The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-07-06
EXPOSITION LETTER.
33 RUE CAUMARTIN, PARIS,
June l1th. 1900.

The Exposition is gradually pulling
itself into shape and in about four
weeks a majority of the exhibits will
be fully installed, and by the middle
of July it will be complete in all its
details. Last Sunday was fine day
and nearly half million of people
passed through the gates and crowded
the grounds. l say crowded for it
was an actual crash, making it difficult
to move about. It's interesting to be
in a crowd like this; to hear the Oh
servations of the sight seers and espe-
cially to note how many of them speak
English. It is said there is perma-
nent population Of $4,000 Americans
in Paris and floating population of
10000. There are doubtless more
than twice as many English here. l
have been trying to find hotel where
no English is spoken, because l am
enxious to improve my French, but
have found only one, that in the Latin
Quarter on Rue Bonapartc and too
far from the Exposition. At the ho-
tel where l am stopping all three of
the clerks, the porters and the walters
at the table speak English and more
English is heard In the dining room
than any other language. In all the
better shops English can be heard and
very many have the sign "English
spoken" on the window. These facts
are significant. They were not nearly
so striking at the two previous Expo
sitions in 1878 and 1889. They indi-
cate the certain and accelerated pro-
gress of our mother tongue and the ul-
innate subsection of all other languages
to it. Educated Germans speak Eng
lish frequently without an accent hav-
ing learned it with grammatical accu-
racy from English professors in the
German schools. We know from OBJ
scrvation that some of our German
citizens in the United States do not
speak English correctly after resi-
dence of twenty years or more. 1t is
the difference between studying Ian
guage and "picking it up" mixing it
with foreign idioms, using it before it
is learned, and thus forming and con-
firming almost ineradicable errors Of
speech.
l met an untamed immutable Amer
lean Girl from New Jersey, employed
by the Hygenic Optical Company, of
New York. AS l passed this exhibit
she extended paper and said in Eng
lish: "Will you hook at our circular"
"Why do you speak to me in Eng
lish ?"
because | thought you knew the
language"
'But you know French do you not?"
"No, 1 don't know it and l don't
want to know it. hate the language,
and 1 hate the French. Oh, l late
them. They have no politeness be-
yond too frequent taking off their
hat, and saying "pardong madame,
merci madame"
II suspect you are little home
sick"
"Yes, l am, I've been here since
January and all want is to get home
and forget the sight and sound of every
thing that has French in it,
The Hygenic Optical Co. has
spectacled Horse with prismatic lenses
that make the ground appear about fif-
teeninches nearer his nose than it actual
ly is. He therefore lifts his feet high to
reach it and is thought to be high
stopper with knee action-a quality
very much desired by the swagger set.
This Optical Co. makes speciality of
glass so highly tinted that the tint
cannot be observed unless the glass is
laid on white surface, but it is said
to be restful and helpful to the eye.
Specialists say that the anxious
wrinkled Characteristic of the Ameri-
can face is due in part to the greater
glare of the American sun which has
in recent years been intensified by re-
Election from smooth asphalt streets.
We have certainly a larger average of
dazzling days in America than in Eu-
rope.
The u S. Publishers Building at the
Paris exposition under the management
inaugurated of Mr.. Capehart was to-
days with ceremony. The American
Ambassador was present and made an
speech. The Paris edi-
ton of the New York "Times" issued
it's first number. 1t has model news
paper plant with Linotype machines
and the very latest improvements in
press and folders. The lightning ra-
pidity with which paper can be set
up printed and folded will be surprise
to many foreign publishers, but per-
haps not more of a surprise than the
clearness, cleanness and beauty of the
press work. Materially, Continental
papers are smutty things. After
reading them you need to wash the
cheap ink off your hands. They are,
however, free from the viler smutti-
ness which disgrace some American
pepers. The New York Times has
an office in the piece dc POpera, the