The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-08-16
FAC-SIMILE OF DIPLOMA 10 BE AWARDED

termining the details to govern its
work The number of judges TO each
department varies with the number Of
exhibits 70 be examined and the plan
can be best explained by supposing a
case in point.
Take. for instance. the man who has
an exhibit of cutlery. Being manu-
factured goods, II comes under the
jurisdiction Of the committee of manu-
factures. The committee appoints a
single judge to examine the cutlery
exhibits The judge is supposed to be
an expert. He is expected to know all
about his subject and 70 be able to
point ont the good and bad points of
each piece Of cutlery examined by him.
After he has viewed the exhibit, he
makes written report to the commit
tee of judges Of which he Is a member.
That report reeites in detail the merits
of every display which the examiner
considers worthy an award. II is taken
up by the committee. and if the writ
ten facts seem to justify an award, the
committee Of judges sends its recon-
mendation to the committee on awards,
favoring the bestowal of diploma and
medal, the diploma to bear in writing
the reasons for the award
That is all there is to the system un-
less. as often happens, the exhibitor is
disappointed with the findings of the
man who made the first examination.
Then there is the right of appeal from
the decision. In case an appeal is made
it is referred to what is known as the
court OF appeals, composed of two mem
bers of the committee on awards. If
they think the appeal is well taken,
they refer the whole matter back to
the department committee with in
structions to review the case and bring
in another finding.
The main objection urged against
the Thacher system has been based on
the fact that examinations are made
by one man instead of by jury, as
has been the custom in previous exhi-
bitions. Another objection. made es-
pecially by the Europeans, is that the
medals are all of one class instead of
being graded as gold, silver and
bronze This uniformity of medals,
however, was fixed by the act of con-
gress creating the exposition, and was
not susceptible of change. Besides,
the committee on awards maintains
that the diplomas viii specify the
grades of merit, so that graded medals
are not needed The objection to the
single judge examination is met with
the reply that one expert is more like
ly TO be satisfactory, because he can
be held responsible for his written opin-
ion. and is not so likely to be suspected
of bias in his rulings.
All OF the awards are under the control
of the national commission, represent
ing the United States government, and
the diplomas and medals are designed
by the treasury at its bureau Of engrav-
ing and printing. Being national en-
blems of excellence and bearing the
stamp of government authority. these
awards are sought eagerly by the ex-
hibitors. To gain some preliminary
advantage in the organization of ju-
ries, both foreign and domestic exhib-
itors are struggling and bringing in
huences to bear for the appointment of
individuals as judges who will be favor
able to certain exhibits.
In this struggle no little personal
feeling has been manifested. The re-
suit has been disappointing TO some of
the contestants. and they have shown
their disappointment by attacking the
chairman of the awards committee,
John Boyd Thaeher, of New York.
Instead of attempting TO coneiliate. the
chairman has rather invited opposi-
tion-a policy which has been followed
by the withdrawal of all the French
exhibits from examination by the
Judges and the refusal of the Belgians
TO enter their exhibits for competition.
Other foreign nations have threatened
10 follow the example of France and
Belgium. but it does not seem likely
that they viii fulfill their threats and
lose the chief object of their exhibits.
The examination of displays by the
committees and individual judges is
governed largely by the department
committee itself. In every ease where
a committee thinks il advisable a jury
may be deputed to make the examina-
tion instead of an individual Judge |
This seems likely to be the programme |
in the art department. and the exam |
pie win be followed in other depart
ments as occasion requires I.ven |