The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-05-02
The FAIR OPENED.
tontiI ued from Face


tons ana carriages that had place in the
| parade was in the vicinity of the Lcxing-
ton hotel. The column marched on Mich
igan avenue along the Grand boulevard to
| Fifty-first street.
1T proceeded thence through South park
! by way of Bayard avenue to Palmer ave-
nue., thence TO the western entrance of
Midway piaisance. At this point Colonel
Rice, commanding the Columbia Guards.
met the column and guided it to Jackson
park thence To the Administration build
ing, where the column dispersed.
After luncheon the president was escort
ed to the Manufactures building by Di-
! rector General Davis, where lie was intro
| dilced to the members of the foreign COM
mission, who We're grouped in the cen
| ter Of the building, and visited them i'm
their sections. He then passed ont to the
Government building and afterwards was
driven around the grounds
ASpcctacle of Peaceful Triumph
Never since the world began has there
been nobler spectacle of peaceful triumph
than that which was revealed on the shore
OF Lake Michigan when the nations of
both hemisphercs offered for comparison
the results of their civilization For the
hrst time America squarely challenges the
older countries i'll every branch of human
knowledge and activity. Hitherto her
| victories have been in the line of material
development-the form of government
alone excepted Americans have amazed
Europe by their inventive enterprise and
undrcamcd of energy. But in the things
that are born of imagination and IN or
dered love of beauty the western republic
has been content to sit at the feet of
strangers until now.
This exposition marks no epoch for
America save i'll art. The stride of Amer.
lean art us revealed Mt Chicago is stupen-
| dOus, mysterious. Reaching out for a
mile along the lake is an architectural
vision of indescribable grandeur and
beauty. 1t is not alone the individual
character of the buildings, but also the
majestic and harmonious arrangement of
the entire scene that reveals the pure and
high artistic feeling animating the work
the relation of each building to the
other in purpose, color, proportion and
outline, the variety of composition and the
we'll nigh perfect unity of the whole.
Bcwildering Evidence of Progress.
Instead of a mighty display of mere ma
ferial force of mechanical progress there
suddenly bursts upon the sight bewlder-
Ing evidences OF the aesthetic progress of
The nation. In this immense city of white
-
narsh i'll two years, there is unveiled IA
new America. a soul has been born. The
mechanic and the merchant are awed as
they look upon the great central court,
with its splendid stretches of architecture
It's rostial columns, peristyles, domes,
sculptured groups and fountained terraces,
all mirrorcd in the beautiful basin.
Here rows Of delicate Corinihian shafts,
from the temple of Jupiter Stator unite
the majestic walls that surround agricul-
ture and commerce; there the gilded dome
of the Administration building rises
against the blue sky out of IL multitude of
gloriiicd symbols, and II full half mile
| away stands the noble Art palace, an
architectural dream realized, with its miles
of pictures and statues gathered from
every corner Of the earth.
A little over two years ago the site of
the exposition was practically a wild marsh.
Today it contains several hundred build
inSs. Director General Davis estimates the
wealth represented by the buildings and
exhibits at something like s150,OOO,OOO.
Fifty nations and 81 colonies are repre-
sented. Added to these are the United
States government and the various states
and territories of the union.
Rivalry of France and Germany.
| Roughly speaking, the grounds contain
600 acres. They are mile long and about
half mile broad at the narrowest part
| The distance from the middle of Chicago is
seven miles. One side of the grounds rms
along the great lake and the other side
| faces hundreds OF claptrap hotels and
stores hurriedly erected at the smallest
possible cost. There is a strip of land 600
feet wide and mile long extending from
the main grounds eastward, and this is the
Midway plaisance, which contains the
sideshows and private enterprises. The
whole exposition will be open from an
early hour in the morning until 10 o'clock
at night and the price Of admission so
| cents.
The first great fact developed by the ex-
| position is the rise of America to the rank
of an art producing nation. That stands
out clear and unmistakable 1t is written
all over the buildings, without and within.
Everywhere i'll the present exposition
can be seen fierce and open rivalry between
France and Germany Their i'll concealed
anxiety to hide their plans from each other
In the formative stage of the fejr has been
the cause of quiet laughter oil all sides
The result of it all is that France easily
leads Germany in the fine arts, but falls to
the rear in the mechanics. In the other
departments they stand about equal, ex
cept that the finer taste of the French Is
quite apparent. Later on there will he q
bitter social rivalry. The Germans have
built Il handsome structure for themselves
and it is to be presented to the city of Chi
oago at the close of the fair. Not far away
Is the home Of the Frenchmen, made more
attractive by relics of Lafayette, Rocham
beau and others whose swords served tn;
American republic.
Three Great Divisions.
The exposition is marked OFF into thre
great divisions AT tho north end Is tn