The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-05-05

ton.
As he retired to his seat Miss Jessie
iCouthOui, a Chicago reader and elocu-
ZIONIST of national reputation, and lady
who has, on several occasions, delighted
Bennington audiences, was escorted to
the speakers stand, and in her clesr, i'm
pressive tones that could be heard dis
tinctly by the 20o0 guests upon the plat
form, and which penetrated far into the
throng, commenced to read the opening
stanZas of the poem of the day. This
was entitled "The Prophecy" and is
the production of w. A. Croffut, a men,
Der of the journalistic profession at the
Nltional Capital.
The poem was of considerable length,
the theme and thought being expressed
Rthe following extract:
Then eagerly Columbus sought sign.
In sea and sky and in his lonely heart,
Finding instead of presages Of hope,
The black and ominous portents OF despair,
As thus he mused he paced the aferdeck,
And gazes upon the luminous waves astern"
THE picture came and paled anG passed away.
Aud then he said to Pinzon in the gloom
Now, Martin, to thy waiting helm again.
For have had a vision full o light
Keep her prov westward in the sunsets wake
From this time hence and let no man look backl' "
Hearty applause rewarded the reader
as she retired, and it was renewed when,
after the orchestra had rendered the
"Rienzi" overture by Wagner, Director
General Davis rose from his seat, and
after bowing to the Chief Magistrate
and to those surrounding him, faced the
assemblage. Time and again was the
applause renewed, and the mar who had
done so much toward bringing about the
successful consunnation of the great
enterprise was for the moment embar-
rSssed by the beartlness of his greeting.
Finally, when the cheering began to die
away he turned again to the President
and commenced his address.
Director General George r. Davis in
his address gave resume o the history
of the fair. Then speaking of the mag
nitude of the exhibition, he said:
"This inclosure, containing nearly 700
acres covered with more than 400 struct-
ures, from the small State pavilion oc-
cupying an ordinary building site, to the
colossal structure of the Manufacturers
and Liberal Arts Building covering over
thirty acres, is filled and crowded with a
display of the achievements and pro-
ducts of the mind and hand of man. such
as has never been presented to mortal
vision"
He spoke of "the location of the ex-
hiblts of over 1000 participants in the ex-
position. The number of exhibitors
would exceed $1,000 when all was in
place. The States and Territories ex-
pended $4,000, 900; the foreign nations
50, 600, 900 besides which Chicago has
furnished $11, 900, 900 and loaned $1,000,
600 more.
1t was now the turn of the President of
the United States to present himself,
and as he slowly arose from his seat and
swept his eyes, first over the occupants
of the platform. and then over one of
the greatest audiences that eyer man
faced there went up cheer that seemed
to shake the massive dome of the build
ing behind him, and which reverberated
through the grounds like the rattling of
musketry. Foreigners and natives alike
joined in the acclaim to the highest rep
resentative of the sovereign people of
the Republic. There was flutter of
white handkerchiefs from the ladies'
side of the platform, and instantly it
was taken up by the thousands of the
sex that occupied the gondolas and
launches on the water far in the dis
tance. The more the handkerchiefs
were waved the louder the cheers, and
so, for a space of several minuees, the
men We'd with the women in maintain
ing the demonstration.
All the while Mr.. Cleveland stood
erect, his left hand behind him, his right
nervously lingering the button of his
frOck coat. At last, when throats and
arms alike were tired and semblance of
quiet had once more come over the
throng, be commenced his address.
II. 4,
final sentence his eyes wandered to the
table that was close at his left hand.
Upon this was the button. the pressure
upon which was to start the machinery
and make the opening of the exposition
an accomplished fact. 1t was an Ordina-
ry form of Victor telegraph key, such as
is in use in most telegraph offices, ex-
cept that it was of gold instead of steel
and button of ivory instead of rubber.
1t rested upon a pedestal upholstered in
navy blue and golden yellow plush, and
on the sides of the lower tier, in silver
letters. we're the significant dates 1892
and 1898. As the last words fell from
the Presidents lips he pressed his fin
ger upon the button.
This was the signal for a demonstra-
ton, in fact difficult of imagination, and
infinitely more so of description. At
one and the same instant the audience
burst into a laundering shout, the or
chestra pealed tortl the strains of the
Halleluiah Chorus, the wheels of the
great Allis engine in Machinery Hall
commenced to revolve, the electric foun-
tains in the lagoon threw their torrents
toward the sky, food of water gushed
forth from the McMonnies fountain and
rolled back again into the basin, the
thunder of artillery came from the YES
sells in the lake, the chimes in Manu-
factures' Hall and on the German build.
ing rang out a merry peal, and overhead
the flags at the tops of the poles in front
of the platform fell apart and revealed
two gilded models of the ships in which
Columbus first sailed to American
shores.
At the same moment, also, hundreds
of Gags of all nations and all colOrs were
unfured within sight of the platform
The largest was a great "Old Glory
which fell into graceful folds from the
top of the centre staff in front of the
stand. The roof of the Manufactures
Building was gorgeous in red gonfalons
while the Agricultural Building wa:
dressed in orange and white. 1t was :
wonderful scene of transformation, anC
amid it all cannon continued to thunder
and the crowd to cheer 1t was fully II
minutes before the demonstration sub
sided. Then the band played "Ameri
ca" and the exercises were at an end.