The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-05
BACK FROM PARIS
Commissioner James Allison
on the Exposition.
IT Is A GREAT SHOW
Europe Makes a Kansan Glad
to Get Home.

TN all Of my Official career in Paris
and in my trips going and coming have
never received unkind treatment and 1
have no sore spots as a result OF my
| trip" These were the words spoken by
L. s. Commissioner al Paris James Alii-
| SIN. who returned t. the city yesterday
| afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs Allison left this city last
! March for Paris and Immediately sailed
| for Europe after reaching New York.
They took passage on the steamer st.
| Paul in going over, and the voyage was
| considered a stormy one. A large ma
| jority of the passengers were i'll. and Mr..
ard Mrs. Allison were among them.
They arrived in Paris on April u and
on April Il the exposition opened The
| exhibits were not all in position and as
| the official duties Of the commissioners
| did not begin for some time leave Of
absence was granted and Mr.. and Mrs.
Allison with party of Americans, went
| into Italy. While on that trip Genoa,
Rome. Naples, Florence. Venice, Milan.
Lucerne and other places were visited
| by the Wichita tourists
] After returning to Paris the official du-
| ties of the commissioners began and for
many weeks they were kept busy by the
frequent demands made upon their time
Mr.. Allison was seen at his home last
evening by a reporter for the Eagle, to
whom he said: There seems to have been
an impression that the U. s. Commission
ers were to arrange for the different ex-
y ~,
in their proper places. This was not the
case. We were there for the United
States government and were to receive
the representatives of other nations and
in return were to pay our respects to the
dignitaries from the other countries.
From the opening of the exposition
until left Paris the days were filed with
functions which we were cupposed to at
tend. There were twenty-oQe commits
sioners. One or two of the number were
not there all of the time. but the num-
Der well represented the United States.
We were supposed to attend the opening
of the exhibits of the different countries
and in return the officials attended the
openings of the exhibits of the United
States. On one day President Loubet OF
France would call on US at our exhibit
We would receive him with all formal
ity Another day King Oscar of Sweden
would call, and so on all through the
weeks"
How many functions of this kind did
you attend?'
''Well, could Mt answer that question.
We were on the go all of the time dur
ing the stay in Paris. and every day
there were many things to attend to in
our official capacity"
What was the nature OF the dress
worn?'
cat the dinners and receptions every
one appeared in the usual full dress. We
became accustomed to appearing in that
manner and thought nothing of it."
"Was the exposition up to your expec-
tations?"
1T met all Of my expectations. II is
the greatest event that the world has
ever seen. It is far ahead of the worlds
fair at Chicago. All great expositions
are similar. however. and the person who
has seen one under favorable circum-
stances does not necessarily need TO see
another. The person who was a visitor
at the fair at Chicago and saw it under
favorable circuns tances. and visited the
exposition at Paris would perhaps be
disappointed in the exhibits, etc, owing
to the inability OF speaking the Ian
guage, but should they see the Paris ex-
position under just as favorable sur
roundings they would not hesitate 10 pro-
nounce the Paris exhibit far superior"
How did the exhibits OF the United
States compare with those of other ma
tions?"
The United States made splendid
showing. There were $50 exhibits.
France had 10000 the largest number of
the entire exposition. Germany had 200, |
Italy 2o00. Russia 100, England 600"
why was the English exhibit so
small?"
at was on account Of some trouble the |
two nations had prior to the exhibition
Were there many Engllshmen pres |
ent?"
mo, there were not. or course there |
were some. but the representation was
not very large"
Was there any trouble about Arneri- 1
cans getting around the grounds on &C
count Of not speaking the French Ian
guage?"
"Of course there would be some disad-
guards. and hfty-eight OF them spoke ana
understood French as we'll as they IN
derstood their own language. The United |
states was the only country having |
guards speaking more than one language.
The French guards could speak nothing
but French and could not understand any
other language at all"
How about the prizes which the Unit
ed States secured?"
Next to France. the United States e1-
hibits carried away more prizes than a1v
other nation Her EXHIBITS were so,en-
idly arranged and IN some OF the things
n which France takes especial pride the
United States secured the frs. prize. We
are far ahead II the other nations ,r
many things and We gained more rez5ec.
z the nations BY having an EXHIBIT than
We could otherwise have gained IN
yea-x"
Would you care 20 repeat ths trip
md experience
TIE trip Vas ? Ferv hard one ana a /
1erson f. n a constant strain al Of tn
i-1e. Waiis there you are a represent
alive OF your nation and naturally Won
T5sh - make ths best Impression -oszs-
'3s- 40 fa- - the experience KRlness By
ntnEliuE with -he peo-.e y tbs ether
sst!ors r. e-Hcerne5 ore cannot estimate
h worth y hss b@sn AZ eAuczfso, that
"a ra1not forEe.. sns whe7 a cion@ IN
'sstfEzt3oa % th@ 7egrss q oshe- us-
fsns. thsfr customs ard modes y living
$ made {. makes ore fee rIa1--rae-s
bar IRA. 7 can a1t express tha feslln<
that - lives n tAe TTnHes safes
+sVS-hf.e away ta1k oecassa-s 50 -sos~-