The Dickinson press., 1895-02-23

Z{2
MAKING A GREAT FAIR.
The Universal Exposition Which win BE
Held In Paris In 1900.
The commissioner general Of the Uni
versal exposition that is to be held in
Paris at the close of the nineteenth cen.
tury is one Of the presidents Of the coun-
Gil of the state Of France. At this early
period, although the different officers of
the exposition have not yet been ap.
pointed nor any bureau Of information
established, vast amount Of work has
already been accomplished, the general
outline has been prepared, the site has
been chosen, and $50 architects are hard
at work preparing plans for the differ
ent buildings, struggling night and day
for the various premiums, amounting
in all to $40, 900, which the government
has consented to distribute among the
most successful competitors. In 1889
only 100 architects entered the lists.
The competition has just begun, and
the architects will have four months at
their disposal to draw up plans Of their
ideas how the buildings, the gardens
and the general ornamentation of the
exposition should be. "They are at lib
erty to pull down any or all Of the exist
ing buildings, even to demolish the
Eiffel tower, which is over 1000 feet
high, If they consider it necessary for
the establishment Of their plans and as
consequence for the general beauty Of
the fair" says Commissioner General
M. Picard, $50 that, Notwithstanding
all that has been said to the contrary
since the day it was decided upon to
hold the exposition on the same site as
the last, the fairs of 1889 and 1900
will be entirely different from an archi-
tectural point Of view. Finally we do
not intend to abide by the best plan and
arrangement sent in. That one will OBJ
tain the highest premium, but we
judges will study all the plans, and we
reserve to ourselves the right to take any
parts of any plan, so that the final ar
rangement adopted will be no more nor
less than the essence Of the highest ex.
preston Of French modern architectural
genius.
"We do not intend to start the work
of building the exposition until 81
years before the opening day. We will
be occupied during ~ years. begin
ming in 1895, examining the plans and
projects and drawing up our final plans
and designs Of all the gardens and build
ings. We have not at our disposal an
almost unlimited stretch of land, as was
the case in Chicago. Now that it is de-
cided to hold the fair in the interior of
Paris, and in SO central a locality as
is the Champ dc Mars, must do all in
our power not to interfere with the
enormous traffic of the city, nor-and
this latter item is almost as important
with the habits and customs Of tho
Parisians. The blockading Of any i'm
portant thoroughfare would be very
serious affair, and we have in this re-.
spect to contend with many difficulties
that were unknown in Chicago.
"As to the amount Of space covered
by the Universal exposition, it will be
about 40 hectares 600 acres), this being
about 3S acres more than the space COW
cred in 1889, but not so large by far as
was the Worlds fair. So far the expo
sition will include the Champ de Mars,
the Invalides, the Trocadero, the Palais
de l'Industrie, the Cours- la Refine, part
Of the Seine, which will be covered dur
ing the period of the exposition, and
even part Of the Champs Elysees. A
point that cannot fail to interest Amer
leans, for it was question over which
much ink was split, is what to do with
the buildings at the close of the exposi-
tion. When the play is over, the scenery
must disappear. +" And the commission
er general has resolved that no archi-
tect, however beautiful his designs may
be, shall be allowed to construct any
but extremely light buildings, so that
when all is over nobody will be tempted
to clamor for the preservation Of all or
any of the buildings.
"The general classification of the oh.
jects exhibited" continued M. Picard,
''has in all previous expositions present.
ed most serious anomalies. To give you
but one instance, the departments Of
health and war-that is to say, life and
its most cruel adversary-were in one
and the same group. In 1900 it is our
intention to insure better assorted alli-
ances and to place togethe: products
bearing close affinities. We mean to
keep pace with industrial evolution.
Thus, instead Of separating the ma.
chimes, the process and the objects man.
ufactured, 1t is our intention to place
them in the same group, and, if posi-
BILE, in the same GLASS;"
"Will you have a bureau Of publicity
and promotion?'
II cannot say yet, but I do not think
So am fully aware that such bureau
existed for the first time in Chicago, but
Paris does not require the same public
ity as new, or relatively new, city
like Chicago. Our expositions have ad-
vertised themselves, and although
fully comprehend the sagacity Of such a
step in the United States I am of the
opinion that it is almost unnecessary in
France. We shall probably, in the early
months of next year, make overtures to
the different governments, and there is
no reason why exhibitors should not
flock to Paris in as great numbers as
they have done hitherto, or even in
greater numbers. Paris Cor. Chicago
Tribune.
Mozart Did Not Care,
In supplementary (third volume Of
Liszt's letters the greatest pianist re-
1~ka IL.