The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-06-15
McKEEVER WRITES,
Another Letter From the Great
Paris Exposition.
THE AMERICAN BUILDING
Meets ROulliard and Father Farrelly-.
Description Of American Buildings
American Girls the Best.
PARIS, May 25, 1900.

FAklS, Ma 80, loVO.
The word has just reached Americans
in this city that the United States
building ut the exposition is unsafe.
The news. came from New York and
broke on Americans here with a dull
thud and no credence. The building
doesn't look unsafe in the least and if
any more people are eve packed into it
than there were on the opening day
they will have to beput in double tiers.
The building is still standing and the
test of that first day did't even strain
the patience of the attendants.
That opening day was a great occa-
sion for Americans in this city. They
crowded into and through the building,
listened with delight to Sousa's band
playing all the swinging. catchy tunes
it knew, cheered the music and the airs
and all the time pulled themselves with
pride at being Americans, The build
ing wasn't opened until $50 when the
exercises were to begin and before that
a line of French gendarmes had a merry
time in keeping the crowd back. The
American girl was out in bewitching
legion and her most teasing wiles were
lavished upon the "Johnnies" to let her
get through the line to a charmed spot
which the early birds had secured be-
fore the police arrived. The crowd
was the best dressed and finest looking
of,any that has been assembled on the
grounds. Nothing can exceed the
American girl and her mother.
While we were waiting under the
partico in front of the building, march
ing down the Quai d'Orsay came a line
of American guards and halted at the
entrance. Then the sixty odd men
were disposed about the interior to add
to the decorations and dispense infor-
nation in their native tongue. They
came up in single file and there, the
fourth man from the front was Rouil-
lard, Amiable D., walking straighter
and with more important tread than
ever he did when handling eager crowds
in Germania hall. He bore himself
with that manly vigor which is his own
inimitable style and indeed he looked
quite stunnino in his white helmet,
blue uniform trimmed in white braid,
white kid gloves and patent leather
shoes. When the captain wasn't look
ing / went up to him and saying, Hell
10 Skinny caught his recognition out
of the corner of his eye. Later, within
the building 1 found him on the main
stairway keeping people moving as busy
as ever. From the fact that he is so
much better versed in the French Ian
guage than any of the ether men, he is
kept hard at work for the commission
when off duty. The guards serve in
eight hour turns and he now is located
in the United States section of the
building devoted to the varied indus
tales on the Esplsnade des Invalides.
Later he will have to take an evening
turn. But this extra work keeps him
so closely confined that he says he has
had hardly an evening to himself since
he came over in the spring. By the
way, fellow passengers of his on the
trip over were the Count and Countess
Castellane. He SAYS that Denison is
not booming but is enjoying that steady
and sure growth which always mean
prosperity and future greatness. So
many trains run through the town now
that the people get dizzy trying to
count them, and that Kiron is quite a
metropolitan place and Schleswig,
Holstein advancing as a commercial
center. It's hard to keep a good town
down. Father Farrelly was in the city
a week ago and spent a few days at the
fair.
But to return to the building. 1t has
been the butt of a goodd deal of criticism
in which it has been likened to an ink
stand in external appearance and in in
ternal arrangement to the tiers of a
prison. But the building is all right.
It is neither as large nor as elaborate
as several in the same row with tit
ally, Germany, Spain or the city of
Paris--but it's purpose is different. No
exhibits are within it's walls as in the
others nor is any trade carried on un.
der the golden eagle which surmounts
the white and gilded dome. AS are
most of the others, it is built of white
staff. Within the entrance beneath the
partico at the front or river side, the
doorway opens into the large rotunda
off of which arches give entrance to
lounging and reading and writing
rooms upon the four floors, the galleries
OF which open onto the rotunda. Rooms
are also provided for meetings of wo.
mems associations and of the juries OF
awards with offices of some of these
commissions. The only thing that
might be in the nature of an exhibit is
the model %postofice on the first floor
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