The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-09-12
OUR PARIS EXPOSITION LETTER
PARIS, France, Aug. y, 1900.

PARIS, France, Aug. 27, 1900.
This Paris Universal Exposition is,
OF course, not the last. There will be
many Others OF greater or less magni-
tude. they arc even now projected.
ExpoSitiOns are also, like everything,
subject to the law of evolution. They
are changing, changing. This one Is
both the most frivolous and the most
seriOus Of them all, but the world as
one may look at IT This moment, is both
frivolous and serious in "a greater &c.
gree than at any time IN history 1t Is
probable that hundred or IA thousand
years hence, the historian will have
something TO say about these exposi.
tions. II the Crusade5 were "a civiliZ.
Ing iorce, why not the cXpusitiOn
these cru5ades OF industry, of art, OF
thought? 1t Is possible that the his
torian will refer TO the Congress OF Re-
tigions of the Chicago Exposition, and
To the various congresses that meet In
Paris as Of more Importance than all
the wonderful mechanical indexes OF
material progress.
These reflections came to me last
week at reception given by NJ. Loubet,
president OF the French republic, to
the thousands OF delegates OF the va.
rlOus congresses now assembled In
Parls. TO enumerate these congresses
with the programmes OF the questions
they will discuss would require more
space than the limits OF this letter will
allow. They will perhaps not say any
thing orally that has not been written
or that may not be read, but who can
doubt the contagious enlightening and
stimulating influence OF thousands OF
learned, serious and earnest mon and
women striving, however blindly and
lamely, for improvements, betterments,
ideals
We sing the praises OF steam, OF cleo
tricity and OF the greatest OF all, print
Ing, but the greatest their comb bined
work accomplishes Is to make such cos
moplitan congresses possible and to pro-
mote the time 'when the war drum
will throb no longer, when the battle
hags will he furled in the parliament
Of man, the federation Of the world"
The garden party given by Nj. Lou
bet, the president Of the French re-
public, was OF gigantic proportions.
There was no sunshine, the evening
was cloudy, no tirtations under the
trees, no malicious gossip, no laughter,
IN that serious assemblage. The spec
tacle was historic, instructive and de.
comfy recreative, worthy Of the dis
tinguished pcrsonages who had come
from the four corners OF tho world 10
discuss most difficult problems and has
ten the march OF human progress.
They arrived about the same time A
great crowd silently collected about the
gates OF the garden, and waited with
patience. There was no protest from
the North against the South, brought
together in the crush. Dialects from
the Ncva and from the Guadalquiver
were intermixed in this cosmopolitan
river which ilowed before the president
OF the republic within the limits which
had been assigned without tumult and
without friction. Nj. Loubct and Nine.
Loubet surrounded by their civil and
military households In the hail OF the
aids.de-camp, received their guests.
The alabality OF the head OF the nation
is these trying circumstances Is well
known. ! say trying, for, indeed,
one has to be the most amiable and
hospitable OF men. for it IL no small un
dertaking to receive 10000 guests
Neither Nj. nor Nine. Loubet showed
any fatig dc, and they did not desert
their post OF honor until the arrival OF
| the Shah. Mouzaifer dc.dine did not
| have on his Sunday clothes. He wore
on his head throughout the cntire fun
ti0n his ordinary astraChan, and was
followed by distinguished persons OF
his suites, who did not leave him for d
moment, but 1T occurred To me that his
smile was happier than usual when he
offered his arm gallar;ly to Nine. Lou
bet. When | remember the sad and
careworn face of this potentate OF the
| Orient on his arrival In Paris, and
| when | see now the animated counten-
! enco with which 1t regards everything,
fear that his subjects will not know
him on his return " Teheran. Persia