Evening star., 1901-08-31
THE CUBAN EXHIBIT
A Disappointing Feature of the Ex-
position.
THE BUILDING Is CHARACTERISTIC
Its Contents, However, Are lncon-
gruous and Unimportant.
IT'S CATION AL WORK
Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
BUFFALO, August 80, 1891.
The pan-American exposition is entering
upon it's second stage. This is the period of
celebrations. There municipal days, u
District of Columbia day, state days and
society days. Cuba day is to be followed
by Mexico day. and L presume there will be
other Latin American celebrations
Where there is much to praise it may
seem ungracious to criticise. Yet since the
main purpose of these expositions is educa-
tional nothing is more certain to destroy
that purpose than indiscriminate praise. 1t
is on this account that l venture to differ
from some OF the opinions that have been
uttered regarding the Cuban exhibit 1t is
one of the most disappointing features of
the exposition. There is little about it to
show the American people what has been
dCne under General Woods administration,
and there is less that gives a proper con-
ception of the island and it's resources.
The Cuban building is a real type of the
Spanish renaissance architecture. 1t is
characteristic, but the editice is filled with
incongruous exhibits which are given space
far disprOportionate to their relative i'm
portance., The whole forms hodgepodge.
after seeing this exhibit must form poor
notion of what Cuba really is. Its agri
cultural and mineral resources are shabbily
displayed. Tobacco, which is a leading in
dustry, is shown after the manner of pri-
vate advertisement and this part of the
exhibit would find better place in, the
bazaar where articles are sold.
Pyramids of Bottles.
There are pyramids of beer bottles and
pyramids of bottled rum which take up a
large amount of space. Rum is big prod
uct of sugar cane and very famous ar
ticle of it is made in Santiago, but it's
manufacture hardly justifies the promi-
nence given. Havana has several brewer
les, most of which have been built since
the American occupation. They make good
tropical beer, which is healthy beverage
and is far better for Americans than the
whisky and brandy in which they are prone
to indulge, but the Havana breweries are
not characteristic Cuban industries. To
exploit private companies in the manner
that it is done, is not credtable nor does
it afford any useful information. The same
remark might apply to several other eX-
hibits.
No reason is apparent why Cuba could
not have shown in miniature model sugar
plantation or a tobacco farm or something
that would have illustrated the wealth of
it's soil in the natural state. Hardly a
suggestion of the sugar cane industry is to
be found. though that is the real richness
of the island. 1t is a pity that the Cuban
exhibit could not have been taken in hand
by the experts of the United States Agri-
cultural Department What may be done
in the way of intelligent arrangement and
display of a countryS resources as well
also of it's people and their customs, their
industries and. their manner of living, Is
shown in the corner of the government
building devoted to the Philippine Islands.
This is more than a hint or suggestion.
1t is a living illustration, a vivid repro
duction. Cuba at the ST. Louis fair would
be benefited immensely if it could have
such showing made for itself.
Relief may be found from the pyramids
of beer bottles and rum bottles and the
stacks of cigar boxes with their floating
advertisement of the manufacturers name
by turning to the corner of the building
which is given over to the works of Cuban
artists. 1t is small room but it contains
several notable paintings. If the require
ments of commercial advertising had not
been SO great, more space might have been
given to the pictures, and visitors would
have had a better conception of Cuban cul-
ture. Some of these paintings have taken
medals at the Paris Salon. They are worth
more than passing view.
Redeeming Feature.
partially redeeming feature is the
showing made for educational work and
charities. That does give an idea-although
an incomplete one-of something that has
been done under American rule. Unfor-
tunately, this exhibit is upstairs and few
of the visitors find their way there Cen
eral Wood has taken so keen personal in
terest in the schools and charities of Cuba
that 1t is a pity so few of his countrymen
who chance to stroll through the building
find the main exhibit attractive enough TO
tempt them to wander above the main
floor. Not even the presence of the Ha-
vana Municipal Band or the Cuban single
star flag flying over the structure redeems
the glaring defects.
1t may be that by the time the st. Louis
exposition is held some means will be
found for working out a plan of geographic
unity for the Antilles. Though half doz-
EN- governments have sovereignty over
these Islands, they might cooperate and
thus form series of buildings and of ex-
hibits which would give consecutive idea
Of the West Indies. Grouped together they
would make novel and a striking feature.
James Anthony Froude once said that as
to natural beauty the West India Islands
were like Scott's novels-where we admire
most the one which We have read the last.
If they all could be seen at a glance it
would be like the whole series of Scott
spread out at a banquet.
This idea of the consecutive plan of
buildings and of exhibits might apply with
even better results to Central America and
to South America Andrade. the great lyric
poet of Argentina and of all Latin Ameri-
ca, recently has published epic which
at the floral games of Buenos Ayres. 1t is
described as a rhapsody the future of
the Latin-American race, but there Is in
it much that is suggestive for a prose pic
ture given form and being by the inspira-
tion of the architect and the landscape
artist. Physically at least the Latin-Amer-
lea which his imagination pictures might
be reproduced.
AS bearing on the pan-American idea and
the commercial development of the Ameri-
can continent which is meant to be encour-
aged by these eXpositions. noticed In one
of the buildings a model exhibit of the
Panama canal, but nowhere found sug-
gestion of a Nicaragua canal. This may
be because the Panama enterprise has
little something to show for the hundreds
of millions of dollars expended on 1t,
whereas the Nicaragua project has never
had more than a few hundred thousand
spent by private enterprise. Or 1t may be
because the company which controls the
Panama ditch is more enterprising than
the government Of Nicaragua, but in fu-
ture expositions the public ought to have
the benefit of a comparison between the
two routes. 1t might not be able to grasp
fully the engineering problems involved in
the rival canals. yet there would be an adj
vantage in having both Of them exhibited
Laying aside the distinctive features of