The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-08-21
LETTERS OF PEOPLE
 AND THINGS AT THE FAIR
Letter No. 1. BY ANNIE KENDRIcK WALKER.

To Miss Gwendolen Alstyne.
 My dear Gwendolen;-You are such 8 eosmopolite that you would look entirely at home In a Filipino village. I have tried faithfully to appear interested in the Phnnpine exhibit and nothing more should be expected of me in showing my appreciation of the Indians, as I con sider that l have done my whole duty by both these races, as represented at the exposition. My country is doing so much for them educationally thai my conscience demanded that should be on speaking terms with several of the h. dian women here and that I should know more intimately the environment of the native Filipino woman. Perhaps l am not a good American, or that these races are entirely distinctive in nationality edu- cation and habits that made the types l saw today so uninteresung l believe that after all these people, very much like the negro race, are happiest in their own environment and that any attempt to Americanize them is a mistake
 It certainly seems a waste of time to attempt to teach native Filipino the English language.
 There is an experimental school here taught by a Filipino woman. There are three tribes represented in this school and every day throngs of curious Amer leans form an audiAlce to hear the httle Filipinos lisp their first English. They are in their natural state, their brown skins and athletic looking bodies in- dicating the tropical climate and out door life to which they are accustomed. If little savages hold any interest for you the Filipnos in the government school will delight you with their ignorance of American customs and their attempts to learn our English tongue. l felt an intense sympathy for them, very much as l do for animals that are eaged. Per haps when the government establishes Turkish baths in the Philippines and these little Fillipines grow lp and begin to speculate in Wall Street, or go to Har- yard 1 will be more interested in them
 l confess l was interested in the straw huts because they looked so 7ool in comparison to the East India building and all the glare of the white succeed things All this pals upon you after you have seen 1t day after day and you grow tired of plazas stretching their white lengths under the hazy heat and you wonder how men in kaikl are able to I1BQt III lllOSt tdlfdS Wlitit Aiit oAAA pS'f va es everything in it's path.
 Night at the exposition would delight you with your love of brilliant things. It Is not like. an American city and the Americans that dine at the table next to yours or those whom you meet stroll ling along the Pike do not seem like your own countrYmen, because they have adapted themselves entirely to a foreign life just as these gardens and buildings here become a dream city by night. This Is a jeweled garden. Y ou begin to realize that the binding whiteness is disappearing The green terraces look dark and full of shadows and the won derful color effects pale into the gath ering twilight. The facades of the great buildings take on the tints of ivory, the p hite palace of Carlottenburg grows grey in the shadows. the Italian gardens and villas make you feel either very pious or very wicked, depending as to your thoughts being of the pope or Lueretia Bargia.
 Out in the plazas thousands of pedes' trians are strolling with the leisure un- known to Americans, and some where not far away bands are playing To sec this phase of the exposition you must 20 down the white stairway from Fishr al hall and stroll toward the plaza, just before the gardens take on their jeweled look. The Venetian gondoliers with their guitars, will be singing love songs; you will hear the laughter of France, Of Italy, of the south
 It Is a scene that could not be re- produced anywhere in the world. Some where, you care not, there Is a soft glow gliding the white pillared porticoes and touching the light gowns of the women in the plaza 1t shines far out upon the waterways. and the gondoliers sing on In their soft Italian. The Cascades re- fleet the colors of emeralds. They are q changeless, almost indescribable green and your gondolier will take you so neal to them that you will feel the mist from the fountains and think that you are ir a floating garden. This view by night oi the lagoons the plaza, the gardens will change your opinion of Cleopatra anc other people who gratfied their artistic tastes to such an extent that they have been held up 10 scorn by all the inartis tic ones.
 Since you cannot have a floating gar den, my dear Gwendolen, it has alway, done my heart good to see your appre ciation of American pottery, There ar' so many beautiful examples of it her, that 1 have spent a good deal of tim, in the pottery exhibits. You should b, quite satisfied at your success as a col lector American women are just learn Ing to appreciate the beauty of pottery and the exhibits here will increase theii desire to ornament their houses witt this exquisite art. There is nothing that will give a more artistic appearance tc a room than pottery. The Rookwood pot. tery. those examples that possess the neat glaze are remarkable and you know there are no two pieces alike. There are nc painting patterns used nor any duplicates made Form color decoration and glaze given your criticism and the high art now attained in the designing of pottery necessitates your being a connoiseur fl you wish to have a rare collection. A woman in charge of the Roolyood pot tery told me that the decorators com prise both men and women and are drawn mainly from the art academy of Cincinnati The decorations are entirely