Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1900-08-02
EXPOSITION LETTER.


PARIS, FRANCE, July 0, 1900.
There is no unit Oh rule for &c.
curatelY measuring or comparing
international Expeditions. but, af-
ter six weeks study, | think the
Chicago Exposition was in many
respects not inferior to this in Paris.
There is more and better class art
about this show; the ensemble is
more artistic, and it would be hard
to excel the beautiful scene that
stands before you when the sun
light or electric light eliminates
the domes and minarets that adorn
the space between the Champs
Elysees and the Invalides. There
arc more traces Of the artistic spirit
among the exhibits than at Chica-
go, and, in truth, for an exhibition
Of European art--I do not cay tho
very best, but at least the second
best-the exhibition OF Paris in 1900
would be hard to beat. But that
is all, wonderful to say, seeing that
some years have elapsed since the
Chicago Worlds Fair, and that
great progress in many directions
might have been expected.
One thing very noticeable now is
the increase in the number OF Wis.
itors. Paris is not, or seems not
to be, more crowded, but the Ex-
position is. Last Sunday, just 10
people under half million passed
the gates. The price Of tickets had
como down to 10 cents, which may
have, must have, had some effect,
and there was q Christian Endeavor
pilgrimage or an English trades ex-
curson, 1900 or 1000 strong,
which helped 10 Gil. A few weeks
ago, the universal remark was
"What a crowd Of Germans 70 and
in truth, Paris was, as someone put
it, for the time more German than
Berlin. Wherever you went, on
the boulevards, in the Exposition,
in the cafes, on the tops of the ON
nibusses, ("in the air." az the
French say there they we're thou
sands OF them, in spectacles, nearly
all in straw hats, and dressed as il
they all had the same tallor-or
none. 1t was fresh German inva,
sion, and not wholly popular one.
For popularity in that way, the in.
vasion must be American, for the
latter visit the shops first, and then
sees the Exposition from the Fife
tower. One cafe owner bitterly
complained to me that Germans had
completely driven away his regular
customers, "and they drank NJ
wine" he concluded sadly "onlJ
beer"
Not that the anti-Teutonic feel
ing is just now very strong il
France. II seems rather to be slow
ly but surely dying out, not 81
much because the French hate tn,
nation that took Alsace. Lorrain,
from them in 1870 less, as becaus,
they hate the nation that beat then
at Waterloo, and stood them of a
Fashoda more. Besides, though O
different religions, there is much il
common between the Germans anC
the French. Both are Continenta
nations, they have what the French
are pleased to call "largeness" o
ideas that is known and highly an
tipathetic to the Anglo. Saxon
whether he be American or Eng
lish. German Professionalism OF tn,
land Of Luther, is not in reality 81
antipathetic to French Catholicism
as is American or English Protest
antism. And why? Simply be-
canse the Professionalism of the lat
ter is too decent, too moral, fol
French tastes and French tolerance
The German is not nearly so shock
ed by French latitude of opinion
and speech and conduct as is til,