Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-07-13

FIRST IMPRESSIONS" WHICH
ARE SAID TO Be STRONGEST.

ARE SAID TO BE STRONGEST.
Our Country Has Not Much to Boast Of-Even
the PrincIpality of Monaco's Building ExceIs
Ours in Size and ppearance-Spain's Gobe-
lin Draperies and Moorish Reflects Breath OF
Scandal Attaches to the United States Exhibit
There has been Nepotism. Favoritism and
Extravasancs--some Unique Entertainments
by American Visitors rs-Banquet in the Tree.
Tops.
From Our Special Correspondent.
PARIS, France, June lS.
There are On the left bank of the
Seine and facing directly the river, a
row of detached buildings, each one
OF which is a national building and oc-
cupied as sort OF national headquar-
teis by the nation that built it. Over
each waves the nations flag and in
each walks two or three soldiers in the
uniform of their country. These
buildings of foreign powers or as the
French say it Pavillons des Puts.
sances Etrangeres" are situated in the
following order: Italy, Turkey, Unit.
ed States, Austria, Bosnia, Hungary
Great Britain, Belgium, Norway, Ger
many, Spain, Monaco, Sweden, Greece,
Servia and Mexico. Behind these, as
it were on back alley, are Denmark,
Portugal, Peru, Persia, Luxembourg.
Finland "a section OF Russia) Bulgaria
and Roumania. l have wondered why
the United States Pavilion was built.
1t appears to be an empty piece of ex-
travagance, having in it, and without
it, nothing that is characteristic or
home-like. 1t contains in one corner
a postofiice, but this is little used, and
affords no facilities that are not found
in the French postal service. The
building is quite eclipsed in size and
in taste of furnishings by some of its
petty neighbors, as for example by
that little gambling hell OF the Medi-
terranean, the Principally of Monaco.
Most of the buildings are crowded
with the works of art and other ex-
hibits peculiar to their country, and
the space rented to exhibitors will
doubtless much more than pay for the
building.
Tho United States building has but
one central group ON a pedestal about
eight feet high. It is three life-size
Indian ponies of plaster in terrible
tangle OF legs, heads. necks and tails.
I asked an attendant what it meant.
He said it represented horses stam-
pedei and on the brink of precipice,
those behind pushing those in front
and those in front trying to pull them
selves back. The explanation was
quite necessary to the motive OF the
artist and the three ponies. But why
should this Omaha sculptor with
models of good Nebraska plow horses
ever before his eyes, strive to express
himself in something horrible and the
atric, impressins the superficial foreign
observer, represented by nine in ten of
all who will see it, that the typical
American horse is scraggy pony
with q chronic habit of stampeding
over precipices.
The exhibits that interested me
most in all these buildings were those
of Norway and Of Spain. In the for
mer, the place of honor is given 10 a
bust of the explorer Nansen; very
large model OF his ship, Franz" two
of the dogs that accompanied the ex-
petition; the reindeer-skin bag in
which he slept when so near the north
pole; his dog sled, small boat and
some Of the prepared food left over
from the trip and still in good state Of
preservation.
In this pavilion we see also life.size
figures in wax representing the people
of the country in various costumes
and in various industries, stuffed seals,
walruses, and the preserved head of q
whale, down whose caracious throat
Jonah with proper presentation might
have travelled.
Spain has remarkably fine Gobelins,
worked with historic scenes, entirely
covering the sides of the ample rooms
of her pavilion; but the most interest
ing relic is the coat, or tunic of Boab.
dill, the last King Of the Moors, with
two of his swords and two dirks.
These are shown in a glass case in the
center of an otherwise empty room,
and proclaim with . haughtiness that
is pathetic, in view Of recent history,
vanished greatness of country that
once aud forever saved Europe and
Christendom, from Mohammedanism.
Poor Spain! The tunic which is OF
crimson figured velvet is timeworn,
but after four hundred years appears
to hold together as we'll as Washing
toms clothes in our National Museum.
The swords are finely wrought,
straight-bladed weapons with but lit.
tie guard to their hilts. The scab.
bards are of metal, heavy, richly Or
namented, and of fine workmanship.
1t seems to be impossible with the
United States government to make an
appropriation without promoting
junket. Let it be the funeral of q
member of Congress or an Interna.
tional Exhibition, the motto is, have q
good time; put money in your pocket