News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1915-10-20
BETTY AT THE FAIR
Letters of the Panama Pacific Expo.
sition by Florence Livingston
LETTER XIII
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL, Oct. 7, 1915

LETTER XIII
SAN FRANCISCO. CAL, Oct. 7, 1915
Concluded from last week.
France was one of the earliest friend
of this country. We cannot forget tina
the Statue of Liberty, which greets on,
in the New York harbor, was the gift o
France; we do not intend to forget thai
through generations France has been oul
friend. 1t is this conviction that fills u.
as we climb her main staircase. We find
ourselves contemplating the sculptureG
representation of La Gallia; and as oul
human eyes turn instinctively to the
right and the left, we look straight into
the loved features of Benjamin franklin
and George Washington. 1t is thus
through delicate courtesy that our sister
nation indicates the friendship that still
persists. We bow our heads in grateful
acknowledgement to republic that
stands by its principles and hopes to en-
dure as an independent democracy.
The first room is devoted to the perfec
ton of Sevres porcelain, is accumulated
by gigantic vases which are triumph to
ceramic art, and is hung with interesting
tapestries. The latter are chiefly con-
cerned with the significant history of
Jeanne dare. 1t gives me warm glow
to think that this girl who lived five CEN
turtles ago. who saw the vision of patriot
ism, and who answered its call without
thought of herself, should still live in
the grateful memory of her country. 1t
is an abiding testimony that the day of
ideals and ideas has not passed, and that
still in our Utmost hearts we venerate
those whose far-seeing eyes have been
fixed upon the vision of things as they
ought to be and whose frail bodies have
been thrown willingly into the struggle
to bring that vision down from the clouds
and make it a thing of reality.
Again we climbed wide, high stairs
into an apartment which contained the
work of Rodin and some of the choicest
Gobelin tapestries. If you know.a all about
the Gobelins, father, don't let me hear of
it, because l want to tell you that they
established factory in Paris in 144O.
Their specially was dyeing, and in the
course of century the family built up a
tremendous business and wide reputa-
ton. They sold their factory to a tapes
try corporation, which was later absorbed
into the government service, but which
has ever since retained the name of the
humble family whose skill was fest en-
ployed on that site.
Now. daddy dearest, you and 1 have
for long time, during all the years of
my formal education, lived SO far apart
that we have not had an opportunity to
compare our opinions and our stray bits |
Of knowledge. Consequently l do not |
know how you stand on Gobelin informa-
ton. If you are rather deficient, allow
me to tell you that this clever family
its name and nothing else to
The present tapestry manufacture. How
ever, can't see what difference that
makes, so long as the work is good and
10 long as it perpetuates the skill upon
which it was founded.
At the same time, 1 am willing to con-
ess that l made the tour of the recent
apestries with sinking of the heart and
N uncomfortable conviction that the
raft is on the decline. This was because
was looking at colors that were intense
md far removed from the softened effect
which feasted upon in the second room.
ccomplished in the 18th century and
'ertraying the exploits of Alexander the
treat. You can imagine my surprise and
elief when discovered that these enor-
nous tapestries, before which | stood in
peechless wonderment and admiration,
lad been in the first place as vivid in
oloripg and as crude in contrast as those
which had disappointedly passed in the
ntrance room. 1t seems that every tapes
~ fades and softens for about two hmm
red years. After that, its period of I
etrogression is past and it maintains its
Mellow coloring indefinitely.
This teaches us, father dearest. that we
ught to accept the work of our contem-
oraries with gratitude ard faith. What
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