Evening star., 1901-08-10

natural resources away off to the south
somewhere.
In stroiling through the Chilean building
heard frequent exclamations or surprise
from visitors over the exhibitions of man
Gfacturing industry, which they tnougut
could not be native. But everything tnat
Is shown Is of native industry. also
heard comments of wonder on the demon
stration of naval and army resources.
Some Of these comments touched on Chile
military policy, or supposed military poney,
yet they were not in the form OF cratt-
eisms- They were simply wonderment at
the completeness of her armament. and
one American officer who happened 20 Dc
In the building, after examining the dls-
play, called Chile the Japan OF South Aner-
lea. It is not the first time the term mas
been used.
For myself, after studying the natural
resources, the manufactures and other evf-
dences of industry. I found more interest
in the educational exhibit and In the art
room. Here were the evidences both OF
progress and of culture, and some of them
surprising evidences to a northern barba-
rTan who has paid but little attention to
South American development As whoi.
the impression left by the Chilean exhibit
Is that of a seif-soutained and a seif-re-
liant country. which, again 1t may be re-
marked. is information for North Ameri-
cans. Here is the spirit of Pan-Amerfcan-
ism In its most progressive and perhaps
also In its most aggressive form.
In the Central American exhibits there
yond their natural resources, they have not
much to exhibit, and even these ara not
of the snowy kind. but they are Instructive,
and they give some idea of the capabilities
of future development. On the ANTIGUA
rian side there are the ruins of Copan. with
their suggestions of Asiatic civilization ard
of the pyramids. A much written about
and a much controverted subject, but al
ways with fresh interest.
Popular DISCRIMINATION.
rT@s- It., G&A~~
are more entertaining than the show itself.
This rs not quite true at Buffalo, yet there
is good opportunity to observe how the
popular taste runs AS seen here it is my
own belief that the popular taste Is on
higher plane than is commonly credited
Everywhere Intelligent discrimination Is
shown. This is apparent even in the spec
tacular effects which have been SO we'll
planned and so effectively carried OUT by
the management of the exposition. The
electrical Illumination cannot be told In
words nor do the people who witness 1t
mar the impression by trying to transfer
their own feelings to words What Is beau
tiful they enjoy and are content
Nowhere is there better evidence OF the
popular discrimination than In the MIDWAY.
Possibly it Is true that there could not be
a successful exposition without a Midway
What is apparent here at Buffalo is that
the people who visit it know to how Sepa-
rate the wheat from the chaff. l have seen
little to justify the view that the Midway IS
the best means of drawing visitors.
very large majority of the visitors look to
it simply for amusement and recreation,
and even in seeking this recreation they
show Judgment The barkers and the bal
laywhackerS who seek to draw the patrons
to the show have found this out. When
they have simply something amusing they
have learned that it Is better way to
draw the crowd to come within hailing dis
tance of the truth in bawling out the at
fractions of their side shows. When the
people leave the instructive features OF the
eNpositionS for rest or recreation they IN
sist on having what they want The Mild
way concessionaries are making more
money since they have learned this tend
ency of the people.
The public discernment Is shown at its
best on the Midway in the real interest
taken in what is genuine as illustrative or
life and customs of strange peoples. What
there is in the streets of Cairo that shows
oriental life is not neglected. but the
fake attractions are poorly patronfzed,
even those which are supposed to appeal
to the male contingent by yelling Fulgar1ty
under the guse Of native dances. All that
Is genuine and real about the Filipinos, the
Africans, the Hawaiians and in the Japan
ese and Mexican villages finds appreciation.
The Government Building.
Another phase of the public discernment
is seen in the government building. No
part of the exposition is so well patronized
ment, with Its usual Independence. dfsie-
Gated the architectural scheme by putting
up a building not in full harmony with
the general plan Of the other edificeS.
Having done this, it redeemed itself by
installing the exhibit, which Is most COM
plete and satisfactory and Is creditable to
the officials whose experience Is shown In
the grouping OF the government belong
ings.
The popular interest IN the national gov
ernment Is unending. The infinitesimai
fraction of the American people who have
the good fortune to live In the national
capital do not fully understand how great
the privilege is to those who lack that
good fortune to see the workings OF the
machinery In duplicate. The building and
it's contents probably are the leading edu-
catienaI factor In the exposition. In itself
this affords one ground for 1usttfytng the
participation of the government in these
expositions. The more the people know
about the workings OF their own institu-
tions the more they value their govern
ment. Since SO few Of them can go to
Washington it Is well occasionally to take
a portion of Washington to them
1t does not appear that people living at a
distance yet fully appreciate what there Is
to at Buffalo Director General Bu-
channan has arranged for them far more
than a show, and he also has so arranged
it that the exposition Is seeable. 1t Is not
too vast or too vague to be visited both
for instruction and for entertainment, and
the visitor will carry away with him or her
something beyond indefinite Impressions.
1t Is the belief that the attendance will
grow steadily larger now and will help to
bring out a more even balance sheet than
was indicated during the first weeks after
the opening. Whether Buffalo loses or not
financially, the rest Of the country Is the
gamer from it's efforts to give expression
to the spirit of Pan-Americanism which is
likely to become the predominant note In
national policy during the next few years
CHARLES. NJ PEPPER
Hyattsvil1e and Vicinity.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star
HYATTSVILLE Nd August 10 1901