Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-09-28
THE KANSAS BUILDING.
A Visitor From this County Gives His
Opinion on the Building.

Opinion on the Building.
Chicago ILL.,, Sept. ID, 1898.
EDITOR DEMOCRAT:
/ have been attending the Columbian
Exposition for several weeks past, and
have spent the past few days in COM
pairing the Kansas state building with
other state buildings.
The Kansas building is situated in
the south end of the fair grounds, and
has for it's neighbors the state buildings
of Texas, North Dakota and Arkansas,
all of which it much rivals in size and
in interior arrangements. 1t and the
California state building are built alter
the model of an old Mexican castle,
and these buildings both present most
unique and striking appearance, and
never fail to attract the most forcible
attention.
The emblem of Kansas here is the
sunfower, and judging by the number
of badges seen on the fair grounds, the
visitor is impressed with the fact that
Kansas sends more people to the fair
than any other state, with the excep-
ton, of course. of Illinois.
you can almost tell Kansan by
the firmness of his gait, and the earn
est and determined expression Oh his
face" is frequently repeated.
On entering the Kansas building one
is impressed by vast array of corn and
wheat. Figures of never-ending variety
and beauty are here produced in corn,
wheat, and millet-both the grain,
stalks and straw. The visitor is AIMED
as he gaZes about him on a sea of
cerealals, and when be compares the
grain exhibit here with that of other
states and countries. all beautiful in
themselves, he can only come to the
conclusion that Kansas i. the ''granary
of the world"
Looking up into the rotunda the Wis
! itor sees a perfect train of cars racing
around and arOund-a most beautiful
miniature. This is the Santa Fe ex-
hibit, and the little, busy train as it
passes along the prairie from one little
town to another, gives one most vivid
impression of the Santa Fe in reality
at home.
| There is a ground floor exhibit of
grain and Kansas wild animals and
fruits, and an educational and womans
and children's exhibit in the gallery.
The comfort of Kansas guests is pro-
vided for in the south end of the gal
lery, where numerous chairs, lounges,
organ and piano adorn the reception
parlors, also writing tables and writing
desks on which can be found the latest
papers from Kansas, are all provided.
Here can also be seen portraits, often
elegantly colored, of all the Kanses
governors including the broad, honest
face of the present incumbent
other great men, senator's, judges and
patriots, whose name is legion.
On the main floor can be found an
allegorical fountain; mammoth
bronze sunhower is shading number
of prairie dogs in massive bronze, of
natural size and aspect, who are con-
stantly dispensing pure, cool water to
the mulitudes who find their way
| thither.
In the north end of the main floor
are seen a large collection of native
Kansas animals, representing a scene
on the Smokey Hill river: one of the
most remarkable things to be seen in
the whole exposition. The bluffs of
the Smokey Hill are here so natural
that long gaze at them transports a
visitor to that mysterious region in
Kansas. Here are coyotes, in attitudes
of attention or voraeious overpowering
antelopes, hares and other smaller or
weaker tribes of being. A monster
Buffalo stands here near wallow
which he has just completed. The real
buffalo wallow is one of the most I'M
Eique sights at the exposition. Various
tribes Of elk antelope. ETC.. now mostly
extinct, are all arranged in beautious
profusion. This splendid collection of
animals is a portion of the exhibit of
the State University.
Taken altogether the Kansas build
ing is one of the most beautiful, novel
and comfortable, of the Exposition
buildings.
| Most Truly Yours,
III. G.. BENKE.