Evening star., 1915-01-07
PHASE Of SETTING
FOR THE BIG FAIR
Attractions Which Will Greet
Visitors to Panama-Pa-
cific Exposition.
GOLD AND BRONZE GREEN
IN BEAUTIFUL EFFECTS
Charm Of Venice, With Lagoon and
Lake-Dream City That Has
Come True.

This is not a story OF the idldild-
Pacific international exposition. 1t is
at best, a word picture of the setting
in which the visitor to the grounds
after the formal opening of the faiI
February 90, 1915, will view the col
lected achievements of the nations.
Nesting against the green back
ground of Preside hill, with the wa
ters of the bay as Its western bound
ary, the pastel -colored buildings lie
parapet and tower and dome, rose and
cream and shadowed blue. old gold
and bronZelike green, reminiscent OF
Spain at its most beautiful period.
To this have been added the charm OF
Venice. the mirrored reflection in ca
nal, lagoon and lake. Nature and the
cunning of those who had the task OF
construction in hand have combined
10 cause the grounds to appear CEN
fury old, with all the softened beauty
of permanency and age.
Dream City Come True.
One goes to the fair prepared for the
usual glare of unrelieved imitation
white marble-a glorified version OF
Coney Island-ane one finds within a
few blocks of the business center OF
San Francisco proper a city of another
age in another world-a dream city
come true; palaces which might have
been built for the kings of Spain IN
days long past, had their subjects ever
attained the appreciation OF the Ro-
mans for the beautiful in architecture
and sought to express 1t IN their own
way.
There are hedges, real box hedges,
twenty and thirty feet high and Of
correct proportions in depth. whlcn ps
the magic of necessity and modern
horticultural witchcraft spring up over
night and flourish thereafter Ihere
are flowers and ferns and palms from
every corner of the globe about ana
above one, exotics planted in rlch
loan brought from the Sacramento o
valley to insure their wellbeing. And
the pillars of the palely tinted mar
ble are mossy and soft, as are all true
pillars of centuries past which toucn
the waters at their bases. 1t is as II
california foresaw this fair before
white men came to our continent, ana
builded that all might be ready when
the twentieth century arrived.
Nothing Overlooked.
Nothing has been overlooked in the
determination of those who are in
charge to retain this impression of
permanency. The Midway (for since
the famous avenue of fun at Chica go
all others have been called MldWays
by the public) is situated well on the
outskirts of the grounds, in order that
the more brilliant lighting necessary IN
this vicinity may not interfere with
the carefully subdued effects IN the ac-
tual grounds. There is no tendency to-
ward "cramping" the buildings; the
effect and identity of each are sedulous-
ly retained by the broad avenues and
courts.
Within the great buildings the task
of arranging the displays which are
TO lay before the visiting public the
achievements OF the nations IN indus-
try, art and science is approaching
completion New offerings arrive
weekly despite the difficulties and de-
lays inevitable because of the war.
And the scale on which they are pelng
arranged is something hitherto unap-
preached in the great expositions.
That an idea may be gained as to the
interior space required for the placing
of these displays, the fact may be
mentioned that Lincoln Beachey re-
Gently made the first successful. bona
fide indoor aeroplane flight, within the
confines OF the Palace of Machinery.
Forty acres are covered by the Palace
of Agriculture.
Eleven Main Exhibition Palaces.
There are in all eleven main exhibit
tion palaces, grouped about the great
courts. III tHe center lies Tie Souit VI
the Universe, opening to the east into
the Court OF Abundance and to the
py=t into the Court of the Four Sea-
s.s Famous artists have contributed
,H ne effectiveness of these broad,
10y stretches by providing symbolic
- 4-s, which, mounted on the huge
.s-,lr-s and about the fountains, make
cone. etc the abstract ideas of the ar
chItects. The whole is memorable
achievement, and the opening of the
grounds will mark the realization of
Cahfornias dream; a dream of proper
ly commemorating the Importance of
America 5 gift to the world-the great
canal which today unites the east and
the west.