The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-15
PARIS EXPOSITION OPENED.
GREAT crowd GATHERED IN THE
SALES DIES FETEs.

Seen-Wtlt lie mOnth BeGore the
Exhibits Arc Ready - Exposition
Enndcd Over TO President LOubet.
Series of Grand TabIeaux.
Paris, April 1.-THE Exposition of 1900
is opened but 1t will be at least a month
before anything but buildings is to be
seen.
The days ceremon'es were a peculiar
mixture of sumptuous splendor in the
SALES des Fetes and widespread confusion
elsewhere.
Nothing could have exceeded the pic-
turesque stage setting in the beautiful
building In which the inaugural ceremon-
les were held. the gorgeous uniforms of
the diplomats and soldiers, the splendid
orchestra and chorus; and the magnificent
effect produced by the grand staircase up
which President Loubet proceeded TO View
the Exposition, lined with some two hum
dred picked men of the Republican
Guards, with jack boots, white breeches,
cleaning cuirasses and horse hair plumes
streaming from shining helmets.
AT the top of this stairway was a room,
the interior of which could be seen from
| the SALES des Fetes, and this was hung
with priceless gobelins from the Louvre.
Into this splendid apartment President
Loubet entered. and from there walked
down the avenue to his boat This pare
of the days arrangement was perfect, but
the rest was chaos.
The weather to-day was luckily all that
could be desired Fourteen thousand
guests had been invited to the functions
| and they had, because of the fine weather,
| only the dust to endure Had the day been
wet the unrolled paths of the exposition
grounds would have been turned into a
mass of mud.
Great Holiday Crowd.
The afternoon was a holiday in Paris
by general consent, and a host of country
people crowded into the city to swell the
! multitudes, who from an early hour,
trudged in the direction of the exposition
and took up positions along the route OF
! the presidential procession and at the ap-
proaches to the grounds. Hundreds of ve-
hicles did not reach the exposition at all,
and the occupants were either left strand
ed en- route or were obliged to abandon
their carriages and proceed on foot.
This was the expedient ordinarily adopt
| ed, even by several members of the diplo-
matte corps, aud two gorgeously attired
officials of the Chinese embassy, after
! hastily walking several blocks, arrived in
the SALES des Fetes just in time to hear
the cheering at the conclusion of the cer-
emony.
The ceremony within the Sales des
Fetes was simplicity itself. The reception
of President Loubet at the entrance last
ed but a few seconds, and on reaching the
presidential tribune VI. Milerand, the
| minister of commerce, delivered his adj
dress, handing over the exposition TO the
chief of the state The address was couch
ed in most eloquent terms, and read in a
resonant voice, heard throughout the vast
hall.
NJ. Millerand's peroration was espec-
tally fine, and 1t brought forth a storm Of
plaudits.
President Loubet then replied, and the
speaking part of the function here ended.
Series of GrMnd TnbIenux.
A feature OF the proceedings was the
| series of grandiose tableaux presented to
| the gaze Of the President and his party
! by the wonderful spectacle in the SALES
des Fetes, and the imposing vistas from
the Palace Trocaderc down the Champs
de Mars to the Chateau d Eau along the
| Esplanade of the Hotel des Invaldes,
| from Napoleon's 8 tomb to the Champs Ely
see, while the view from the Seine along
the embGnkment on which stands an irreg-
ular line of multi-colored national pavil-
ions, presenting every conceivable form
of architecture, might have been scene
from the Arabian Nights.
The spectacle that met President Lou
bets eyes when amid the resoundng
|
| the front of the presidential das on his
4 entry into the Sale des Fetes was pToo-
ably never seen before within the walls
of any building. The vast circus was fill
ed with a sea of human beings who over
| flowed the balconies jutting out from the
sides. The decoration Of the interior was
| a triumph of artistic skill, with hand
some stained glass dome through which
the rays of sunlight filtered down upon
the concourse below and color scheme
| in mural painting with the strikingly ex-
ecuted frescoes of appropriate alegories in
brilliant relief The galleries and balconies
were draped with red plush and the hall
was profusly adorned with trophies OF trt-
colored flags. opening fan-like from
shields bearing the letters "R. f..
Picturesque Foreigners.
The group among the great assembly
which was the most attractive was the
body of foreign representatives i'm pic
| tur;esoue attire. Since Victoria's jubilee,
or the Cars coronation, no such congress
of strange and gorgeous national cos
tunes has been seen. In a mass together
were turbaned chiefs Arab sheiks in fiow-
Ing white robes, with faces muftied in
linen cloths; Hungarian magnates in mag
| nihcent velvet dolmanS trimmed with val
liable furs with green breeches, and top
boots, and wearing fur toques surmounted
by waving aigrettes; Chinese and other
| Oriental embassy officials in characteris-
| tic silk garments; tall Cossacks in sump-
tlous clOaks with bandolters slung across
their chests from which emerged the pol
ished brass cartridge cases and trailing
| heavy sabres. All Of these outlandish fig
ures rubbed shoulders with the wearers
OF the not less splendid but better known
! European uniforms.
on the conclusion of President Loubets
| speech the Ir0ce ssion formed, and amid
| the s rains CT la Marche Hereique,"
rendered by the Republican Band, pro-
ceeded across the Sale des Fetes between
a hedge Of guards with fixed bayonets to
the grand staircase which the party as
cended, the cuirassiers lining the steps.
| saluting This was the moment when the
| climax Of enthusiasm was reached with
in the hall which rang with shouts OF
"Vive Loubet!
on reaching the summit OF the stairway
President Loubct gave last look at the
| scenes about him and then entered the
j