Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1904-11-18
A DAY ON THE PIKE
Mrs. II. E. Koser Gives Few of
Her Impressions of the st.
Louis Fair.

DALLAS. Nov. I5-(To the Editor.)
I hope that what will be said here
will not lead anyone to suppose that
this brief sketch is a complete de-
scription of the st. Louis Fair. L,
therefore, modestly present a few
notes Of things that came under my
personal observation and impressed
me most. as I swept through the
grounds, without rudder or compass,
and was carried forward whittier l
had not dreamed. The eye can see
and the ear can appreciate, but the
pen is not gifted enough to describe
the first impressions one gets OF the
magnitude of the grounds, architect
ural grandeur, beauty Of landscape
and artistic grouping Of statuary in
one of the most beautiful natural
parks in the world, gemmed with
shining lakes, sunken gardens filled
with choicest flowers and cooling
fountains, electric launches, and gon-
dolas rowed by Venetian bOatmen,
guaranteed to be the real imported
article upon the lagoons.
Beautiful as the spectacle is by day.
surprising all former attempts Of the
kind, it takes on new splendor at
night, when the electric illumination
adds its glory to the scene. Every
great building is outlined with
myriads Of lights. The illumination
OF Festival Hall is the great center
piece of the Exposition, and becomes
an indelible picture in the mind of
every visitor. The many towers OF
the Palace of Machinery become shafts
Of fire in the evening sky. The Palace
of Electricity has the largest display
ofelectrical machinery and appliances
ever presented. There are novelties
without number in this interesting
division.
The Palace of Agriculture covers 20
acres, and has four miles Of aisles.
Missouri, Iowa and South Dakota
have fine corn exhibits. In the Illinois
section is pyramid of large, yellow
ears of corn, furnished by 5000 boys,
each contributing 10 ears from seed
furnished them. Some Of the decOra-
tions made of corn husks, cobs, tassels
and kernels are wonderful novelties
Figures made of prunes, cotton, nuts
and butter contribute to the attrac-
tiveness of the display. In the Oregon
section is large figure Of President
Roosevelt on horseback, representing
the butter product Of Oregon. In this
section, they were also giving demon
strations with prunes, from 2 to p. m,
daily.
On the north side Of the Agricultural
Building is the floral clock. The dial
is 100 feet in diameter, the minute
hand being so feet long, aud weighing
$500 pounds. The face of the clock is
made of growing flowers; the figures
are composed of red flowers, and are
about four feet in length; the hour
and half-hour are noted by huge
bell near by.
The most extensive, and in some
respects the most interesting exhibit
at the Worlds Fair is that of the
Philippine Islands, costing one million
dollars. This exhibit consists of
nearly 100 buildings, and occupies AZ
acres, housing 100 representatives Of
the different tribes of Islanders. The
Walled City and its approach form
the main entrance to the grounds.
This wall is a reproduction of the wall
encircling the City of Manila. The
southern shores of Arrowhead Lake
are dotted with the bamboo huts eff
the Moro, the Bagobo, and the
Visayan villages. In the center is a
massive stone bridge, a reproduction
of the Bridge of Spain which crosses
the Pasig river at Manila. Here we
find the largest collection of shells in
the world, some as large as tub.
The Palaces of Arts consist Of four
buildings, costing $1,OOO,OOO, and con-
tanning 1876 galleries filled with rare
paintings from all parts of the world.
The Palace Of Varied Industries, one
of the three largest buildings, has a
large center court The ornamentation !
of this enormous building is so
elaborate and artistic as to excite the
wonder and admiration of every
visitor. Japan, Great Britain, Persia,
Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Den
mark, and other foreign nations
have fine exhibits peculiar to their
countries.
The Administration Building con-
tains Queen Victoria's jubilee gifts,
made in caskets of many beautiful
designs in gold, silver and rare woods, |
inlaid with ivory, pearl, and studded
with diamonds and other precious
stones, The most costly of these gifts
came from India Each casket con-
tains an address from the country
it,
The Alaska exhibit is extensive and
interesting. An exhibit of native huts
made of Alaska gold, silver, copper,
coal, and other native minerals, and
the flora Of the country, attracts much
attention. Gaudy-colored totem poles
standing guard about the native huts
excite curiosity,while the crude Indian
are of special interest for
their novelty, rather than their beauty.
CONTINUED NEXT wEEK)