The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-01-21
PREPARING TO OPEN THE FAIR.
Grover Cleveland Win Touch the Button.
The People VIII Do the Rest.
Especial Correspondence

CHICAGO, Jan. 12.-While renewed ac-
tivity and energy are, with the opening OF
the new year, being manifestedin all de-
partments pertaining to the Worlds Co
lumbar exposition. there is one commit
tee in particular that believes in taking
time by the forelock and is carrying out
the belief in practice. This is the COM
mittee on ceremonies The recollections
of the glories of dedication week are still
with us. 1t seems but yesterday since
that magnificent civic parade moved over
our spacious thoroughfares; since Manu-
features ball resounded with the acclaim
of the greatest audience ever gathered
under covered roof.
But although the recollection still
dwells with us, Dedication Day is a
thing of the past; Inauguration Day is
before us in the near future. 1t matters
not that ground has yet to be broken for
the ornate structure in which it is pro-
posed that the Inauguration ceremonies
shall be held Such little thing as that
doesn't trouble anybody SO long as the
ground itself is actually there. That the
programme should be framed before the
building in which that programme is to
be carried out has actually begun to rear
its walls-and only four months to spare
may be regarded as simply another IL
lustration of the goaheadativeness of the
United States in general and Of the me-
tropolis OF the west in particular
Wind and weather. contractors and
1lzrvr dol cn1 nor other
concomitants permitting, the ceremonies
that are to signalize the formal opening
of the exposition to the people of the uni
verse will be held in Festival hall. The
site of this structure-wh it is a struc-
ture-will be on the west side of the
lagoon east of the Transportation build
ing. near by the Administration build
ing. and easy Of access to the Sixty-sev-
enth street entrance.
Just now the ground is occupied by II
frame restaurant. within which at noon
day Major Moses P. Handy may often
times be found diligently engaged in the
task of keeping those whiskers of national
reputation out of a bowl of mock turtle
soup or exploring with a fork the mys-
teries of a dish of pork and beans, while
on the other side of the table Director
General George r. Davis or President
T. w Palmer may be cracking jokes or
exchanging witticisnls between mouth
fuls of mush and milk or ham and eggs.
The frame restaurant, however, has
limited lease of life. Within few weeks
it will be RACED to the ground, and Festi-
val hall will rise upon the ruins. twill
have a seating capacity Of 5000 souls,
and, as its name indicates, will be avail
able for reunions, state gatherings and
festivities Of a general character. Should
there be conditions, however, that mill
tate against the completion of this build
ing on time, the inauguration exercises
will be held in Music hall. This is To-
Gated between the Agricultural and Man
ufactures buildings, just about north
east of the latter building. Its seating
capacity will be about 1000
Possibly good many people may be
inclined to ask why the exercises should
not take place in the open air. or why
the Manufactures building, in which
the dedication exercises were held, can
not DO utilized next May. AS to the lat
ter suggestion. the building itself will be
crowded with exhibits. and the POSSIBLE
ity of reserving sufficient space even to
construct a temporary auditorium is out
Of the question. So far as open air ex-
ercises are concerned, none of us who
have lived in Chicago for even a decade
is likely to be entranced with the idea.
We don't dance about May poles here
abouts with the opening OF the month OF
flowers, nor as general rule do we be-
gin to MARBLE Spring, spring, gentle
spring." until we are well into June.
It is not SO many years ago since trains
were snowbound within fifty miles of
Chicago for two or three days in the last
week in April. What happened then is
likely to happen again. Open air exer-
cises on the LIST of May might mean
colds and catarrh and that fiendish mon
ster, la grippe, and its consort, pneumo-
mia, and bronchitis and numberless other
ills to thousands if not tens of thou
sands Of patriotic Americans And so
an open air inauguration has been ta-
booed and very wisely tabooed. 1t
would be profitable thing for the med
ical fraternity. but neither the Illinois
nor the National Medical association
has offered percentage on the profes-
sional fees that such programme would
bring forth. and hence it has no place in
the list of concessions
That energetic secretary of the COM
rittee on ceremonies, Colonel E. G.
Culp, to whom much of the success of
dedication week may be fairly attribu-
ted, expresses the opinion that a quarter
of a million people will pass through
the gates of jackson park on opening
day, Hence. if his estimate comes any
where near being correct, it follows that
245,ooo of them will get neithes within
seeing nor hearing of the special exercises,
although that entire number and as any
more may gather in Machinery hall
and the other structures and look upon
the machinery as it starts in motion from
the pressure upon the electric button.
OF the 5000 more fortunate isdividu-
ais one-ffth will comprise the official
guests of the national commission.
Tbosa NOV ha classified in this order: