The St. Johns herald., 1900-08-18

tickets used would m can an aver
 age attendance for six months o
 about 280, ,000 people day. Ina
 is 8 very large-unreasonably
 large num!er to expect to attend
 and ono need not think the Expo
 sition failure because, as Is sta
 ted. the actual average daily at tendance is only 10000. On cer-
 tain occasions, fine Sundays espe'
 cially. the attendance has touched,
 or nearly, 5OO,0O0, but for the
 whole perIod of the show, April l5
 to November 15, the average daily
 attendance is very unlikely to be
 more than 100000. How can a
 show that draws this number of
 people, 36 millions be said to be
 failure, even if failure is to be judged by numbers? It is right
 how ever, to say that great many
 of the attractions and amusements
 are losing money serves them
 right for offering an educated pub
 lie in all cases costly, and in sev-
 erai cases, indecent entertainments.
 For the Exposition's public IS bet
 { T positions that preceded It, and be- ing so, they require better class of al ticles for their money. The fact is the old and lavishly-spend- ing tourist is no more. Money is too hard to earn nowadays for it 10 be lightly spent, and if that is not so, people who have money to spend, spend it on more utilitarian and really beautiful things, This I believe, is one great lesson of Bx- 1 position 1 mean the elevation in l popular taste all over the world. Go into the United States section, or into the German section, nay | into the charming little pavilions of Norway or Finland oat of the way places one might think and l nothing is so striking as the high l standard shown in both comfort and art France alone seems to to have stood still, as superficial and sensuous, and garish as of old.
 Be 1t admitted however, that France is great in some things-for two of them, her women and her ac- tors. The Frcnchwoman is, deny 1t who may, an epitcme of all the virtues and ID more can or need be | said of her. In acting, too, the French arc preominent; the pity is that only small proportion of tor eigners understand French we'll C. nough to perceive it. had the pleasure the night of seeing Mount Sully, the great tragedian, and Co- quelin the younger, a great comedi- an, on the same stage and almost in the same half-hour. It was at the President of the Senate's mansion. the Petit Luxembourg, where NJ. Falllers, President of the Senate, was giving general reception
 The function began at 10:30 P. M. and was followed about midnight | by "musiqe ct comedie' and it was then that both Mount Sully and Co., quelin cadet appeared. Mount Sul- Ly IS tall refined, and even distin- guished-looking man of sixty, man one might readily suppose to be an ambassador. with a small and well-shaped head; with hair, and strong black eyes. He is said 10 have the most perfect dictiOn and delivery of all French actors, and certainly it is an intellectual pleas ure of high orderto hear him.
 His recitation was dramatic and emotional in parts, but he hardly ever moved his arms; and yet by lis facial play alone succeed in in eresting, and carrying one away.
 Coquelin is the exact counterpart lndersized, if anything, with fun ny metallic voice, brisk and jerky delivery, and throwing off witticism md pleasantries as catherine wheel throws off sparks. Though . thoro gent leman in private life, ae has none of the refinemt, the dis .inction of Mount Sully, but then perhaps he does not want to have, or refinement, dignity, distinction, Ire inconsistent with comedy and 
 This appeal to the eye and the senses is in no way more romarka- ole than in the luxury and brillian. y and costliness of the prepara. ions Paris is making, and has made as 1 write, for celebrating the great French National Fete Day.