The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-06-23

III.
i isiana Purchase Exposition is now
1 fully launched. Throngs are pouring
/ into the grounds at all hours and the
i attendance is daily increasing. That
/ is not saying that the Exposition is
entirely complete yet. There are
/ still some exhibits being installed
and some work to be done on the
roads and flower beds in some parts
/ of the grounds. But the work is be-
/ ing pushed rapidly forward and by
the end of this week all that is in
complete will be such an Insignificant
part of the whole as scarcely to be
noticeable.
No one need delayhis visit for fear
of not having enough to see. The on
ly criticism of the fair we have heard
has been the exclamation of some
weary pedestrian with blistered feet:
| cts too big!"
The feeling one experiences on TAX
ing his first view of the Exposition is
generally one Of bewilderment at its
| immensely and the multiplicity and
variety of attractions. He is at a
loss where to begin or end and asks
himself how he is ever going to see
| it all. No one, however, should at
tempt to see it all, any more than he
should try to read through the thirty
volumes of the Cyclopedia Britannica.
| All he can hope to do is to get a gen.
eral idea of the whole and examine
in detail only those objects that in
terest him most. ~. ....n
We are staying at the Christian En-
deavor Hotel and find it delightful
place at which to stop. 1t stands by
itself on an elevated tract of land
right by one of the entrances to the
| fair, and only a five minutes walk
| from the Fine Arts Palace. Directly
opposite is a large and beautiful
grove which forms part of the eXposf-
| ton grounds, so that it combines the
| advantage of a summer resort with
| that of extreme proximity to the fair.
| By writing at once one can still Sc
cure a charter certificate emitting
him to a special reduced rate of 81
| per day for lodging, based on the as
signment of two guests to one room
when necessary, or 50 per day for
| lodging and board. This, however,
will be discontinued June 90 After
| that date the rate will be as follows:
$3.50 per day for each person for
| lodging, two in room, or $500 for
room. Meals: Breakfast, 35c.;
MONDAY lunch, Csc; evening dinner,
| 40c. There is also a lunch counter
where a lunch can be got at a reason
able figure. We can heartily recon-
mend it to all our friends as an ex-
| cellent place at which to stop on their
visit to the fair.
The first building we entered hap
pened to be the Japanese section OF
| the Fine Arts Palace. We were very
much impressed with the work or
| their artists. There is one respect in
which they excel all others, and that
| is in patience of execution. In bold
ness of conception and originality OF
| design they may be lacking, but in
| careful attention to detail they are SO
| far superior as to make the ordinary
painting appear by comparison as
| rude sketch. In one of the cases is
| the carved ivory model of hunter
| crossing a log. 1t will we'll repay
your study. The pose, the expression
| of the countenance, everything about
it is simply perfect. Their embroid-
cry is also matchless. There is a
large picture of lion on one side of
the room and peacock on the other
in fine silk embroidery which it seems
almost impossible to believe could be
| needlework. The number of stitches
| these pictures must contain and the
time they must have required is SIM
ply incalculable. r..
The central portion of the Palace
is all reserved for the United States.
Unfortunately it is not yet open to
the public. We had no difficulty how
ever, in obtaining a pass. While
American artists unquestionably
make fine showing, it is difficult to
judge of the section as a whole, as
there is so much yet to be arranged.
This is the first fair ever held in
WHICH OuS VI IH9 principal pdldCeS Is
fwholly devoted to education. On the
outside of the st. Louis exhibit is a
fine set of Illuminated glass pictures
illustrative of the history of educa-
ton from the time of the Greek sopn-
lists to that of the birch switch peda-
gogue with his motto of :"Lick ana
Larn," down to the scientific methods
of our day, which is well worth in
spection. OF course we visited the
Iowa section and especially examined
the Oskaloosa exhibit. 1t is certainly
very creditable to our schools. Mrs.
Sessions, who has. charge of this de-
partment, said to me: "You tell your
people in Oskaloosa they have nc
reason to be ashamed of their exhibit
It compares favorably with anything
we have"
In the educational building there
are classes for the instruction of the
blind and also for the instruction Of