Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-11

were all blanket Indians"
From time to time exhibitions we're given
Of primitive dancing, but the sham battles
we're the great feature OF the congress"
AS speetacles these were very striking. The
performance always began by marching the
bands from the different tribes up to the
grandstand where they were introduced to
the spectators by an announcer. Then all
we're massed at the rear of the exhibition
space and marched in a solid body over the
100 yards intervening to the grandstand.
The highly colored blankets, the gaudy trap
pings OF the horses, the hideously painted
faces and bodies of the men and the fanciful
dress OF the women combined to make the
sight a memorable one. Such a large num-
Der OF Indians will probably never be COL
lected in one body again
At the end OF their march across the
grounds they dispersed with volley of
musketry and a wild yell and prepared for
the sham battle that was the climax OF each
entertainment. The braves" were divided
into two parties and a plan OF battle of the
familiar dime novel variety was carried out.
The befeathered Indians dashed about the
field on their painted ponies, yelling and
shouting, now and then ambushing an
enemy and depriving him of an artificial
scalp lock provided for the occasion, and
then. by way Of diversion, they would catch
prisoner and burn him at the stake-or, to
be more exact, at the electric light post
The show was very exciting and the Indians
entered into it with the greatest gusto: their
own enjoyment was the most entertaining
feature.
General Educational Display.
There was no distinct woman's department
at this exposition, as at many OF its prede-
cessors, but instead the department of edu-
cation was confined to a board of educa-
ton composed wholly Of women. 1t was
expected that they would have charge of all
congresses of philosophic and scientific co.
cieties as well as of educational exhibits
The officers OF the board we're: President,
Mre Winona Sawyer, Lincoln; vice presi-
dents, Mrs. Thomas l.. Kmball, Omaha; Mrs.
Kittie L. Dutton, Hastings, and Mrs. Frank
| Johnson, Crete; secretary, Mrs. Frances NJ
| Eord, Omaha.
The Boys and Girls building was erected
| by the Board of Education from funds con-
tributed by school children. This was a
small structure, with an audience room as
| It's main feature. A series of lectures on
cooking was given here and was the princi
! pal use to which the room was put. On
one side of this chamber was a room in
which needlework and similar articles
were sold, and on the other side was a
| model school room," which was not a
| school room at all, but room containing
| the exhibits of several school book and
| supply concerns. In this building, too, was
| creche for the accommodation OF young
| children whose mothers were seeing the
| exposition.
The educational exhibits proper were
| scattered. The Nebraska schools and insti-
tutions occupied the gallery of the Manu-
factures building; the schools Of other states
were in the gallery of the Liberal Arts
building, while few technical schools had
their material in the gallery of the Mines
and Mining building. 1t will be seen that
no favoritsm was shown, All of these ex-
hibits We're put upstairs. The galleries
were wide and commodious, and save for
| their inaccessibility were well suited for the
| purpose. But that inaccessbility was a
| serious matter, and the same old story of a
| pauclty of visitors must be repeated,
| though the gallery exhibits in Omaha dio
| fare somewhat better than those in Atlanta
| or Nashville
Compliments Omaha High School.
| The most attractive OF the educational
displays was that of manual training from
the Omaha High school. Every afternoon
during the latter part of the season the
| manual training teacher, Mr. j. E. Wig
| man, was there with class of bows and
| carried on the regular work of the school
| for the benefit of visitors. He had good
equipment OF lathes and tools necessary for
the simpler kinds OF woodwork and
| parquetry, and the work was confined IN
that Mr.. Wigman is a practical mechanic
| and insists upon careful and accurate work
from his pupils. Many of the projects
exhibited, particularly the zithers, checker
| boards and Indian clubs, would have heen
considered excellent work even as COMING
| from journeymen workmen. In fact. th.
| noticeable accuracy OF some of the pieces
| might nave been criticised by those manual
training people who hold that such attention
to the finished product Is out OF place in q
school of this kind. But the models used
and the different principles taught were
those usually found, and it did not appea,
that anything was lost on the educational
side because OF the constant thought OF
good workmanship.
The greater popularity of this exhibi,
than of those around II was due to its
recognition Of the facts that all experienced
exposition men have observed, namely. thai
visitors demand exhibits in motion. ant
that persons as well as things are neces.
sary to successful exhibit
Ehe Nebraska school exhibit was installed
In series OF alcoves and was aImos
wholly wall exhibit of class room work
The general impression conveyed was thai
, the schools OF the state are well taught anf
by approved methods. 1t Is certain tba
, those who selected the material were wei
acquainted with modern ideas and tha
there is enough work done In the state II
accordance with such ideas to make ,
rather extensive and very satisfactory ex
hibit. The plan of installation was goor
without being expensive. The monotonou,
succession OF alcoves containing simiIa
work and presenting the same general an
pearance. and the undue height at wbicI
much of the work was placed, probabl,
came from the necessities Of the case. Th
University of Nebraska occupied the create
part of the west end OF the gallery with
we'll selected and well arranged exhibit
Schools for the detective classes and priyat
institutions We're allotted space in the soutl
5 gallery.
The collective exhibits OF the schools y
Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Kansas an
Colorado and of Los Angeles county, Cali
i fornia, were in the gallery OF the Libera
t Arts building. None OF these exhibits wa
as extensive as that of Nebraska. and NON