The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-07-20
EXPOSITION LETTER.
Written for the Citizen.)
80 Rue Caumartin, Paris,

Every thoughtful traveller has
doubtless felt how much more in
teresting are the people OF a cOun-
try than are their monuments,
cathedralS, museums, or even
their international eXpoSitiOns,
But how can a writer tell about
the people of country or portray
them, or catch the million evaneS-
cent flashes by which they show
all the greatness and littleneSs of
their character? The French are
said to be Il shallow and volatile
race, but is NJ. Tame shallow?
Can any one after reading
"Lourdes," "Rome," paris"
and his stern, heroic defence of
Dreyfus call lola volatile? There
are hundreds of Frenchmen no
less serious and scarcely less dis
tinguished And for every great
writer Of the other sex in our lam
guage it will not be difficult to
mention a De StTl or a Sand.
These are exceptions, of course,
but the great Frenchmen have
not written without readers, and
their great scientists and philan-
thrOpiStS are not without honor
in their own country. NeVerthe
less, outside their books, or paint,
ing or Statuary, we do not like
the French, nor do they like us.
This mutual antipathy, however,
does not perhaps prove more than
mutual ignorance and prejudice,
We do not like anything unlike
ourselves. Think Of our vanity
in this! The best way to under.
stand the people of a country is
to let them talk and reveal them
selves, and | shall, with your per-
mission. give your readers some
literal specimens of French jour
nalism. For a week, King Oscar
of Sweden, has been in Paris.
Last Sunday he went with the
President to the Grand PriX. or
biggest horse race Of the season,
and during the week he has been
"doing" the exposition and the
following is a literal report from
Paris paper of his last day in
Paris:
"The King of Sweden and
Norway consecrated the last day
Of his Soiourn i'll Paris in visiting
the payilions in the street of Ma.
tons Of the exposition. The
Spanish pavilion was invested
with a peculiar grace and solem-
nifty by the presence of the In
fanta Eulalie, who insisted upon
doing the homors Of the occasion
to Oscar IL in the palace of her
country on the Seine. That one
respectfully kissed the hand of
the princess who saluted him
with a graceful bow. The prin-
cess had around her NJ. de Leon
V CatillO, Ambassador of Spain;
the Warehouses Arco Hermoso,
hdG dame Of honor; the Duke de
SestO, CommiSsary General Of the
Spanish Exposition; lie Compile
de Belloncia don Juan, lie Mar.
quis de Villalobar" (NO wonder
the country is in decadence when
so much time is lost in giving
and remembering such titles"
The King particularly admired
the magnificent tapestries of the
18th century which cover the
walls of the different salOnS.n
Gle missed the best thing if he
failed to see BOabdil's sword and
tunic i'll the second story front.
''ln the German Palace, the
King of Sweden was more than
once surprised cit is magnif-
cent" he said, transfiXed by the
rich reproduction of the famous
salon of Sans Souci, and he added
with an eXactitude that was
somewhat cruel, "France has not
as beautiful collection of the
French school of that period
In Finland the King was re.
ceived with significant cordiality
and one of the Swedish Commits
SiOners was overheard to say, "our
lost province is today a Grand
Duchy of Russia.
AS his time was limited his
Majesty passed hastily through
the pavilions Of Belgium, Eng
land, Bosnia, Austria, the Uni
ted States and Italy, not. how
ever, without a friendly word
with the Commissioner General
of each country.
A portrait of a woman by
GainSborough in the English
palace arrested his admiration
and he sat down for a moment in
front Of it.
In one of the halls Of the Hun
garian palace, King Oscar re
marked the entire side Of the
room decorated with the head
Q