The San Francisco call., 1898-04-17

N
 N the Paris Exposition of 1900 will
 VI be the exhibit in exact miniature l on the same general scale and in
 their proper relative positions of all the various buildings which are comprised in the undertaking, most of which are already well under way.
 The construction of the two new palaces of fine arts, "Le Petit Palais" and the Grand Palais," which are to be left standing for permanent use, is now being pushed with feverish activ- ity, as the time allowed for their com pletion will admit of no delay.
 These two buildings face each other from opposite sides of the new avenue leading from the new Pont d'Alexan- dre III to the Avenue des Champs Elysees, just west of the Palais de la Concorde, where is placed the princi- pal entrance to the exposition grounds. The Petit Palais after serving its pur- pose at the exposition, will be devoted to such permanent and special uses as are justified by it's location and size, while the Grand Palais,'' standing as 1t does on the site of the old "PalaiS de lIndustrie," will take the place of that well known and often crowded struct- ure, receiving each year the crowds which throng to the horse show, to the salon and all the fetes, celebra- tions and exhibitions that industry and art and even politics seek to shelter in busy Paris.
 Any curtailed description of this building would fail to COT. .ey a proper idea of it's magnificence. The fine and delicate taste displayed by it's author, M. Deglanne, will justly place his name 1 among the first architects of the age, and leave to future generations fine specimen of French art at the end of the nineteenth century. His work has | been a lengthy one, as was that of the other architects
 The plans evolved after long study in the offices being submitted to MT. Pi- card, the director general of the expo sition, were considered closely and at | length in their detail and entirely by commission of experts, and then re- turned for such changes and modifica- tions as seemed desirable, again and again until satisfactory result was reached
 The general design for the Grand Palais was the work of M. Deglanne, but the execution thereof was too much | for one man. He has four architects in chief and forty subordinates, be- 1 sides clerks and draughtSmen, under him, devoted and loyal fellow workers toward the common end. These in- | stalled in the central part of the old | Palace of Industry are giving their en- l tire time and attention to the erection | of the two new palaces.
 | For this work, on such a considera- ble scale and of such permanent and durable character, the architects have | invoked the aid of every kindred art and means of assisting them in the fullest study and development of their designs and bringing out the appear ance and effect that the completed work would have, and so working up to the highest degree of excellence be- fore entering upon the final execution
 AS is we'll known, plans and draw ings made by geometrical rules on a plane surface, must suffer much distor- tion when put in perspective; much of the structural grandeur and beauty is lost and the symmetrical relation of one part to another cannot be fairly estimated, even when brought out tc the best advantage by the most skilled hand. It persistently refuses to reveal the true conception. of the master mind and so far as it falls short of the idea he has conceived, so far must the pro. duct of the constructors skill be lack ing.
 Among other things the French arch itects have in this instance had re- course to the construction of ma quettes" or models, veritable little pal aces, in plaster, which skilled sculptors construct under their immediate direc.