Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-07
STAPLES OF The GREAT WEST
Graphic Pen Sketch Of the Cereal Exhibit at
the Exposition.
ARTISTIC COMBINATIONS OF GRAIN coLoRS
Octave Thnnct's Review of the Food
Exhibit, the Manufactures, the
Music and the Nightly
Examinations,
tcopyrlsht. 1898. by the Author.l

NCJiS - IL 1895 ny Nht SulAbl'I
There is nothing more interesting
at the exposition than the wonder
full food exhibit made by the great
food bearing states and BY the railways
passing through them.
The Agricultural building, in which the
bulk of this exhibit is shown, decorated
with a designed lavish and sumptuous rich
ness of sculpture. 1t is lavish as nature has
been lavish, and sumptuous as the autumn
glory Of the west. The great arched en-
trance OF the central pavilion opens into a
semi-circular vestibule. the three doors of
which lead into the building. Broad bands of
fruit and waving grain form the mouldings
OF the arch, and are surmounted by the
generous and placid matron who symbolizes
agriculture, and by three figures typifying
aspects Of plenty. The pavilion itself
shows fine groups against the blue Nebraska
sky, those on either side representing the
zodiac and the seasons, and the colossal
central group showing prosperity supported
by integrity and labor. The corners OF the
pavilions have smaller, but very spirited
figures, and everywhere are inscriptions for
the most part exceedingly happy-applying
to agriculture; the names Of notable inven-
tors in the machinery of agriculture and
notable patrons of the earthtillers are carved
upon the panels of the freize. TIL whole
! effect |. that of a careless luxury, careless
because SO opulent.
Within all the marvellous ingenuity which
has made corn palaces has been at work to
deck the booths with every conceivable ar
rangement of color, every kind Of mosaic
in which grain can be used for pigment and
line. There are queer pictures of the old
fashioned farm and the new, of locomotives
and landscapes-all in grain-and some of
them pleasing as well as ingenious. A
pretty device is the seed howitzer and shells
which Kansas offers as peace Ammunition
for Cuba" Samples, charts, statistics of all
the principal grains and illustrations of their
cultivation make only a part of this gigantic
exhibit. There is the finished food product,
the innumerable fours and meals, the sugars
the sugar beet has a show Of its own
and there is, also, the great exhibit of the
famous packers, who, however, have most of
their exhibit in the Manufactures. Tea,
coffee and spices are to be found in the
Agricultural building as we'll as chicory,
hops, etc, and tobacco is not neglected
while wool, cotton, flax and silk urge their
own claims to attention. A very taking ex-
hibit Is that of farms and farm buildings
with its models and plans. The Cotton Belt
has a striking exhibit, as have the Rock
Island and Burlington railways. The cereal
artist of the Cotton Belt has built two pic
lures of the southwest as it was and the
southwest as 1t is, while he of the Rock
Island displays a locomotive under full steam
going through a vivid landscape.
Among the state displays no one state
attracts more attention than Texas. Mr..
C. S. Penfeld is the commissioner. but on
the day when I visited Texas another Texas
| gentleman was on g1nr6 yphnpa potin,t
courtesy and state pride I admired equally
The day was so warm that he had discarded
his coat and he famed himself necessarily,
but he never tired. Eyes, sah''-I love the
SOFT, blurring accent of the south-"Yes,
sab, the state of Texas raises everything
that you see, including those animals. Take
a fan. ma'am, the state provides them fol-
the accommodation of vis'tahs. It is a
wahm day. Oh, 1 don't know. We have
some wahm weather in Texas, but the nights
are always cool. l find this wahm western
weather rather debilitating." Never in m
life have / met the inhabitant of one really
sizzling and scorching section of the countr,
who was temporarily sojourning in another
torrid section that he did not talk abou
the cool nights and the peculiar quality OF
his own atmosphere which made heat easy
to bear. l drew near and had a little
sooilul IouNcISe Will the IeSaS man or
the vast state which he represents. YES
ma'am, cohn and cotton-here is some o.
our long fiber cotton; it is no use Other
states talking of competing with us In cot.
ton. And cohn is pressing cotton hard
Texas is bound to be the greatest cohr
state in the union"
And fruits? Fruits? Well, ma'am, will
you be here on the first? Please COM
around here. We are expecting our melons
and some peaches then, and I should Xix,
you to sample them. That's all we ask
cat some of our fruit, and we'll provide thu
eating" l am told that Texas fruit and
melon day was all that her citizens coult
ask.
The Manufactures Building.
The next building on the Main Court, the
Manufactures, is as severe as the Agricul.
tural is ornate. The feature of this Dorit
structure is its beautiful shadows. Tht
center Of the building has a group O.
s~tatuary representing the mechanical arts
the wings are capped with shallow domes
One is reminded of the Worlds fair in thi.