Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-09-01
EXPOSITION ITEMS.
OF Interest to Benton County
People by Special
Correspondent.

second floor OF the Oriental
Building at the Lewis and Clark
Exposition visitors must place
themselves entirely under the
care o. the able and intelligent
hostess of the department, Mrs.
Stella G. Webster, to whose
artistic skill and cultivated taste
the arrangement of the exhibit
was entrusted, and we guarantee
them a pleasant and profitable
half-hour and a knowledge of the
exhibit, impossible to attain in
any other manner. This was the
course adopted by your cores
pondent and the subjoined is an
almost verbatim report of our
interview with the lady who SO
ably represents OAC, and SO
faithfully champions its interests:
After discussing the original
plans for the display, and the
difficulties encountered at almost
every step in its progress, the
limited space placed at their dis
posal, the changes in plans found
to be necessary, our hostess stop
ped to pay a fitting compliment
to ex- Senator John D. Daily, to
whose earnest and untiring
efforts, his zeal and fidelity to
the best interests of the college,
his strong influence in official
quarters, was due the final sue
cess attained, and to whom,
more than any other man, OAC
owes debt of gratitude.
1t was impossible, with so
limited space for an exhibit to
give any general idea of the work
carried forth in the thirty differ
ent branches of pursuit at the
Oregon Agricultural College, so
after due deliberation it was de-
cided not to attempt a popular
!. exhibit, but to display one branch
specially, in such a manner that
it might be indicative of the
seriousness of the work carried
on in all the departments, and to
touch lightly on as many of the
other branches as space permit
ed.
The work from the biological
department, of which Vim. 7.
Shaw is instructor, was chosen
as one of special interest to the
public, having an instructive
value alike to amateur and scien-
tist sufficient to warrant its being
placed pre-eminently in the fore
ground. The collection chosen
for this purpose of mounted
; birds from the Northwest while
forming tut one-fourth of the
= number of species, is complete
and perfect in its way, and one
of the most valuable on the
coast. The collection comprises
about ninety specimens, mount
ed in seperate cases.. and posed
with a fidelity to Nature which
only the highest art could
achieve. There is just enough
in the simple surroundings to
suggest something of the habits
and characteristics of the birds,
and whether it is the craning of
a blue BELLS neck in search of
food, or the contraction of a
China pheasant's foot in the act
of walking, or the nesting at
titude of the mourning dove, all
speak the spirit of the work and
are communicated to the specta-
tor.
The public always gets from
the writer, the actor or the
artist, just as much of the spirit
of his work as he himself feels,
no more no less. There are
about sixty-6ve wall cases con-
tanning the specimens, 14x1s
inches, shallow boxes lined with
white, and surrounded with a
two and one-ha1f inch frame OF
dull black. This gives an agree
able setting to the specimens on
the green background of the wall,
and with hangings of forest
tapestry the exhibit presents a
restful harmony, in keeping with
the dignity of the display. Be
sides the wall cases there are six
large glass cases containing the
larger specimens, the canvasback
! wood duck, and blue bill, China