The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-13
A NEW WONDER IN PARIS.
TO BE SEEN AT THE OPENING OF
THE ORIENTAL MUSEUM.

Greatest Buddha in the World Out
tion-PeriIs Under which 1t Was
Cbtnined-MovinG MarveIs ia
Bronze and WOod-M. Cernuschi,
the Founder.
New York, Oct. u.-Paris has a new
wonder in the Museum of Oriental Art,
opened two weeks ago in the Avenue We
lasqueZ. 1t is by far the greatest eXhi-
bition of the kind in the world, and il
is the governments intention 10 make 1t
an annex of the Louvre, where il will re-
main a prominent display. 1t is not only
attracting attention among ordinary sight
seers. but hundreds of artists and connois-
seurs of Europe are visiting IL daily. Al
through the admission price a the opening
was five francs, the halls were crowded
almost to suffocation, especially in the vi
entity of the magnificent statue of Buddha,
which is said 10 be the largest in the world
outside Of the Orient.
The collection was bequeathed by NJ
Henri Cernuschi, and the story connected
with his origin and the quest for the great
Buddah is full of the romance of the col
lector, generously spiced with adventures
and peril. NJ. Henri Cernuschi an Italian
by birth and French by adoption, was pos
sessed of the genius of the artist combined
with tho indefatigability of the born col
lector. He was a man of vast means, and
being exiled from his country for political
reasons he went TO the Orient, arriving
in the time of the social upheaval and
modernzng revolution of 1868.
That revolution brought about changes
of every sort. Long established systems OF
authority, as web as immense fortunes
gathered under the old feudal power, melt
ed away as snow in the sunshine. 1t was a
unique occasion for gathering precious
works of art and for laying hands on Ie-
Iigious objects which hitherto it had been
sacrilege to touch. Temples were invaded
and idols and sacred vessels were pur-
chased before the new government had as
yet defined the claims of the state in the
matter of ownership of public monuments.
Finding the Great Buddha.
NJ. Cernuschi himself thus relates how
he obtained the immense Buddah which is
The most imposing feature of his col
lection:
I'm the capital of Japan the sellers came
to us every day at the house Of a GER
tain Yakl. Yaki served as valuator and
Intermediary. Bronzes were carried in by
the score. NJ. Duret and I made selec-
tions and urgently insisted that what we
wanted most was a number of the large
objects.
zone day party came and invited us
TO accompany them to Megours, in the
outskirts of Yeddo When there, they led
us to kitchen garden where we found
ourselves in presence of a large Buddha,
still upright and uninjured, amidst the
ruins of a temple that had been destroyed
by fire.
Carrying Home Euddha's Right
Hand.
THE proprietor OF the garden agreed
TO sell us the statue. and bargain was
there and then concluded. We called for
tools, and with their aid detached the
right hand of the figure and brought it
with us into the city. On the following
day the statue was dsmouuted and cart
ed into Yakis residence, and the task Of
packing it for expectation was begun.
But our trouble was not yet over. The
report soon spread through the communi-
~ that their Buddha was about to be
exiled, and within a few hours was