Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-28

zen aheld In paths or pleasantness anu ways
OF peace. now much OF sweetness and light
they give. Largely because OF their in
fluenoc, au unkncwn ideal OF art Is shaping
the dreams OF every village builder, and
names which were unknown quarter Of q
century ago, are the property Of our COM
mon speech; and cropping STILL but plain to
be seen, is a new sense OF beauty among
every class, heard story the other day,
which illustrates this pervasiveness OF better
taste. A very charming Chicigo woman
was talking about certain engtavings. They
had been in the house before taste had
passed through the fire. II have been
thinking, n,y dears." said the mistress TO
her children, "you know those old enerav-
ings in the back hail up stairs-.you make
such fun % them, yet hate tc part with
them-you know the new laundry. think
we might put them in the drying ROOM"
"Why not give them TO Hull House?" said
one daughter.
Hull House!" exclaimed the mother.
Mercy! they are not good enough for Hull
House. l should never venture to send them
there! They are so Particular"
Which tale has number of morals II one
be minded to search for them! Yet. does 1t
not all point to an overwhelming and deep
enng culture among the plain people? The
American has paused long enough in his
fierce struggle for money to perceive that his
daily life needs beauty. Prosperity to him
begins to mean a more leisurely and beauti-
ful ordering Of life. He perceives the lack
today, tomorrow he will be trying to fill
1t. And not even the magazines and the
daily journals have done so much to bring
him to this attitude Of wholesome unrest
and anticipation as the great expositions.
Modestly at one corner are the Apiary
and Dairy buildings and facing them Is the
Transportation building. Why a stray in
cubator should have sought shelter in this
part Of the grounds, I know not; any more
than I know why the Liberal Arts is the
appointed guardian for the main body Of
artificial chicken mothers. The Transporta-
tion building is interesting. but not Ito
the writer's mind) so interesting as some
OF the other great buildings. In the Dairy
building (Which well repays a visit) there
is an ingeniously cooled car, where a butter
artist models busts Of Dewey, Hobson, and
other popular heroes in that pliable but
perishable medium. One Of the striking ex-
hibits OF the splendid Studebaker collection
of wagons and carriages, In the Transpor-
tation building, Is the aluminium farm wag-
on. 1t Is wagon fit for prince and light
enough for fairy; but alas, only prince
or a millionaire could afford to pay for its
light strength, for it cost. I think, some
81, ,5O0-this simple farm wagon. There are
three exhibits which tower above all others
at the Omaha exposition. They are typical
Of the transmississippi states; the agricul-
tural, the electrical and ths mining exhibit.
l have spoken OF the two first, the third in
its own way is stupen1ous.
thn M fIa
grand dome Of the Mining building is a
wonderful display Of metals and minerals
and mining machinery. The great silver
and gold mines Of the far west, the great
coal mines Of Iowa and Illinois, the great
stone quarries of the transmissssippi states.
all have representatives in miniature of
machinery and product. There is a mine
in operation and history Of mining in
object lessons. And there is a prodigtous
display Of minerals from alabaster to coal
from lire to sapphires and rubies. II is as
typical of the wealth of the vast land be-
yond the river as the Agriculture building.
with its many hued and fantastically fancied
display; and as typical of the devouring
! energy Of its soul as the purring monsters
l in the Electricity building.
The Exposition as a Work OF Art.
Yet, when we come to the parting word
Of all the beauty, all the marvel which man
has wrought that which will haunt the mind
in memories of the latest Of our American
expositions, is 1t not the Art? I do no,
| mean the pictures which are hung on the
gallery walls, or the statues in its portals;
I mean the art embodied in the noble archi.
lecture, in the splendid groups that are
painted against the vast sunlit spaces Of the
blue Nebraska dome, in the fair procession
| OF Natures velvet and Jewels in lawn and
terrace, in plant and flower and vine and
the subtle blending Of all these enchant-
ments into one harmonious. conquertne
| charm. 1t Is our last night at the exposi.
tlon. We have left painted sayages leap.
ing and yelling around flaming fires in the
| dark fields beyond. Almost without warnin,
| we are back in the light and are watkins
by the basin in front Of the Horticulture
building, where the tropical lilies foa
their crinkled, uncanny leaves. All about III
is the glory of tall, cannas. yellow ant
scarlet, mystic, wonderful" Plants O
other lands have emerged from their green
houses and fiaunt in the transient kindness
Of our tickle northern sun. They lend al
air Of fairy land to the unreal beauty Of tn
scene. Bathed IL this gentle radiance
whatever might suggest hasty work, the un
| substantial material or hint at soil or crud
| ity, vanishes as II IL had never been; be
fore us rise the sculpturcd walls, the grace
full columns, richly carved plinth, entabla
ture and frieze, minarets and domes tha
seem in this hour rs enduring as the bills
We are quite alone, the hour is late. W.
seem to have this wonderful world to our
selves, charm to be counted. So slowly
almost sadly, We pass from the Tranquil
fields to the deserted plaza and across tn
viaduct to the silent lagoon.
1t is city pencilcd in fire; and the lonl
gem lines Of the porticoes and cornices, tn
stars that point innumerable slender col
umns fencing the lagoon, the blazing torcl
that flares above the vast dome to tn
south, these are multiplied and lengthene,
In the still waters Of the lagoon. 1t is S,
light that every flower splashing the ter
race, every vine masking the tree trunks O
climbing the colOnnades has its every tin
OF color for the eye. 1t Is so still that W,
hear the fountains drip on the fiery lilies
Stainless and white the great battlements
with their colossal figures of conquest ant
peace and winged aspiration, are carved
against an infinite, unfathomable violet sky
pierced here and there by stars.
And we are fain to say to the passing mo-
ment: "Stay, thou art too fair!" But rail
ways cannot be wheedled like Mephistophe
les, and we have the inevitable train fl
waiting, Of which Faust knew nothing
wherefore. we turn for one last backward