Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-06-04
UNITED STATES PAVILION DULY
INAUGURATED
AMID MUCH ENTHUSIASM
But the Crowd Proves too Big for the
Free Lunch Provided-Nansen Me-
mentoes in Evidence at the Nor
wegian Building Show Far From
Ready Even Yet.
(Snecial Corresnondence.l

of the United States was officially in
augurated last Saturday in the pres
ence of a crowd, composed mostly of
| Americans, which filled to overlooking
the rotunda, galleries and reception
rooms. The Inauguration was open
| to all Americans, a special notice hav-
| ing been placed in the Paris edition OF
the New York Herald to the effect that
every American would be welcome.
| Special invitations were issued to the
United States commissioners and their
friends, and persons provided with
these invitations together with repre-
sentatives of the press were admitted
| to the building before 2:30 which was
| the hour set for the commencement of
the ceremony. For an hour and half
| before this time the crowd around the
entrance from Quai d'Ossay had been
growing gradually and when the doors
were finally thrown open there were
| probably 5000 Americans closely
packed about the pavilion. 1t was a
| strictly American crowd, and United
States was the prevailing language.
| Camera fiends were plentifully scat
tered through the crowd and early in
| the afternoon had taken their positions
at vantage points from which to get
snap shots at the various prominent
personages who took part in the cere
money. The United States guards and
| the Partisan sergents de vile did the
policing necessitated by the large
crowd. The guards, numbering 60,
| were marched in a body from the bar
racks to the pavilion at 1:45 p. m. and
were stationed in two lines leading
from the Rue des Nations through the
door of the pavilion and up to the re-
ceiving stand. Promptly at 2:30 Com
missioner General Peck and the French
commissioner general, M. Picard,
walked up the aisle from the Rue des
Nations and took their place at the re-
ceiving stand. When these gentlemen
appeared Sousa's band Immediately
struck up the Marseillaise, following it
with the Star Spangled Banner. After
/ Mr.. Peck and M. Picard had taken their
places facing the door the crowd, which
/ had been waiting patiently for an hour
Or more was let in. The rush for
places inside which followed swept the
French policemen from their places
and they became inextricably mixed
with the rest of the crowd.
! When the pavilion was packed as
| full as it would hold Commissioner
| General Peck made short speech in
English to M. Picard presenting to him
the United States pavilion and then
rendering him with gold key from
which was suspended a medal bearing
a representation of the national
pavilion. M. Picard, although he could
not understand the beautiful senti-
ments which had been expressed by Mr.
Peck, replied in French, welcoming the
Americans to the exposition and giving
Utterance to the sentiment of friend
illness which prevailed between France
and the United States. Both gentle
men closed their speeches with wives"
for each other and for each others
| country.
| 1t was then announced that those
who wished to meet the two COM
missioner generals would be given an
opportunity to do so and the crowd
| formed in line and for the next hour
Mr.. Peck and M. Picard were busy re-
| ceiving the Americans. During the
afternoon buffet lunch was served in
| +1o IF hot ic, Jn
say, it was served as long as there was
anything left to serve, which was not
more than an hour. The lunch con-
sisted of lemonade, ices, and sand
wiches and was free to all corners.
The commissioners and their friends
were served to more elaborate lunch
after the reception.
| Among those present were General
Horace Porter, Mrs. Horace Porter and
Miss Porter, Mrs Potter Palmer, Mrs
| Ferdinand w. Peck, Miss Olive Peck,
Mr.. Ogden Fl. Fethers Of Evansville,
Wis, commissioner to the exposition,
Sir Edmond Monsoon, the British am
bassadOr and Duke de SeStas, the
Spanish commissioner general. The
last named was present on the special
| invitation of Commissioner General
Peck who had been present at the
inauguration of the Spanish pavilion a
| few days before.
The American national pavilion diff
| fers greatly from the other national
pavilions in that it contains no exhibits
whatever. Every thing in the building
is put there with the aim of adding to
the comfort of Americans who are at
tending the exposition. The basement
contains a restaurant and bar where
Americans can obtain meal or drink
prepared in the way they are accus-
toned to at home. The ground floor is
devoted to the general reception room
and the United States postofice where
mail can be sent to and obtained direct
ly from the United States without pass
ing Through the hands of the French