The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-03-21

heights of the Preside military res
ervation, on the south and southeast
| by the hills of San Franciscos resi-
dence district, on the east and north
| by the bay. Across the bay rise the
green hills of Marin county, domi-
mated By Mount Tamalpasis.
This in brief is the imposing set
ting provided by nature for the
great international drama which will
celebrate the greatest physical achieve
ment of man, the building of the
Panama canal VIII the exposition
itself be worthy of its setting and
worthy of its cause?
The creators of the exposition say
"yes," and they say it emphatically
Then they present their blue prints,
models of the great exposition pal
aces and wonderful drawings of the
exposition courts with their triumphal
arches, sunken gardens, mural dec
orations flower plots and esplanades
The, inquisitive visitor looks them
over, marvels and is convinced.
Indication of Magnifcence.
Service hall, the only building COM
pleted is fair indication of the mag
IIllCtHCt W We tApVtlCu- thPo
sition is laid out on block plan,
with three great blocks of struc-
lures. In the center will be group
ed the fourteen general exhibition
palaces, dominating the architecture
of the exposition city. By trick
of the architects in grouping these
buildings, they will appear at dis
lance like one titanic temple with
great towers, domes and turrets. A
wall sixty feet in height, surround
ing the buildings will add to the il
fusion. 1t is not until one comes
within close range that the great
temple analyses itself into fourteen
separate palaces. The effect on the
visitor approaching the fair either on
shipboard entering the Golden Gate
or by carriage or by street car from
the city, will be startling.
To the right, or east of the main
group of buildings will be the amuse-
ment concessions, covering an area
of sixty-five acres. Here will be the
Midway" of the exposition.
West of the main group will be
the pavilions of the foreign coun-
tries and the state buildings. The
Minnesota building will occupy the
northern tier in the state pavilion
group. 1t will face the bay.
The commission of architects to
the exposition has designed only the
main group of buildings The thea
tres OF the Midway" will be left to
the individual architects in this and
foreign countries, engaged by the
amusement companies who purchase
concessions. The foreign powers will
have their buildings designed at
home, and each state of the Union
will designate its own architect; but
the plans of all structures to be
erected on the fair grounds will have
to be approved by the exposition com
mission of architects to insure that
there shall be no Earring effect in
the general contour of the whole eX-
position city.
Grand EspIanade.
A grand esplanade will stretch the
entire length of the fair grounds be-
tween the exposition buildings and
the waterfront 1t will be lined with
ornamental trees. The north facade
of the buildings will show the great
est ornamental effects. At the en-
trance TO the three great courts
which kfll traverse fhe main group
of show palaces from north to south
will be triumphal arches and in front
of them will rise the statues of the
great discoveries of history
1t is in the courts of the eXpOsi-
ton that the chief ornamental fea-
will no ba
sculptors and other artists will eX-
press the poetic sentiment which in
spired the Panama Pacific exposition
The union of the east and west at
Panama will be the artistic theme
of the three main courts, the Court
of the Sun and Stars, the Court Of
the Four Seasons and the Festive
Court. The Court of the Sun and
Stars, the center one, will be nearly
1000 feet long from north to south.
1t will be lined with a colonnade
sixty feet in height. In the center
will be a sunken garden laid out
with flower plots, lily ponds, and
fringed with ornamental shrubs and
palms. Two triumphal arches on the
east and west sides of the court will
II Will the oriental OF res
tive Court, displaying the splendors
of the Orient, and with the Occiden-
tai Court or the Court of the Four
Seasons, depicting western civiliza-
ton.
Big Agricultural Exhibit.
Of special interest to the people of
Minnesota will be the agricultural
and live stock exhibits, both of
which will be most comprehensive
The National Education association
has laid plans for an international
agricultural conference which, it is
believed, will draw famous agricul-
tural students from all countries.
The arrangements for this confer
ence will be completed at next sum-
mer's national convention of the as
ISOLATION. 1t is planned now to send
thousands of agricultural students
from all the states of the Union free
Of charge to San Francisco in 1915,
to view the agricultural exhibits and
listen to the lectures of world-fa-
nous authorities on their research
work
The exposition will be the scene
of many great conferences, such as
the International Peace Congress of
1915, the Panama-American Congress
and the conventions of the Interpar-
liamentary Union and the Institute
of International Law.