The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-10
American Propositions

American's first worlds fair,' the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia to coInmemofate the centenary of the political existence of the North American republic, was opened forty years ago today. In the two-score years since the Quaker City invited the world to come and be amazed by the lavish display in the beautiful edifices erected in Fairmount Park, America has been exposition mad. and the Philadelphia fair has been far surpassed in extent and grandeur.
 Exhibitions of this kind originated in France, and since 1798 Paris has been the scene of nearly a score of international expositions of the arts and industries. The fashion spread to England and America, and Lon don held Q great national exhibition in 1851, and international fairs in 1862 and 1871. New York. Montreal and other cities held ambitious exhi- tions prior to 1876, 1but. these were in significant when compared with the Philadelphia display, which was fond1y believed to be the very last word in international expositions.
 Thirty three nations, besides the United. States, were represented at the Centennial Exhibition, which was for7 mally opened on May 10, 1876 Presi- dent Grant took part in the imposing inaugural eerem onies, and the late Don Pedro H. then Emperor of Bra gil, was present with his suite. The Grand Centennial March" was the composition of Richard Wagner, and it was followed by the chanting of a 'tCentenniai Hymn ritten by John Greenleaf Whittier. A eantata by Sidney Lanier, of Georgia, was also sung.
 The Centennial Exhibition contfn- ued from May 10 to November 10, and the grand total of admission was 2, ,910, ,966. Of these 7s25o,6 62Q were paid admissions at fifty cents and 753,G54 at twenty five cents. It was generally admitted, abroad as well as ton was in all respects the grandest affair of it's kind that had ever been held.
 The International Cotton Exposi- ton in Atlanta, held in 1881, and the Southern Exposition at Louisville in 1883, inspiredl the South to a greater effort in that line, and in 1885 New Orleans staged a worlds industrial and cotton exposition. It was nor un- til 1893. however. that another really great worlds fair was held on this side of the Atlantic. The Columbian Exposition in Chicago, to celebrate the Tooth anniversary Nof the discovery of America, surpassed both the Phil- adelphia exhibition and the Paris in ternational exhibition of 1S89- The aggregabe attendance was 27,539, ,521, exceeding by about 100000 the at tendance figures of the Paris exposi- ton. At1anta and Nashville. were the next cities to hold large expositions, and Omaha staged a Trans Mississippi international exposition in 1s9S The Pan-A rnerican Exposition at Buffalo in 1901 represented a new departure, but its success was marred by the as- sassination of President Mckinley. St. Louis staged it's great Louisiana Pur- chase exposition in 1904, but the at tendance, 19.649, ,855, indicated a de creasing interest in such displays. Since then exhibitions of national and international scope have been held in several cities of the United States and Canada, the most note worthy having been those in Port land. Ore, Seattle, Norfolk, San Diego, and San Francisco. The Pananla- Pacific International Exposition held last year. in San Francisco attracted total attendance of 1S,S71,957, falling a little below the St. Louis figures and far below the attendance records of the great exhibitions in Chicago and