Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-01
THENAT|0NAL EXHIBITS
Germans Show the Greatest
Taste and Skill.
FRANCES BIG DISPLAY
A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF
GOWNS AND HATS.
Space Assigned to Russia Left Vacant
japanese Sell the Most-Spain
Sends Only Wines.


BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
ST. LOUIS, September 90 1904.
Never at any exposition, international or
local, has there been such expensive. taste
full and scientific installation of exhibits as
may be seen here, and the best is found
in the German section of the building OF
varied industries, which is practically an
annex of manufactures In no other expo
sition, either at home or abroad. have the
Germans shown such skill or such taste or
expended so much money in presenting
their exhibits to the public in a scientific
manner and attractive form. No other
nation here approaches them, and they
have established a standard by which all
future installations must be judged. The
credit is due to DIR. Theodor Lewald,
member of the imperial privy council at
Berlin, who is commissioner general here.
DR.. Lewald has had long experience, which,
combined with his natural ability and taste
for such things, has accomplished what
have described He was third in rank IN
the German commission at Chicago. second
at Paris in 1900 and is first here.
Germany has not brought as large an ex-
hlDlt as france, Dut II Is mucni more SeieCl
homogenet and symmetrical France has
a larger number of exhibits and greater
variety, but they are not SO interesting or
SO fine. Great Britain has a. fine, complete
display, but it is commonplace and lacks
novelties. Japan has infinite variety of
attractive articles, but they are more in
the line of merchandise than those of Ger
many, and are not installed so well. The
commercial spirit seems to have actuated
France and Japan, and the scientific spirit
Germany and England. The most attract
i've parts of the German exhibit are in the
departments Of household art, education
and scientific progress. No such display
of household decoration and furnishings has
ever been made al any exposition, and no
such collection of household utilities was
ever gathered before, even in Germany.
But the architectural and decorative fea-
lures of the German installation are even
more striking than the exhibits. DR.. Lee
valid is to be congratulated upon the tri-
umphs Of his architects.
Science in German Household.
Next to the artistic installations of the
German exhibit the visitor is impressed
with the extent to which human life and
happiness are being Influenced by science
The Germans have carried that further
than any other nation. They have taken
science into the household, into the
schools into the cOmmoneSt forms of buSl-
ness life, as well as into their industries
and professions. Judging from the German
exhibits, which seem to have been assem-
bled and installed to emphasize that fact
we can infer that from the moment of his
birth-even before he appears in this great
world-every German child Is fed, bred,
trained and educated on purely scientific
methods. That is not universally true, but
it is carried to a higher degree and among
a greater portion of the population in Ger
many than in any other nation. Hence, 1t
is natural and appropriate that the meth
DDS should be exhibited here as one of the
CT INN MT Interesting DhaSeS of
German civilization.
The German furniture exhibit, with its
artistic designs and decorative effects, sur
passes any that has been shown by any
other country. The French have some beau
tiful furniture, but they have aimed at ar
tistic effects alone, and the examples they
display are too expensive for ordinary peo-
pie The Italians have some admirable
specimens of carving, upholstery and gild-
ing. The British have a large and ex-
pensive collection, and in the American sec
ton, particularly that part of 1t occupied
by seventeen associated manufacturers OF
Grand Rapids, you can find large variety,
beautiful designs and fine cabinet work, but
no other nation has anything so generally
satisfactory as you will find in the German
exhibit.
If you want to see a perfect exhibition
from every point of view you will find 1t
in the German section Of the varied indus
tries building.
Exhibit of French Costumes.
AS 1 have already told you, France has
the largest exhibit and the greatest variety,
and it is an epitome of French life, indus
try and trade. Some of their exhibits are
put up in a. taking manner, but the installa-
ton is defective and tawdry compared with
that of Germany. No one, man or woman,
should fail to see the costume exhibit where
the milliners and dressmakers of Paris
have assembled about a million dollars
worth of gowns, hats and other garments
hn form dixyir, Hti
The display is far beyond anything of the
sort that was ever made before and is twice
as large and twice rs fine as was shown al
the Paris exposition four years ago. But
the installation is bad. The cases are cheap,
the light is not properly thrown upon them
and much of the effectiveness has been inn
paired for those reasons! go 80 -
No part of the entire exposition is visited
by so many people, particularly by women
and girls, and you will be fascinated to fol-
low and hear the comments of young wo-
men from the country, girls IN homemade
gowns and store hats, as they wander in
merry and lingerie more beautiful than any
thing they have ever dreamed of. This dis
play will have an educational effect like
every other thai is good. YOU may be sure
that its influence will he felt throughout
all this part of the country by stimulating
a desire and cultivating a taste for fine
things. Most of the gowns have been sold.
Some of them were damaged by a cyclone
in the early summer Visitors are given
books illustrated with the most attractive
models and thousands of them have been
carried to the homes of all classes of peo-
pie in the Mississippi valley. i warrant
you that women folks who have visited this
exposition will have more to say about the
dlessmakers' exhibit and remember 1t long
er than anything else they have seen at
this exposition.
The jewelry and bric-a-brac section of the
French exhibit Is quite as attractive There
was never before a finer display Of the
jewelers. and goldsmiths' art. This section
is full of novel ideas and designs and dainty
effects. ! shall have to refer particularly
to some of them later.
Russia's Space Vacant.
The spaces originally assigned 70 Russia