The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-28

Omaha. Aug. 26.-Away down in a little
hollow on the bluff tract stands a red
building with forest of slender smoke
stacks. An unobtrusive placard an
nounces that here dweils and tolls the
lcaptive genius that works the greatest
magic of the century; but the piacard
merely says, Power House Visitors are
invited."
Yet one may spend a wonderful half
hour here amid the dynamoes. The cleo
trical display of the Transmissssippi Ex-
position is far beyond any ever given in
this country, probably in any country.
The electrical appliances in the cleo
tricity building are only part of the
wonder. The lighting OF the grounds
shows what electricity can do to turn
night into day. 1t is more brilliant than
the most brilliant boulevard of Paris; but
there is nothing of the harsh dazzle nor
the inky shadows of the ordinary electric
lighting. At the Worlds Fair there were
no half tones, the exquisite graduation
of sunlight, the softened olives and Vio-
let's of moonlight were lost; one was
bathed in light and suddenly one stepped
incandescent lights preserve the trans
parency of the shadows, producing
thousand exquisite effects
To try TO do the exposition IN Jay
Is a wearying mockery. One could easily
spend a day in the Government, OF lhe
liberal arts, or the electricity or lne
mines and mining buildings. Dong. III
this sense, usually means tramp or fius
in a chair or jinriksha around the Ia
bridge the plaza,
down past the painted gro.esqueries OF
the Midway to the State buildings, Ut
tie lettering in the wide lawns amid the
splendid parterres and the riot OF color
in plant and flower which surrounds the
beautiful horticultural building, the
stateliest palace of them all, then alp
into the Midway on the other SIDE re-
turn TO the lagoon and an excursion INTO
one or two buildings, with eyes and brain
equally dazed and satiated. The real
way TO have either pleasure or proft IN
an exposition is TO know what one
wishes 10 see-and go to see II! Inc
ciamoring attractions on either side are
not to be regarded. A lcisurely morning
spent in one building. a leisureiy ride
for an afternoon. resting on the settees
which are placed al convenient dis
tances tat least in theory. in practice |
found them too mucn Ike the policemen,
always In evidence when not needed and
apparently in another world when sore
w wanted) then dinner on the roof
garden near the plaza, whence floats the
sounds of music, and an evening amid
the Incompatible loneliness of the West
ern Summer night and the lagoon-this
makes a day that does not greatly
weary either mind or body. but leaves its
ineffaceable delight in the memory.
OF all the State buildings, the log cabin
of Minnesota is the most original and
typical 1t is built of hewn logs. very
tastefuliy; and the receiving room has
a great stone chimney wherein almost
forest might blaze, floor of axe-planed
logs and tables, settees and easy chairs
framed of tree limbs in an ingenious
fashion, which surpasses the rustic fur
niture of parks. The building is lighted
with acetylene gas. / observed several
farmers inquiring concerning this gas on
ready-tongued young man who stood
in a little room with the cylinders,
otherwise | suppose. the plant Is
acetylene the coming light for the coun-
try? VIII the carbide saturated water
freeze or will it defy a Northern Win
ter? Is there the safe.y from explosion
claimed?
To all these questions the young man
makes plausible answers. and there is
white radiance winking at you from the
ceiling. 1t winks at two cents a night,
per burner. or some such sum.
The art exhibit Is considered the weak
point of the exposition. The building it
self is one of the most beautiful and i'm
pressive. 1t is really two buildings con-
nccted by an open court The order
Corinthian of the renaissance not
of the classic type. Broad and high
flights of steps are nobly proportioned.
Above the porticoS with their richly
sculptured entablatures are winged fig
ures. The central court has a fountain
and the statues nowhere have fairer
background than against the velvet lawn
and the innumerable vines that wreathe
trees and collonade.
Within are some 600 pictures, very
fair collection of the French schools a
rather inadequate exhibit of American
art There are a few statues. 1t is not
bad show; on the contrary. 1t is a very
good collection. There are Carrots and
Rousseaus and Daubignys. and l think
Ingres and one or two more Jules
Bretons and Detailles and Monets and
others of the later great French artists;
there is very good Carpenter-it is, in
fact most interesting. That the pictures,
as a rule are not the masters more i'm
portant examples makes for nothing;
they all have distinction and charm. II
is merely that comparing the collection,
not with the superb riches of the Column
b.an Exposition. which would be unfair
but with those of a permanent nature in
any of our great cities. the dearth of plan
apparent, and the unbalanced character
of the collection. its lack of proportion
and deSultory character may blind one
to its real merit The Omaha papers
have very quietly done a good turn TO the
art galleries and to the people of the
West They have published steadily ar
ticles describing the different paintings
and other objects of art. Notably, there
have appeared a series of letters or es-
says in the Omaha Bee, signed Edith
Davis which have described artists and
pictures with admirable lucidity and
Heterogeneous. withal. in English. not
in the jargon of the studio. Any honest
farmer any clerk or typewriter, any bust
ness man or woman, whether she had the
smattering of an art club education or
the least tincture of learning bestowed
on diligent readers of the art periodicals
or no, could understand those letters.
And after those letters and the kindred
articles in other papers, the art gallery
cannot but be a stimulus and inspiration
to thousands. Do we, I wonder, quite ap-
prehend how far our huge expositions at
Philadelphia at New Orleans. at Atlanta
at Nashville, at Chicago at Omaha, lead
the average citizen afield in paths of
pleasantness and ways of peace. how
much of sweetness and light they give?
Largely because of their influence an I'M
known ideal of art is shaping the dreams
of every village builder, and names which
were unknown quarter of a century ago
are the property of our common speech,
4 T.