St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-06-20
PARIS LETTER.
From our regular correspondent
Paris, France, June 4, 1900.

lie be only 80 cents with a tip of tw
S and one-half cents to the coachmat
T. So we mount a cab and say to til
S driver in American French, "a la ez
position porte de Trocadero." 1t
: well to tell him what porte or gat
S you wish to enter for there are thirty
$ six different ones, and by going t.
+ the one nearest the points you wisl
r to visit you may avoid a long walk
Entering the grounds by the Trocad
ero gate, two-thirds of the exposition
is spread al our feet in the Champs
de Mars and from our eminence but
a single object, the incompatible
Eifel Tower, appears to overtop US
1t is a bewildering, enhancing spec
tacle; of most harmonious coloring,
brand new, up to-date, nothing his
toric or legendary about it. And all
these dreams, delights and fantasies
of architecture, of all chimes and
lands must be swept away in a few
months when this most stupenduous
of eXpOsitions rings down the curtain.
But no time for moralizing, let's get
into it
These first structures TO our right
and left are side-show midway plais-
ance fakes. They are not worth our
time or the franc we will have to pay
to see each of them, but the crowd
attracted by the tum-tum of demi
barbaric music was born to be hum
plugged. French and Partisan crowds
are no exception to this law of our
race. We enter. In a small dark
room (for those Identical fakes have
not half the space they had at Chi
cago as ground rent is higher sits
your harem, anybody's harem. The
room is just dark enough to conceal
the untidiness and tawdriness of the
drapery and jewelry of the six or
seven odalisques alleged to come
from Constantinople or Cairo, but
who never saw the Orient. There
are thirty or forty more shows of
this type. They should not be per-
mltted to cucumber an exposition,
but it is by licensing these to gull the
gullible that expositions pay their
way.
We will now see quickly the outside
of the exposition and measure it's
great extent by getting on the elev-
ated moving platform. This moves
continuously in one direction, max
ing the entire inside circuit of the ex.
position at the speed of rapid walk
but by walking rapidly upon it we
can double our speed, and we can
stop on an inclosed side platform at
any point and examine more care
fully any desired exterior of the ex-
position buildings. But if we desire
to go inside any building we must
leave the rolling platform aud cannot
resume our place upon it without
paying an additional fare. This ex-
position does not cover as manv
acres as did our late Chicago exposi-
ton but it is much more compact
and incomparably finer aud richer
han anything that has ever been &C.
'omplished, and, as l heard an expert
n expositions say, elmer than any
hing that will ever again be accom-
'lished." His prediction is daring
tut not improbable for this huge en-,
erprise promises to be financial i
allure, and as such, a warning to '
III future exploiters in worlds fairs. :
france, or rather Paris, has in this
Enterprise attempted too much.
There has never before been in so
mall a space an aggregation of so y
much value. Never before such a
nicrocosm of human achievement. .
Where do we stand in this great e
competitive show? We excel in a t
ew things, we are excelled in many, Fl
nut our appearance on this French b
leld is no measure of our real a
strength. Fit were, some very small u
Countries like Sweden, Denmark and c
Switzerland to say nothing of Aus =
ria, Spain and Italy, would be ad. e.
judged our superiors. And doubtless v
his is the opinion that MANY rural ri
md some urban Frenchmen will h
orm, as will many visitors from A
'ther countries. There is a great I.
ack of information in the world, and u
he average foreigner knows as little D
bout the United States as we do
bout New Zealand. The stars and fc
trlpes are seen here and there in the &c
ifferent buildings indicating an fl
.merican exhibit. l think we excel a
j agricultural machinery, and, not d
outstanding Paris is the print " "
i've field of the automobile, our vehi. NJ ~,
les on exhibition here appear to al
ave finer finish and better shape ia
han Others. There is no doubt that n,
he French automobile, if somewhat OF
Iumsy in appearance, is a very SER SC
1Ceable vehicle. but there are nor I'll