The St. Johns herald., 1900-07-28
OUR EXPOSITION
 LETTER. (From our Regular Correspondent
July F, 1900. Paris and the Chicago Exposition.

1893. It is not easy to grasp so great and complex a subject as Il worlds fair and in making compar- Isons a good many superficial and partial things have been written. In the architecture of the Paris exposition, the contrast with Chi eago is marked. The "White City" revealed to the astonished visitors harmony extending turnout it's every portion. The architecture was simple, and yet inexpressibly dignIfied and beautiful. The archi- lecture at Paris is more bizarre there IS moro color, more variety than at Chicago, but less dignity. The deep and lasting joy of the harmony of all things within the "White City" IS not felt here.
 Willie at Chicago the gardeners and road builders arts were ;n ev- idcnce ia the perfection of the grounds. There are few things which detract more from tho sue cess of the Paris exposition than the condition of the walks. At a. bout the time of the opening of the exposition, the natural earth walks which had enveIopcd tho wOrkmen Tn clouds of dust were covered by a layer of pebbles tho size of a. hickory nut. It has been left to tho visitors to plod thru this gray el pit and slowly and painfully tread it into smooth walks. The smooth walk has so far only emerged in few laces and there in dry weather clouds of dus: have their origin, in wet weather ponds of muI iorm- The result is that pedestrian, at the close of a day s journey about the grounds is cov- cred with dust. The dust is car. ried into the buildings and settles everywhere, injurrng the appear ance of exhibits not protected in glass cases.
 Turning to tho exhibits one has first to observe that the present ex- position is moro truly information al thar at Chicago. The various European countries and tho United States arc moro nearly on a level, so far as the showing made is con- cerned with France than foreign nations were with the United States at Chicago. For one thing this finds expression in the line of gov ernment buildings of various coun- tries occupying the choicest portion of the rIver front. It is borne out however by the extent of the cx- hibits made by European countries. Among outside nations tho first Tn order of excellence IS undoubtedly Germany, the second. Russia.
 Those who remember Chicago will observe that horticulture which was prominent does not make as good a showing here.
 Transportation winch was an in- teKral part of the Chicago tair is here removed outside the city to an anuex which in some of it's parts brings the international exposition down to the level of a country fair. There is no Preach government building which serves to show the work of the departments of the French government as those of our government were shown Tn the U- nIted States Building. Tine depart mehts of France are not represent. ed by pavilions answering to those erected by the various States at Chicago. The place of theso may be said to be taken by the National pavilions, tho on a larger scale. There IS however q building devo- ted to the municipal government of Paris. What is shown is good and highly interesting as far as it goes, but it does not graze the sur face ot the exhibit which might be made of the activities of such Q mu- nicipality as Paris.
 The display in the tertile depart ment exceeds that made at Chicago. The machinery exhibit is not as complete nor as we'll arranged. The use of electricity receives nc such representation as it was ac- [ corded at Chicago. The point at when the Paris Exposition is out ot all comparison superior to Chl- cago, is. as one might guess. in the | fine arts. The French government has erected two permanent places of art, building them of stone and iron aud ornamentlng them pro- fuselv. Those buildings serve as