Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-10-04
PRESIDENT LOUBET ENTERTAINS
MAYORS OF FRANCE.
SOME EXPOSITION NOTES
Americans in Paris Quick to Respond
to Galveston Ca!I-Something on
Condition of Bank of France-The
Brilliant Fete des Fleurs-Otto
Patzer Returns.
Special Correspondence.

principal topic OF conversation in Off
cial circles at present. The banquet |
will be given in a temporary banquet |
ing hall in the garden Of the FULLER
les. The hall will be rectangular in |
form and the presidents table will be
in the center, with places for $50 per-
sons. The kitchens will be in tents
outside OF the luncheon tent, and will
be telephonicaIly connected with each
other 1t is expected that over $4,000
mayors will sit down to the tables, as
that many acceptances have already
been received Three hundred cooks
VIII be on duty and 1900 walters and
cellar men, divided into brigades of 80
men, which will be commanded by Y
1aads Of departments. VINO will take
their orders from II heads of divis-
ion, while a staff Of six experts will SUI
perintend the whole under instruc-
lions Of NJ. Legrand, who has been
given the direction of arrangements.
About 176,000 plates, $4,000 knives, So
600 forks and 100,0 900 glasses will form
the main portion Of the table furni-
ture, and it will take two days to set
the table The tables, if stretched out
in a straight line, would reach six
miles, or about half way from Paris to
Versailles. Tons and tons Of food will
be washed down by $4,000 bottles of
common wine, $500 bottles of old
groves, $500 bottles Of old Bordeaux.
{ Seven thousand bottles Of champagne
will be needed to respond to the toasts
which will be proposed, and for the to-
tai abstainers 10000 bottles Of mineral
water will be on hand. Although it
might be supposed that harmony would
! be an important feature Of an occasion
like this, such does not seem to be the
| case. A good many mayors have de-
/ clined the invitation, and some who
had already accepted recalled their &C
ceptances. This is due to the bitter
feeling in some parts Of France against
the present government. Still with
$4,000 present the feast will hardly be
called frost. The lord mayor Of Lon
don has been invited to this banquet
and may be present. If he comes some
Of the Anglophobe papers will have a
good oportunity to fire off some wordy
ammunition, and it is not likely that
the opportunity will be neglected.
Another banquet to mayors will be
that given by the municipal council
Sept. "a, at Vincennes. The majority
/ Of the municipal council is Of the ma
tionalist party, which is hot anti-gov-
eminent, and the government organs
are limiting that attendance at this ban
quet is more or less OF an insult to
President LoUbet. This hint is hay
ing its effect and some of the foreign
! mayors have declined, although the
mayor of st. Petersburg and the mayor
of Madrid are both supposed to have
accepted. The mere fact that foreign
mayors were invited showed the effect
Of the exposition in calming down the
anti-foreign sentiment which was so
strong last spring.
The response Of the Americans in
Paris to the call for relief for the sdf-
ferers by the storm in Texas was
quick and hearty. As soon as news of
the storm reached here and it was
known that relief was needed, a meet
ing Of prominent Americans was held
| in the rooms Of the American cham
Der Of commerce. Horace Porter, the
| United States ambassador, was chosen
chairman and made a few remarks de-
scribing the terrible calamity, and ask
! ing for generous subscriptions. The
subscription list was headed by Thos.
| Walsh OF Colorado, United States
commissioner to the exposition, who
subscribed $1,000. The subscriptions
| came in rapidly, and the list now foots
up about $4,000 francs, some of which
has already been wired to Galveston.
Besides the American subscription in
Paris there are others in different parts
of Europe. For instance, the Ameri
cans Of Leipzig have started to collect
money for the same purpose.
France is hardly ever considered as
a rich country; still the bank Of France
has at present very healthy and
thriving gold reserve. It amounts in |
gold to 100000 francs, which is
equal to the combined gold reserves of /
the national treasures Of England, |
Germany, Spain and Italy.
The first Of the grand fetes which |
were planned for the month of Septem-
Der occurred several days ago. 1t was
called the F'ete of Flowers and Fruit,
and consisted Of a grand procession in
the afternoon and a special illumina-
ton at night. The procession was
made up Of various floats and other de-
vices covered with flowers or fruit ar
ranged in artistic patterns. The pro-
cession formed near the Lalle des
Fetes and marched through all the
principal paths Of the Champ de Mars.
throwing of flowers and fruit into the
crowd by little girls who were borne I
IN carriages filled to overlooking with I
ali varieties of the fall products above {
mentioned. The feature of the illunl- t
nation in the evening was the great /
number of incandescent lights strung
rom tree to tree and surrounded by
,olored paper cut to represent the pet Q
lis CT flowers. All the regular gas Il
lights in the grounds were hidden from ;
-Shr by the same arrangement Of col L
red tissue paper and the effect of the
Whole, with the brilliant electric foun- Il
air ut one end and the Eiffel tower ii