
length and twice as many cross these from
side 70 side. In almost every open space
tn the building and chiefly at the intersec-
ton 81 the main avenues are easy seats for
the weary, and igh over al are the famous
bell chln2es which uaen OF experience and
taste pronounce equal to anything in En-
rope Al intervals these ennven the null
tItude OF sigRfsee-s with the sweetest Tnu-
sic and la the course OF day GEE KAY |
bear the national airs OF the principal M
tons, alteTuaied with TIE worlds famous
SyUns AID a few light Gad popular
pieces.
When first entered this building ] was
80 overwhelmed that J 81 once abandoned
ali thought Of consulting the catalogue CT
making study u any one sscrson- On
whichever side l turned nv eyes | say
such displays Of nlsglilcenee that could
DOT hx ny attention CT any one desail-
Bnt or ny sscoEd Cay tters managed 70