The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-10
THE PARIS EXPOSITION.
Paper Read Before the Ladies Reading Club
by Mrs. Charles Pescay.

liantly beautiful. as the exposition build.
ings Will be the most elaborate OF their
kind ever built; many of them resembling
| fantastic fairy palaces All the best archi-
! tects in Paris have contributed designs
l The French government offered eighteen
prizes for the best designs without pledg-
ing itself to use any OF them The prizes
amounted to $4,000 and some 6s4 archi-
tects competed. There are many historic
memories associated with the Cours la
Refine which will become the pricipal bou-
levard OF the exposition. At the beginning
| of the seventeenth century there was on
/ the banks OF the Seine only a number OF
truck or market gardens. In the year
/ 1916 Marie de Medicis had four beautiful
avenues made, all OF which were planted
! with elms. These avenues led TO Chaillot,
and thus a park was created, each end of
which was enclosed by ratings. II was
sort OF mall access to which was not
| entirely reserved for the court and upper
classes. Toward 1870 the Roule the grand
drive, was planted and was finally sue
ceeded by the Champs Elysees, with its
! magnificent gardens and pleasure resorts.
| The Cours la Refine. where Marie de Me-
dicis drove daily In an odd looking coach.
I witnessed the first carriage with glaes
windows, owned by the Comte de Bassoin-
pierre, and which created sensation as
i great as the FIRST automobile and was far
! more talked about in the journals of the
period. Charles finally conceded the
grounds to the city OF Paris on condi-
| lion that the sum of 100000 francs should
| be expended In embellishments. Leading
to the entrance will be large avenue
planted literally with the river. but per-
hitting a free view of the buildings.
The Quai des Tulleries will furnish the
station FOR carriages. which are not to be
allowed to cucumber the Place de la Con-
oorde Passing into the grounds the first
al . a a..
exposition will be the twin fine arts build
lngs nearing completion on the site OF the
old Palais de iIndustrie, a relic of the
exposition of 1856. They are now spoken
OF as the Grand Palais des Beaux arts and
Petit Palais des Beaux arts. These build
lngs are modern Parthenons and will cost
almost $5,000,0 900, The larger of the two
VIII be the repository of the finest and
most costly art treasures OF France III
the smaller palace the work of foreign ar
lists Will be exhibited, In years to come
after the exposition has come aud gone
the Grande Palais will be the scene OF the
Partisan salons, taking the place OF the
lost Palais de rIndustrie. A magnificent
new bridge will cross the Siene connecting
the Avenue Nicholas II with the Esplanade
1 des lavalides. 1t is called the Bridge OF
Alexander III in honor OF the car of Rus
sia, as the avenue opening upon 1t is
named In honor of his father The Gar
Nicholas laid the foundation nearly four
year ago, while being so enthusiastically
entertained in Paris. The amusement Of
fered the young emperor was the laying OF
the first stone of this bridge. The struc-
ture is OF steel; the ornamentation OF mar
BILE, ii Is 800 feet long and 100 feet wide
The design Is remarkable for the very
I fiat trajectory OF its single arch, as well
as for the elegance of its decoration and
profusion Of its sculpture 1t will he fin
/ Tel .I hky To a
100000 This architectural monument
that spans the Seine leads to the Esplanade
des lnvaldes. rectangular space rather
more than 1900 feet long and nearly 1000
! feet wide. South of this is the Hotel des
| lnvalides, which in America would be
! soldiers home. Behind all looms the
| dome of the Church des Invalides, Frances
monument to the great Napoleon. whose
remains rest beneath, covered by an i'm
mense sareophagus Of purple porphyry
| Exhibit buildings with a suitable avenue
| between Will occupy the whole rectangle
OF the esplanade. 10 the left is the Pa.
lais des Manufactures Nationales. where
! will be found products of all the great
manufactures of France Sevres, Gobelius
and Beauvais, To the right appears the
Palais des Industries, and this Will be
I reserved for exhibits appertainng to
! France. Still further back and divided in
two parts, with a view of the dome des
lnyalldes coming between. may be seen
the Palais de la Ceramique ct de la YER
rerie. Tho part of this building to the
right Will be reserved for foreign exhibits
the other foreign manufactures view
| from the gardens OF the Hotel des In
! valides will cause one to pause and ad
! mire the magnificent prospective OF the
/ esplauade and bridge Alexander III. Turn
| ing TO the west and along the river bank
VIII be found one of the most attractive
! Of nh
more and more interesting as one studies
1t; the street OF nations. upon which the
| United States, Italian Turkish and Aus
! TRAN buildings viii front on the Seine
! Besides these Great Britain, Germany
Belgium. Norway, Servia, Peru. Mexico.
the Argentine Republic. Bosnia Herzgo-
! VIVA and Hungary will be represented
! The first are favored in that they face
1 the great waterway of the exposition, but
the limited space permits OF granting this
4 privilege TO a few only. This street Will
extend westward TO the Champ de Mars.
4 where other buildings will be erected by
I Hayt, Costa Rica Ecuador and San Ma
4 rlno. Russia and her dependencies will
! occupy the gardens Of the Trocadero. on
J the opposite bank OF the Seine These Will
I include the Siberian and Trans Siberian
| railway buildings and also those of the
| Transvaal and the French, English and
! Dutch colonies. Each nation will erect
/ OuiiulDB AFTER her own style or ARCHITECT
! tire. On the left bank and west OF the
street of nations. we find the great square
OF the Champs de Mars. the modern repre-
sentative OF the ancient Campus Martins,
grand area reserved long since for mill
! itary evolutions on a large scale. It's
southern end is closed by the imposing
building OF the military school. Thence
TO the river 1t lies between the Avenues
de la Bourdonnais to the east and de Suf-
/ fern to tho west. At the south end and
Just opposite the military school stands
the machinery hall of the past exposition.
which will not be used for this purpose
now. II has been so remodeled as TO be
no longer recognizable. This was the
largest room ever covered by roof Of a
single span until our liberal arts building
at Chicago surpassed it, Various apart
ments for exhibiting purposes will be
made OF this immense structure. The re-
mainder OF the Champ de Mars will be
nearly wholly covered with exposition
buildings which the French know so we'll
how to arrange.
Standing at the river end OF the quad
rangle, looking toward the northwest Is
the Eiffel Tower. 9s5 feet high, which was
built for the exposition OF 1889. II cnn-