The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-06-22
Paris lCGIPT.

From our regular Correspondent.
PAaIs, June 4.-Will you go with me to the
Exposition today? There Are several ways OF
reaching it-by street car. omnibus, by boa,
on Seine or by cab. We will take the last,
for cabs are everywhere in Paris and the fare
will be only 30 cents with Il tip of 2 and a-hajI
aud say to the driver in American French "a la
exposition porte de TIocadero." 1t is well TO
tell him what porte r gate you wish to enter
for there are thirty.stx different one7, and by
going to the one nearest the points you wish
to visit You may avoid a long walk. Entering
the grounds by the Troeadero gate, tw thirds
Of Il b sx position Is spread at our feet in tie
Champsde Mars and from our eminence, but
a single object, the Incompatible Eiffel Tower
appears to overtop US. 1t is q bewildering er-
trancng spectacle; of most harmonious color
ing, brand new.'up to date, nothing historic CT
legendary about it. And all these dreams, de-
lights and fantasies of architecture, of al
chimes and lands must be swept away in q few
months when this most stupendous of exposi-
tions rings down the curtain: But no time for
hnoralizings let's get mtoit.
THESE FIRST structures to our right and left
are Ndeshow mitway plaisance fakes. They
are not worth our time or the franc we vii! havt
to pay to see each of them, but the crowd al
tracted by the tum tum of demi bar barrie
music was born to be humbugged. French
and Partisan crowds are no exception to this
law OF our race. We enter. In a small dark
room (for those identical fakes have not the
space they had at Chicago as ground rent is
higher sits your harem, anybody's harem.
Tho room is just dark enough to conceal the
uuti6iness and tawdriness of the drapery and
jewelry of tie six or seven odalisques alleged
to come from Constantinoplo or Cairo, but
who never saw the Orient. There are thirty
or forty more shows of this type. They should
not he permitted to cucumber an eSposition,
but it Ia by licensing these to gull the gullible
that expositions pay their way.
We will now see quickly the outside of tie
exposition and measure its great ext mt by
getting on the elevated moving platform.
This moves continuously in one direction,
making the entire inside circuit of the EXPOSE
ton at the speed Of a rapid walk, but by
walking rapidly upon it we can double our
speed, and we can stop on an incosed side
platform ut any point and examine more care
fully any desired. exterior of the exp sition
building, Rntif we desire to go Inside any
building wemust leave the rolling platform
and cannot resume our place upon it without
paying an. additional fare. This exposition
does not cover as many acres as did our iate
Chicago exposition but it is much more CON-
pact and inoompArabiy finer and richer than
anything that has ever been accomplishment
as heard an expert in eXpositions say: Fiji
gH4han anything that will ever ageiu be ac-
complished." His pre- dction - Ghring, but nSt
improbablefor this huge enterprise proIises
to be 9 financial failure, aI!2 US such, wall
ing to all future explOiters in W rid's fair.
France. or rather Paris has Ia this cnCcrarisc
attempted too much. There his new Z Nciurs.
been Ill SO small space AN aggregation OF SO
much value. Never b>f fore sucd EicroCosia
of human achievement.
Where do We stand in this great competitive
show2 We excel in a few things, and are cE
csIled nmany, but our appearance on TIL
French field is no measure OF our real strength.
If it were, some very snail countries lib
Sweden, DenwGrk and Switzerland, tn 81 :
nothing of Australia, Spain and Italy, woGlI
he adjudged our superiorS. Aud doubles;
this is the opinion that may rurCi and somn
urban Frenchren will form, us will many
visitors from other countries. There is great
lack of information in the world, and the
average foreigner knows as little about tEa
United States as we do about New E-ulaEd.
The stars and stripes are S, ell here and there
in the different buildings indicating an AmeJi-
can exhibit. think we excel in agricultural
machinery. and notwithstanding Paris is the
primitive field Of the automobile, our vehicles
on exhibition here appear to have Il tiuer
fiaish and better shape than others. There is
no doubt that the Fre,h automobile, if some
WI ok nlumav In annearanca Is 81 very service
able vehicle, bas there are not nearly SO many
In use in Paris as had been led to expect. III
buggies and carriages our makes are better
than those Of other. countries; ours are much
lighter without any sacrifice of strength. But
it is difficult to convince the foreigner of these
points, As they stop at the admirable exhibit
of the Columbus Buggy Company, they point
to the slender spokes and woodwork with tee
elastic hickory and other woods of which our
vehicles are made, they make their riding
vehicles with heavy spokes. thlIs and fellies
until they appear TO be almost as heavy and
clumsy as mule carts, In this exhibit is shown
a'United States Express Wagon for the Con-
veyRnce Of money, packages, etc. 1t has the
strong wire cage witn'which every Am ricau
dweller irfcities is familiar. 1t is curious TO
popular epihion is that 1t is for the purpose of
conveying prisoners to the guilotine. Others
cay it is to hold the wild animals which infest
the United States outside of New York.
All the midway plaisance clap-trap and
humbug have been brought here bag and
baggage and personnel, but they complain
they are losing money, which should rejoice
haters of sham, fraud, side shows. and vulgar
ity everywhere. The French public is just as
ignorant and gullible as any other public and
gazes with just as much wonder on clumS y
wrigeling dancing women from variety
theatres, never suspecting that these artists
never saw the Orient. i saw one of them yes
| terday in the Tunisian Theatre posturng,
shruggiDg and shaking her muscular and WIS.,
ceral systems to the feeble droning of Il two
| instrument string orchestra. All at once q
band outside struck up Scotch reel which
quite swamped the music within. The remi-
| niscence of real art and music was too much
| for the toes of the danseuse, they got away
with her and she danced to the music of the
band with an abandon and an art that told her
education was not of the sersglio or bazaar.
In MemOrIan,.
| In loving remembrance of Ellen Nelson. our