Year: 1878

france was gong TO make d ire"
mendous effort to sustain herself in
the competition which she had her
self invited. Every department
had received a special invitation,
and Republicans everywhere had
determined that it should be a
grand success. Still it was not all
smooth sailing. In the case of the
city of Paris, it's appropriations Of
money to meet the expense were so
delayed that the Exhibition had
been opened a month before it's de-
partment was in order; and the
Grand Palace of the Trocadero,
| which was intended to be the last
ing memorial of 1878, was little
more than a shell, fair enough to
look at from the outside, but with
in an unsightly ruin. TWAS nearly
two months before the grounds
, began to assume respectable and
orderly shape. But having once
entered in, France did nobly in al
most every department.; her skill
was especially manifest in aesthetics
and the department of art. And,
while some exception might well be
taken to certain portions Of the
Exhibition, still there was so much
of the beautiful and the good that
you felt like tightening your cen.
sure Of an exhibition which other
wise might have deserved the Sc
7erest condemnation. There were
portions of the French exhibition Of
of art characterized by a gross inde-
cency and shocking indelicacy which



disgusted millions and millions Of
visitors from other lands. It may
be that the familiarity with obscene
things may have palsied or de-
stroyed the delicate sense which
other nations regard as their chiefest
honor but whatever the cause, the
fact was apparent that many Of tie
pictures allowed in the grand ez-
hibit of the Vile de Paris would
have disgraced the Mabille, or even
the Chateau Rouge. In silks, dress
goods, jewelry and bronzes, the
display was simply magnifcent,-
the bronze department, in particu-
lar, being one of the most beautiful
exhibitions of the kind ever seen in
the world. In ladies dresses and
artificial flowers, she had no COM
petition worth mentioning; and
in both of these departments the
exhibition was exceedingly beauti-
full. The fower-shcw, in particu-
lar, will never be forgotten by the
millions who had the happiness to
see it. The simple and pure beauty
of that exquisite collection has left
a lasting impression behind !; and
the flower artists of Paris may well
! congratulate themselves on having
contributed the most beautiful por-
ton Of the Exposition. I have fire.
quently been asked which was the
most beautiful portion Of the Ex-
position. After traversing it's ave-
nues for six months, I confess I do
not know, where there is so much
that is beautiful it is very difficult
to decide. In the department
ceramics there were many beautiful
! things, and in the furniture depart
ment the displays were regal and
magnificent. In jewelry and dia-
monds probably no such exhibition
has ever been seen on the face Of
the earth. The diamond exhibition
was made by the jewelers. of Paris,
and the marvel was that there were
so many fine diamonds in the
world. While there were no gems
which approached in magnitude,
! either the Kho-i-noor or the Re-
gent, still there were hundreds such
as one seldom sees worn in life
time, and the aggregate cost OF the
entire collection could not have
been less than thousand millions
of francs. The Chinese and Japa-
nese also did exceedingly well,
but IS far as the practical results
are concerned tAe Japanese have
far surpassed their imperial bro.
theirs of the Moon. The Japanese
seem to have power of adaptation
which his moon-eyed brother can
never attain-the one is stationary,
the other is progressive-the one
never learns, the other is awake to
everything; and although the Japa'
nese Exhibit was in every sense
worthy of the Empire it was in nc
department equal to the exhibit al