The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-06-03
FROM 1907 TO 1907.
American History Told by Ex-
hibits at Jamestown Fair.
THREE CENTURIES PICTURED.
In Floor Space of 5000 Square Feet
Are Condensed Striking Features Of
800 Years-Unique Quality of Smith
sonian Institutions Display In Vir-
ginia Exposition.

800 Years-Unique Quality of Smith
sonian Institutions Display In Vir-
| ginia Exposition.
The exhibit of the Smithsonian insti-
tuition and National museum recently
opened at the jamestown exposition
has as its unique object to condense
into a single room American history
from the beginning TO the end, says a
Washington dispatch to the New York
Herald.
From 1907, when Captain John Smith
arrived In Chesapeake bay, to 1907,
three centuries, much has happened to
be condensed into G,000 square feet of
| floor space. w. De G. RayeGel of the
| National museum, who is representing
! the Smithsonian Institution at the eX-
position, told In an interview what
has been prepared to tell a running
story of the century changes.
| ''To serve as central figure about
which to group everything else" said
Mr.. Ravenel, I'VE have set up large
tableau of twenty-five figures, portray
ing Captain John Smith going up the
James river to trade with the Indians
for corn. Eleven of the groups are
white men, three soldiers and four sail
ors and others, all dressed In the style
of that day The costumes are as near
| ly reproductions as possible, with hel-
| NETS, rapiers, matchbox guns and pls-
tolls, some of which were actually car
ried by early settlers. The boat Is one
of the pinnaces such as We're used In
surveying the Chesapeake bay and Nir-
ginia rivers. For articles Of trade the
Smith party has \ chest of glass Deads,
looking glasses, hatchets and other
trinkets The Indians are represented
as giving In return grain, some of
which In this tableau was grown from
seed carried by the Tuscaroras to New
York in iii.
Around this central group we have
placed forty-three cases, dozen Illus
! trating the customs and culture at dif-
ferent periods. Two Of them are de-
voted to reproducing the costumes of
the original settlers-the Puritan and
his wife, the Dutch padroon and his
wife, the Virginia planter and his wire
and a Spanish lady and gentleman.
Two cases show Indians of the Poto-
mac region making stone implements.
Another case portrays scene or the
colonial period, and still another con-
tains an exhibit by the Daughters or
the American Revolution, consisting OK
costumes and relics Of the days Of rs"
Mr.. Ravenel laid great stress upon
the accuracy with which these scenes
had been reproduced. Care, he said.
had been taken to make them as true
to the original as possible.
"Some collections of special interest,
he went on, illustrate the arts anu
culture of our own outlying posses
sions of today, the Philippines, Porto
Rico, Hawaii and Alaska.
ITO show the development Of water
| transportation we have obtained mod
els of an ancient viking war galley,
the ships of Columbus and other fa-
nous ships of colonial times, such as
the Susan Constant, the Mayfower OF
the Puritans and the Half Moon or
Henry Hudson. After these sailing
ships are shown models Of the first ex-
periments Of Rumsey, Fitch, Fulton
and Stevens. There is also model
Of the Savannah, the first steamship to