The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-01-31
A WORLDS FAIR IN 1900.
It Win Be Held in the Gay French
Capital.
Preparations Are Already Under Way for
the Great Event-Some of the Big
Attractions Which VIII
Re seen.

Already the air is filled with rumorr
respecting the exposition of 1900, says
Paris letter in the Philadelphia Tel
graph Already are the means of the
Parisians rending the air beforehand,
for it is Partisan popularity TO detest
worlds fairs in general, and those held
in their own city in particular Quoth
Z miserable native in heartrending ae-
cents: whenever there IS great ex-
hibition all our taxes go up-tempo-
rarily we are told, but never by an ac-
cident do they go down. paid three
hundred and eighty francs in ~,
and for the same premises my taxes
are now three thousand and odd. We
are overrun by tourists; we are crowd
ed out of all the theaters; the cabmen
all 20 on strike; the cafes all put up
their prices. For several years before
all the streets one wants to go through
are closed to the public because the ex-
hibition is being prepared, and for at
least year after the same streets are
closed because the exhibition is being
demolished. All your country cousins
come TO town and expect to stay with
you in an apartment you have always
found too cramped for the require
ments of yOnr own family; and If am
not lucky enough to be dead shall
certainly move away before this large
misfortune falls upon this unhappy
place
Happily all Paris is not so pessi-
mistic as my friend, and the architects
are busy with their plans. All the
ground comprised in the exhibition OF
so is to be included, as well as the por-
ton of Cour la Refine that viii inclose
the Palais TIndustrie and its surround
ing gardens. We are to have an addi-
tional bridge across the Seine which
will open a vista from the Place de Ia
Concorde straight through TO the palace
of electricity, which is to be the cen
tral feature. Our rulers are greatly
bored about the Eiffel tower; but as
the concession was granted for twenty
years it has got to stand; but the arch
itects say consolingly that they viii
try and hide it as much as possible.
The sight of it vexes poetic souls,
and Francois Coppee, the author, who
is, by way of being, aesthetic, wrote
a formal protest to the government at
the time of its erection to request that
the plan should not be carried out on
the ground that the Eiffel tower, being
ugly and ungainly, and furthermore
being visible from his windows, inter
fered with his flow of inspiration.
However, the tower was built never
theless, and, although we are deadly
tired of seeing it about, Coppee con-
tinues to write, so evidently his fiow
of inspiration was only impeded and
not permanently plugged up. Further
more, we are to have a branch exhibit
at Versailles, which will rouse that
sleepy little town from its chief oecu-
patton of listening to the grass grow
ing IN the streets. In the splendid
park of Versailles, on either side of
the grand canal, is to be the retro
spective history of gardens throughout
the ages.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon,
that were counted among the wonders
of the world, are to be reproduced in
miniature; japanese gardens, Persian
gardens, the Italian garden Of the
renaissance and French and English
gardens of different epoehs. The
Grand canal itself is to be used for the
exhibition of one OF the floating gar
dens cultivated by the Aztees in Mex
leo before the Spanish conquest of the
country. The center OF the canal is TO
be occupied by a large island built on
piles, with bridges connecting it with
the two shores, which IS to have
aquar;a, grottoes and cascades, with
cages for aquatic birds, and the great
sheet of water IS TO be additionally or
namented By an exact reproduction of
the little fleet of elegant boats that
Louis NV. launched on its surface
when Versailles was first built All
this sounds most imposing; but we are
devoutly thankful that the time for it
has not yet come. 1t is like the story
of the philosopher who was to teach
the kings donkey TO speak in years
time, on pain of death, and never
bothered about the penalty on the
ground that the king might die,
the donkey might die, or he
himself might die, and whatever hap
pened lac had year to the good. So,
as we have seven years before ms, we
do not yet as a rule wall about future
contingencies.