The sun., 1907-08-15
~ THE JAMESTOWN EXPOSITION
WORTH WHILEP 30,

or not Il 10 worth whils to visit the James,
town exposition IL purely individual quss-
tion. IL h well worth the while OF somes
and II would be waste Of time and money
for others. II tho purpose OF tbe trip is
the enjoyment Of the gayeties and exctte-
ments Of the Warpath better return can
be had from q few days &t Coney Island.
There Ii more TO see, more noise, more
hilarity and more Of crowd on the island.
about q hundred times moro Of each. They
are much the Same kind OF show, and tho
principal difference between them 10 that
Coney In good deal bigger and very mich
better than the Warpath down on the shore
OF Hampton Roads.
The economic side OF the jamestown
show was considered In an earlier letter.
Its merit as a place OF mere entertainment
or amusement is sufficiently considered In
the foregoing paragraph. There remains
It's educational or instructive side. and that
IL open to q far more favorable comment
than are its economic or It's amusing fea-
lures The assembly Of 80 many and no
various articles and exhibits can only
be full OF instruction and interest for the
sober minded and for those who wish to
widen their horizon. The declared purpose
Of the exposition In primarily to celebrate
and commemorate the SO0th anniversary
Of the founding OF the first permanent Eng
lish settlement In America, and secondarily
to demonstrate to tho world our right TO
claim supremacy by showing tho wonders
we have accomplished during the last 800
years In every branch OF industry, OF edu-
cation, OF art and OF science"
The primary purpose. as hero statsd. was
practically accomplished by the elaborate
naval display and the official visits and
speeches OF the opening week. In the
statement OF the secondary purpose there
Ia large percentage OF buncombe. and 10 II
to be hoped that no foreign visitor will 60
home with belief that tho exposition ID q
full and fair representation Of our progress
during the 500 years. IL In an excellent
little display SO far as it goes. but there u
needed such an affair as those OF Chicago
and st. Louis to give any sort OF conception
of the wonders We have accomplished.
The huge Agricultural Building alone st Sc.
Louis would have held nearly the whole
OF the jamestown exhibits. Yet there In
much here TO be- seen and much that is
worth seeing.
The most notable display Ii undoubtedly
that of the Government. made in two sepa-
rate buildings Of considerable sios. The
work of the various departments is shown
or indicated and the exhibits range from
a model OF ie inch gun to postage stamps.
Near one of the buildings Ia q largo bas-
relief representation Of the Panama Canal.
The exhibits inside the buildings arc
models Of order and neatness. the spaoe
around them is ample. the decorations are
attractive, and II similar exhibits have not
been seen at earlier expositions Q day or
two in these buildings alone will justify q
long journey. There IL not thing In them
that is not worth seeing. and there 10 much
that should be seen by every man and every
woman and child in the country.
Second In merit and important interest
Is the display In the States Exhibit Palace.
This is a building Of 800 by 500 fest. ono Of
the largest on the grounds. In which indi-
vidual States display the products Of their
soil and their mills and factories. Many
Of these exhibits are exceedingly creditable
and all are interesting. although 1t might
be said that New Hampshire's exhibition
Of a few pictures and a lot OF packing cases
might be more effectively arranged. Mis-
souri, has an admirable display. Ohio an
excellent show OF agricultural products,
Virginia an elaborate exhibit. and South
tile products. Other States make exhibits
worthy OF high praise. A day may be
spent in the building and something new
learned in almost every minute Of IL. IL
il far from an adequate representation OF
either our progress. our achievements or
our resources. but there is quite enough in
the place to give tho knowledge seeker .
very fair idea of what is being done through
L. 90 he
At st. Louis three years ago an effort was
made to estimate the educational influence
Of the Louisiana exposition by noting the
dsplays which drew tho biggest crowds.
The plan was abandoned becams thsre
were too many crowds and crowded exhib-
its. just now such plan would be Q fall
ure at the Tercentennial because there isn't
enough Of q crowd. The present attend.
ance seems to be In the neighborhood of
10, 900 day. St. Louis and Chicago thought
10000 or $1,000 a day at their shows
lamentably small attendance. A crowd OF
10 900 people OF widely different interests
and inclinations does not bunch up very
much on a 500 acre lot. 1t ls. however. evil
dent that most visitors are getting some
thing and that many are getting q good
deal. 1t may be automobiles or IL may be
potatoes, Dreak1ast IOOub OF tufnltuf6, Iaffn
implements or educational systems. GOAL,
cotton or fertilizer; information II acquired
and impressions moro or less deeply made.
In that experience and perhaps In that alone
there lies the only proper justification for
such affairs as this.
Here. as at earlier expositions. the OBJ
server notes the numerical preponderance
OF women. For that reason tho crowd ID
larger In the Pure Food Building than In the
building devoted to mines and metallurgy,
larger In the Manufactures and Liberal Arts
Building than In the Machinery and Trans
portation Building. The Educational and
Social Economy Building has considerable
patronage and large percentage Of its
visitors wear eyeglasses or spsctacies. The
impression is given that II one were TO call
Teacher" a majority would turn instinc-
lively toward the caller. II that Is the case
nothing could be better. Ths American
school teacher. particularly Of rural loca-
ton, makes one OF the host possible medi-
ums for the transmission and disscmina-
tion Of just such information ~ that az
fortied by an exposition.
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