The Book of the Fair - Chapters 5-6



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Chapter the Fifth:
Exposition Management, Congress Auxiliary, and Finances

The general management of the Fair was vested in the following 
organizations: First, the National Commission, whose powers were delegated 
to eight of its members, constituting, with a similar number selected from 
the local directory, the Board of Reference and control. Second, the 
Chicago corporation styled the World's Columbian Exposition, organized 
under the laws of the state of Illinois, eight members of which formed a 
joint committee with the Board of Reference and Control. By this 
corporation were raised nearly all the funds, apart from the somewhat 
meager appropriations of the national government, and by its committees 
were superintended the various departments of the work. Third, the Council 
of Administration, consisting of four members, two chosen from either 
section of the committee, and to which was later intrusted the main 
control, though for a time subject to the executive committees appointed 
by the national and local organizations. Fourth, the Board of Lady 
Managers, to which was assigned the supervision, not only of the Woman's 
building and its contents, but of whatever exhibits there were elsewhere 
of woman's work. Finally, a few weeks after the opening of the Fair, the 
executive control was vested in the director-general, seconded by the 
director of works, and under the instructions of the Council. 

In the regulations prescribed for sessions of the board of directors were 
embodied many excellent features. First of all, order and decorum must be 
preserved; questions must be distinctly put; when rising from his seat, 
whether to speak or to deliver any documents to the board, a director must 
address himself, and that with due respect, to the president, must not 
proceed until recognized by that official, and then confine himself 
strictly to the question under debate, avoiding all personalities. Any 
member transgressing the rules of the board would be immediately called to 
order, must at once resume he seat, and rendered himself liable to the 
censure of the board. No director would be permitted to speak more than 
twice on the same question, except by permission of the board. When the 
president was putting a question or addressing the board, no one should be 
permitted to leave or walk across the room; nor during the delivery of a 
member's address should other members engage in conversation or pass 
between him and the chair. In these and other regulations of the directory 
are many suggestions which our state and national legislatures would do 
well to lay to heart. 

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No less commendable were the provisions contained in the by-laws of the 
World's Columbian Exposition, the control of which corporation was vested 
in the board of directors. All officers of the company were to be elected 
yearly and by ballot at the first session of the board after the annual 
meeting of stockholders. To no member of the board, apart from its 
officers, was compensation to be granted in any form. Payments should be 
made only by checks, countersigned by the auditor, and upon vouchers 
certified by the chief of the department to which the item belonged, 
authorized by the board, examined and signed by the auditor, and approved 
by the president or vice-president. Apart from the outlay incurred by the 
bureau of construction, all payments for work or material exceeding $2,000 
must be sanctioned by the appropriate committee, and sealed proposals 
invited by advertisement in the manner usual in such cases. At all 
meetings of the board of directors the order of business should be: first, 
roll call; second, readings of the minutes of the previous meeting; third, 
the consideration of matter officially communicated to the board; fourth, 
the reports of its officers; fifth, reports of special committees; sixth, 
the reports of standing committees; seventh, unfinished or postponed 
business; eighth, new business. Finally, in this connection, comes the 
most sensible regulation of all, that "No member of the board shall occupy 
the floor in debate more than five minutes, excpet by unanimous consent." 

Among those who became identified with the management may be mentioned 
Lyman J. Gage, the former president of the local directory, one of the 
most prominent of Chicago's financiers. Of the director-general, George R. 
Davis, whose administration has been endorsed by the National Commission, 
and Harlow N. Higinbotham, twice elected president of the local board, 
with John T. Dickinson as secretary of the former, have all played well 
their several parts, and largely through their executive ability were 
overcome the many obstacles that beset the formative period of the 
Exposition. To Thomas B. Bryan, formerly one of the vice-presidents of 
that board, and other of its members, as well as of the National 
Commission, no less credit is due. By Charles C. Bonney, as the head of 
the World's Congress Auxiliaries, presently to be described, 
correspondence was opened with the leaders of thought the world over; by 
G. Brown Goode of the Smithsonian Institution, was made a preliminary 
classification of the principal exhibits, and by F. A. Putnam, of the same 
institution, was organized the department of Ethnology; to Theodore Thomas 
was instructed the direction of the orchestral, and to W. L. Tomlins of 
the choral branches of the musical department. To the chiefs of other 
divisions further allusion will be made elsewhere in this work; but here 
must specially be mentioned Mrs. Potter Palmer, who with her able 
secretary, Mrs. Susan Gale Cooke, has planned and controlled the 
complicated machinery of the Women's department. 

The Board of Lady Managers is a feature of the administration. While at 
the Centennial and other expositions the management received valuable 
assistance from committees of women, creating at the former a special 
woman's department, this is the first occasion in the annals of our great 
world's fairs where women have taken a prominent part in the control. 
Authorized, as we have seen, by act of Congress, and vested by the 
National Commission with such powers as to render its members coordinate 
officers with those of either, the board has exercised a dual function; 
first, in promoting the special interests of women, and second, in 
enlisting a world-wide sympathy with the movement which it was intended to 
inaugurate. As stated by the managers themselves, its main purposes were 
to secure a complete presentation in the principal Exposition buildings of 
the best results then being accomplished by women in every branch of 
industry, science, and art; to secure data as to women's exhibits in the 
various departments, so as to afford a comprehensive idea of the 
proportion of the world's work performed by the sex, together with its 
variety, quality, and commercial value; to receive applications for 
exhibiting space from women and from manufactures representing woman's 
work, and to see that proper locations were assigned to such exhibits; to 
appoint the proportion of jurors to which the board was entitled in all 
the departments to which women were contributors, and to forward by all 
possible means the interests of women at the Exposition. 

When the Board of Lady Managers was first organized for active work, under 
the presidency of Mrs. Potter Palmer, it was found that the plan adopted 
at the Centennial Exposition of placing the contributions of women in a 
woman's department, sequestered from the general exhibits, would not 
answer for the occasion. But those who would furnish the most creditable 
of these contributions it was insisted that they should so be places as to 
challenge competition with the best of classified products, apart from 
distinction of sex. Premiums should be assigned only for the best in each 
class of articles, giving to 

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them additional value and perchance a world-wide repute; but in a 
competition solely of women's work, awards would be made of inferior 
products — inferior, that is, from a general competition point of view, 
thus detracting from the value of prizes for the more finished grades. 
Moreover, a large percentage of the world's industrial products, 
especially in the line of manufactures, results from the joint labor of 
men and women, so that none can distinguish the work accomplished by 
either. To exhibit merely what woman alone has accomplished would, as the 
managers states, "Result in so meagre and unjust a representation of their 
usefulness as to do them great discredit." Nevertheless in the Woman's 
building are to be found some of the most interesting features of the 
Fair, some of the noblest inspirations of woman's genius. Of these I shall 
have occasion to speak in connection with the principal exhibits. 

As to the ulterior objects of the Board, it was, as they remarked, "One of 
the cherished ideals to remove the present erroneous and injurious 
impression that women are doing little skilled labor, or little steady and 
valuable work, and that they consequently are not to be taken seriously 
into consideration when dealing with industrial problems; that they will 
never learn to do anything thoroughly well, and that therefore the small 
compensation given them is a just and proper equivalent for their 
services, because they have no abstract commercial value. An effort would 
be made to demonstrate that their labor is a fixed and permanent element, 
and an important factor in the industrial world and must be carefully 
studied in its relation to the general whole. Upon a strong presentation 
of the facts it was hoped that a healthy public sentiment might be created 
which would condemn the disproportionate wages paid men and women for 
equal services. The board particularly wished to call attention to the 
necessity of providing technical training to fit women to occupy superior 
positions, and to elevate them above the plane of drudgery which they 
still occupy in many industries. Special interest would be felt in all 
technical schools in which designing, pattern-making, and applied art were 
taught, as well as those which looked to better and more economical 
methods in housekeeping, cooking, sanitation, and all that tends to 
increase the comfort and attractiveness of even the simplest homes." 

With these ends in view the cooperation was invited of women and 
associations of women in every quarter of the world, especially those 
engaged in rare and interesting kinds of work. Foreign committees, acting 
in conjunction with the Board, were requested to make applications for 
space, such as would insure a proper representation of all the branches of 
industry to which the women of their country contributed. Excellent 
suggestions were forwarded by official circular to lady managers in the 
various states as to the organization of state boards, with their sphere 
and mode of action, especially as to the raising of funds. Commissions of 
women acting in unison with the Chicago board were asked to recommend for 
exhibition articles of unusual excellence produced by female hands; but no 
inferior specimens would be admitted from sentimental or other motives. To 
women's organizations throughout the Unites States, "for the promotion of 
charitable, philanthropic, intellectual, sanitary, hygienic, industrial, 
or social and moral reform movements" circulars were addressed soliciting 
information to be used in a catalogue of such organizations. Together with 
data collected from every country in the world, this information was to be 
published in encyclopedic form, including, as the managers promised, the 
fullest record of woman's work, and of the good accomplished by women, 
that had ever been presented to the public, the volumes to be distributed 
gratuitously or at a nominal price in the Woman's building. All these and 
a thousand other matters received the careful and intelligent 
consideration of the Board of Lady Managers. As to enterprise, 
forethought, and executive ability their administration compared favorably 
with that of any department in the Exposition. 

As to the reception accorded in foreign lands to the invitation of the 
Board of Lady Managers, it may first of all be stated that never before in 
the history of the world's international expositions has so much interest 
been taken in a display of woman's work. In many European countries 
committees were organized, including some of the most able and 
distinguished women; societies were formed to promote the interests of 
women in various branches of industry, and circulars were widely 
distributed explaining the purposes of the Board. Not alone from Europe 
came the foreign participants in this department, but from Mexico, Japan 
and elsewhere were forwarded applications for space, the empress of the 
latter country supplying from her own purse the means for an elaborate 
display. 

The president of the English committee was Princess Christian of Schleswig-
Holstein, third daughter of the queen, and among the members the duchess 
of Salisbury, the countess of Aberdeen, the baroness Burdett-Coutts, and 
Lady Churchill. Germany was represented by Princess Friederich Carl, of 
Prussia; France by Madame Carnot; Russia by her empress; Italy, Belgium, 
and Holland by their respective queens, and thus to royal and other 

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personages throughout the world spread the current enthusiasm. By the 
English committee application was made and granted for sufficient space in 
the Woman's building to permit a complete representation of the hospital 
department of the Royal British Nurse's Association. By the baroness 
Burdett-Coutts, as its president, was personally superintended the 
arrangement of the philanthropic section of the English women's display. 
In Prussia the best specimens of woman's work, with statistics of woman's 
progress were most carefully collected. From Berlin came word that all 
women's associations for charity, industry, and art would be represented 
in the German commission. All these and a score of other instances 
attested the world-wide interest aroused by the Board of Lady Managers. 

Nor did the Board forget to provide for the less fortunate of their sex 
who visited the Fair by thousands — the workwomen of the United States, 
many of whom, after contributing their skilled labor to some of the most 
interesting of the exhibits, possessed but the scantiest of means for a 
trip to the great Exposition. For this purpose was organized the Woman's 
Dormitory Association, with a capital of $150,000, in shares of $10 each, 
such shares to be received in payment for accommodations to be furnished 
in buildings adjacent to the grounds. Thus, at a cost of some forty cents 
a day, the holders of single shares were provided with comfortable rooms 
under matronly care. When vacancies occurred this privilege was extended 
to women who were not among the stockholders, but at slightly higher 
rates. 

For the care of children, special provision in the form of a children's 
home was made by the Board of Lady Managers, who took on themselves this 
necessary branch of the Exposition, since by the board of directors no 
plans were formulated, and no funds provided for the purpose. A site was 
granted adjacent to the Woman's building, on condition that money for a 
suitable edifice was secured within sixty days. This was raised, though 
with considerable difficulty, largely among mothers and educators in all 
portions of the United States, and in part among the children themselves, 
every child or children's club that subscribed even a single dollar 
receiving as a souvenir of the Fair a printed certificate stamped with the 
gold seal of the board. For the benefit of this most worthy enterprise a 
bazaar, of itself a miniature fair, was held in December, 1892, at the 
Chicago residence of Mrs. Potter Palmer, and thus thousands of dollars 
were added to the fund. Of the buildings and its contents, which formed in 
truth a most interesting exhibit, a description will be given in 
connection with that of the Woman's department. Suffice it here to say 
that the main purpose home was to provide for children the best of care 
and attention, while permitting their mothers or guardians to enjoy at 
will all the attractions of the place. But here was no repetition of such 
piteous spectacles as occurred in Paris during the Exposition of 1889, 
when more than three thousand infants were abandoned to the tender mercies 
of the creche. At Chicago the creche was merely an adjunct of the home, 
where children not less than one year old might be left under charge of 
trained and skillful nurses, with ample provision for all their wants. For 
the little ones were furnished amusements suited to their age, and for 
their mothers brief lectures 

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and simple practical illustrations of the best methods of educating and 
looking to the physical welfare of our future men and women. 

In connection with the management may here be mentioned the World's 
Congress Auxiliary, and adjunct duly authorized by the government and the 
Exposition authorities. Its purpose was to hold, during the term of the 
Fair, a series of conventions attended by the foremost men and women in 
every department of progress. As a supplement to the material display it 
was intended, as stated in the preliminary announcement, that "The 
wonderful achievements of the new age, in science, literature, education, 
government, jurisprudence, morals, charity, religion, and other 
departments of human activity, should also be conspicuously displayed as 
the most effective means of increasing the fraternity, progress, 
prosperity, and peace of mankind," In a word, it was proposed to lay 
before the world the most important results attained in the several 
departments of civilized life, voiced by the ablest living representatives 
whose attendance could be procured. And what is more, it was decided to 
publish the proceedings of the several conventions as a lasting memorial 
of the Exposition. It was a somewhat ambitious programme, but one that 
received the endorsement and cooperation of some of the foremost men and 
women in every sphere of human thought. 

By the directory, in conjunction with the Art Institute of Chicago, a 
memorial Art palace was erected, as I have said, on the shore of the lake, 
for the permanent occupation of the Institute, but first to be used by the 
Congress Auxiliary, with an auditorium for the larger conventions and 
smaller apartments for the divisions, committees, and councils. Not least 
among the objects to be obtained was the establishment of friendly 
relations among the intellectual leaders of the world, men for the most 
part known to each other only through the interchange of correspondence or 
of publications. It was also hoped to further the main objects of the Fair 
by aiding to form a brotherhood of the nations, and by banding the 
civilized peoples of the earth for the furtherance of the nobler aims of 
society. 

As to the scope and character of the conferences, the following extract 
from their general programme, issued in October, 1892, will serve as an 
indication: "The government of the United States, recognizing the World's 
Congress Auxiliary as the proper agency to conduct a series of 
international congresses in connection with the World's Columbian 
Exposition of 1893, has directed the diplomatic and consular officers of 
the United States in all countries to request that a convenient number of 
the most eminent representatives of the various departments of human 
progress be selected as delegates to attend the respective congresses by 
or under the direction of the government to which they are respectively 
accredited, in addition to those who will come as the representatives of 
the leading institutions and societies of different countries; and to 
extend the assurance that the largest practicable participation of foreign 
peoples and governments in the whole series of the congresses is 
especially desired; and that such cooperation on the part of other 
governments, will, it is confidently believed, tend in the highest degree 
to promote, strengthen, and extend those fraternal relations and mutual 
benefits which may now justly be regarded as the supreme object of 
international intercourse, and as involving a higher civilization and a 
broader human progress." 

By the central organization of the congresses themselves similar but more 
cordial invitations, couched in less pretentious phrase, were addressed to 
societies and individuals, the former being requested to appoint not only 
delegates but committees of cooperation, and by all other means within 
their power contribute to the success of the conferences. For, as they 
states, and that in no vein of self-conceit, "However great may be the 
honor and advantage which any nation will derive from a participation in 
the magnificent material exhibit already assured, it is not too much to 
say that a higher glory and more lasting benefits may be secured by 
sending its eminent men and women to take part in the world's congresses 
of 1893." 

The congresses were divided into two main classes of series, termed 
general 

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and special, the former presenting for consideration, somewhat after the 
fashion of popular lectures, and in suitable shape for extensive 
publication, topics in connection with the progress and problems of 
ancient and modern civilization. By the special conferences was to be 
considered a large variety of subjects, mentioned elsewhere in this 
chapter, among the more interesting being those in connection with 
scientific and religious associations, including the department of Sunday 
rest, by which the question was to be treated not only in its religious 
aspect, but in its physiological, economical, social, and ethical 
relations. 

Certain it is that if thorough organization is an element of success, that 
element is not found lacking in the World's Congress Auxiliary. In its 
seventeen departments there are no less than a hundred divisions, in all 
of which conventions are to be held, each division with its committee of 
arrangements, and each committee with its advisory council, the members of 
which are selected from every quarter of the world, and from those 
accepted as authorities on the subject to be presented for consideration. 
There is also a woman's branch, consisting of committees of women, who 
will meet in conference with those of the other sex whenever it may be 
deemed expedient. 

The following are among subjects to be brought before the various 
departments: On the 15th of May, 1893, the first congress would open with 
an exposition of woman's progress, embracing all the spheres in which 
women have achieved success, and to include a general congress of 
representative women gathered from all civilized countries. Later would be 
held congresses in connection with the public press, and with medicine and 
surgery. For June the chosen themes were temperance, moral and social 
reform, and commerce and finance; for July, music, literature and 
education; for August, engineering, art and architecture, government, 
science and philosophy, and a general department of subjects specially 
assigned. The September congresses would be devoted to the labor question 
and to religious topics, including missions and church societies; those of 
October to matters concerning public health, Sunday rest, and agriculture. 

The scope of the several departments was sufficiently comprehensive, 
including in each subject a number of subdivisions and kindred branches, 
either suggested or assigned. Taking, for instance, the department of 
literature, whose congresses were to open on the 10th of July, we find 
among its general divisions history, philology, authors, libraries, folk-
lore, and copyright, while by one of the committees was to be considered 
"the practicability of a common language for use in the commercial 
relations of the civilized world." By the president of the Auxiliary the 
following were suggested among others as appropriate themes for 
consideration. The influence of literature, the unities of language and 
literature; the condition and future of historical literature; the methods 
of historic research; the collection, arrangement, and management of 
libraries; the common interests of authors, and the protection of literary 
property. 

Not the least interesting feature in the department of literature is the 
folklore congress, organized by an advisory council selected from the most 
eminent men in folklore science. Letters were addressed to folklore 
societies, inviting their cooperation, and to individuals appeals were 
made, asking their participation in a project to which had already been 
promised the support of some of the foremost literary and scientific men. 
The subjects were arranged in the following chapters: I. Myths and 
traditional beliefs. II. Oral literature and folk music. III. Customs, 
institutions, and ritual. IV. Artistic, emblematic, and economic folk-
lore. Each chapter was divided into sections, and among the subjects 
included in the first were the origin of myths, the philosophy and faculty 
of myth-making, the survival of myths in history, nature myths, hero 
myths, and animal myths. Under the second heading were presented the 
relation of Indian, Negro, Mexican, and other native American legends to 
European legends; dialects, popular slang and argot, with their effect on 
language; folk rhyme and rhymed literature; the historical value of 
popular songs; and the bibliography of folklore. In the third division 
were contained a history of customs and institutions; the effect of 
particular customs on national character; Indian ceremonies; Voudou rites; 
totemism, castes, clan organization, and tribal relations. In the fourth 
chapter, the subjects of which were illustrated by ethnographic and 
archaeological collections, were divinities and cults; fetishes and 
amulets; emblems of command and servitude, of peace and war; and among 
those relating to superstitions and beliefs were witch-pins and 
instruments of torture, with iconographic representations of popular 
fanaticism. 

Thus it will be seen that the folklore congress by no means accepted as 
the scope of that science the definition of Dean French, who describes it 
as "The tales, legends, or superstitions long current among the people." 
In the list of subjects here presented is only a small portion of those 
suggested in the preliminary announcement of the congress, and yet in that 
announcement it was stated that the hundred or more questions 

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there submitted formed but the barest outline of the work. In other 
departments the programme was no less comprehensive. Take for instance 
that of government; as the general divisions we have jurisprudence and law 
reform; political and economic reform; city government; executive 
administration; intellectual property, and arbitration and peace. In the 
second of these were included political economy and economic science; 
social science; the single tax and other theories; public revenues; 
coinage; weights and measures; postal service; civil service reform; and 
the suffrage in republic, kingdoms, and empires. 

In the section devoted to education all its leading branches were 
embraced, from a university training to that of a kindergarten, with 
manual and art training, commercial and legal training, domestic and 
economic training, physical culture, and the instruction of the deaf and 
blind. At the close of several congresses was to be held the World's 
General Education Congress, at which all the departments of education 
would be suitably represented. In connection with the department of 
religion was to be convened, for the first time in the history of the 
world, an ecumenical council, at which would be present many of the 
leading representatives of the world's historic faiths. "If," say the 
committee in its first report, "not only Catholics and Protestants, Jews 
and representatives of the Greek church, but Buddhists, Brahmins, 
Confucians, Parsees, and Mohammedans shall sit together in frank and 
friendly conference over the great things of our common spiritual and 
moral life, this one fact will impart to the Columbian Exposition a great 
celebrity and importance." 

The meetings of all the congresses were to be open to the public, for 
whose accommodation there would be two main audience rooms, and a score at 
least of smaller ones, each of the former, where were to be discussed 
subjects of more general interest, being so arranged as to afford seats 
for about 3,000 persons. But discussion, in the broader sense of the term, 
would constitute no part of the programme formulated by this series of 
congresses; for, as their president remarked, "Unprepared discussion or 
miscellaneous debate would obviously be inconsistent with a plan of which 
the chief object is to procure the maturest thought of the world on all 
the great questions of the age, in a form best adapted to universal 
publication." 

How it was possible to do even scant justice to the endless multiplicity 
of subjects proposed by the various departments, and that without jar or 
repetition, is the problem that will first of all present itself to the 
reader; for there is hardly a branch of human knowledge, whether in 
science, art, or literature, in industrial pursuits, in commerce or 
finance, in government, in education, in religion or philosophy, that is 
not here represented. From the most abstruse of scientific, philosophical, 
and political questions, to topics in relation to temperance and 
vegetarian societies, nothing is omitted in the scope of these world-
embracing conferences, whose specific purpose, as briefly stated by 
themselves, is "to review the progress of mankind, and state the living 
problems now awaiting solution." But as with the Fair administration, so 
with the congresses, the members of both included not only men of culture 
but of wide experience and proved ability, men who possessed no only the 
faculty of planning, but the rarer faculty of organizing and carrying into 
effect. 

Of one thing the visitor could rest assured on entering the chambers of 
these conferences, and that is that he would not be bored. The themes were 
most carefully selected and arranged with a view to avoid iteration and 
prolixity, and at the same time to secure strength and as far as possible 
fullness of treatment. All lectures and discourses were strictly limited 
as to time; for, as stated in the general programme, "It would obviously 
be better, in a given hour, to have two or three compact papers from as 
many different leaders, than to give the time at command to one of them 
for a long discourse embracing several subjects." For the main object of 
the conferences, which were to 

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state results and consider the more important and interesting of social, 
political, and industrial problems, lengthy addresses would be out of 
place. They rather resembled, in this respect, those delivered at the 
Sunset Club of Chicago, whose postprandial discussions or talks, as they 
are termed, on subjects previously announced, are limited to twenty 
minutes for the leader and eight minutes for each of those who follow. 

The time remaining after each address was to be, at the discretion of the 
officer presiding, placed at the disposal of the most eminent among the 
participants at the several conferences. Buts, as the programme explained, 
"The summaries of progress to be presented, and the problems of the age to 
be stated in the World's Congresses of 1893, would be not submitted to the 
vote of those who might happen to be present, but would be offered for 
subsequent deliberate examination by the enlightened minds of all 
countries; for unrestricted discussion in the forum, the pulpit, and the 
public press, and finally for the impartial judgment of that exalted 
public opinion which expresses the consensus of such minds." 

In truth it was a worthy enterprise in which they were engaged, and their 
invitations and announcements were cordially received in every quarter of 
the world. Just as the visitor to the Columbian Exposition sees there the 
highest forms of development in the arts and sciences, the manufactures 
and industries of the world, so at its congresses he listens to 
descriptions of the progress and results achieved in every department of 
civilized life, voiced by some of the foremost exponents in every sphere 
of human activity, investigation, and research. As to the proceedings of 
the various congresses, I shall have occasion to speak in a later section 
of this work. 

By each department of the Exposition special regulations were framed, of 
which mention will be made in its place. Among the general rules 
prescribed by George R. Davis, the chief executive officer, with the 
sanction of the Board of Control, the following are worthy of note: The 
reception of exhibits would commence on the 1st of November, 1892, and 
would cease on the 10th of April, 1893, the limit of time for their 
admission being extended only some three weeks before the opening of the 
Fair, to t he thirtieth of the latter month. Exhibitors would not be 
charged for space, but must defray the expense of transportation, 
handling, arrangement and removal. A limited amount of power would be 
furnished free of cost, any excess to be supplied at Exposition prices. 
Permits would be given to exhibitors, specifying the location and space 
allotted to each, such permits to be non-transferable; all exhibits to be 
limited to the articles specified in the application, and if intended to 
compete for awards it must be so stated. No dangerous or offensive 
articles, among which latter were included patent medicines, nostrums, and 
other empirical preparations, would be admitted. Exhibitors' cards and 
circulars, intended for distribution, must be kept within their space, the 
right being reserved to discontinue this privilege whenever it became 
annoying to visitors. The commissioners would not be responsible for 
damage or destruction of exhibits, though 

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taking all reasonable precautions for their safety. No articles could be 
sold for removal before the close of the Fair, except by special 
concession or privilege granted by the committee on ways and means; but 
after the closing day, October 30, 1893, all exhibits should be removed as 
soon as possible, goods remaining on hand at the opening of the following 
year to be at the disposal of the management. 

As to state buildings, the regulations required that they should be 
tasteful in design, in harmony with their surroundings, and that their 
plans should be subject to the approval of the director-general and the 
chief of construction. Two or more states or territories might share a 
single building, and, under the control of the state board, but subject to 
the general rules prescribed for the Exposition; all such buildings were 
to be used as headquarters, and for the convenience and entertainment of 
visitors from the section of country which they represented. All exhibits 
intended to compete for prizes should be placed in the main buildings and 
grouped according to the official classification, except such as in the 
opinion of the director-general could only be displayed to advantage in 
the grounds. 

Of foreign commissioners it was required, among other provisions, that 
before the 1st of November 1892 they should forward to the director-
general plans displaying the method of distributing the space assigned to 
them, with lists of exhibitors and other necessary information. Exhibits 
landed at original ports of entry would be allowed to go forward to the 
grounds under the supervision of customs officers without examination and 
duty free, except for articles intended for sale in the United States. If 
exhibits were intended to compete for medals or diplomas, it must be so 
stated by the exhibitors. The arrangement of all exhibits and decorations 
must conform with the general plan of the directorate. Foreign 
commissions, or such agents as they might designate, would be held 
responsible for the reception and removal of goods; and should no 
authorized person be present to receive them, they would at once be placed 
in storage at the risk and expense of whomsoever it might concern. 

The arrangement made by the several departments for the accommodation and 
protection of exhibitors left nothing to be desired. For a year or more 
the Traffic department, of which Elbert E. Jaycox was appointed manager, 
was in communication, directly or indirectly, with at least one thousand 
railroad companies, and with the hundreds of steamship companies whose 
vessels ply on American waters, with a view to secure the most favorable 
rates for transportation and travel. After much tedious negotiation, 
though in a measure simplified by the traffic associations through which 
business was conducted with the principal railroad systems, a general 
arrangement was made for the return of the exhibits free of cost on 
condition that full rates were paid for their carriage to Chicago, and 
that meanwhile their ownership remained unchanged. With many of the minor 
roads, from which no large business in this direction could be expected, 
more favorable terms were made. By South American railway and steamship 
companies, liberal reductions were granted in their freight and passenger 
schedules. With transoceanic steamship lines, and with coast , lake, and 
other transportation companies, a general rate was established of $2.50 a 
ton, all of them showing a disposition to meet the wishes of the 
management. 

By some of the railroad systems of the United States a reduction was made 
of from a fifth to a third on their regular passenger fares, with return 
tickets available for two or more months from the 1st of May; but in this 
respect the railroad corporations were less liberal than in their rates on 
transportation, some of them making only slight concessions, and others 
none at all. By several of these companies it was urged that there was no 
good reason why railroad charges should be reduced, while there would be 
no reduction, but rather an advance in those of hotels and boarding 
houses, especially as under their usual tariff they would have all the 
traffic they could handle. On the other hand, to put the matter on no 
higher grounds, it is certain that a moderate concession would have been 
more than compensated by increase in the volume of travel, not only to and 
from Chicago, but between other points of attraction. As to inability to 
handle this traffic, the fact that many months before the opening of the 
Exposition a single firm was manufacturing cars at the rate of seventy-
five a day, does not point in that direction. At the London exhibition of 
1851 passengers were carried to and from north of England cities, a 
distance of 500 to 600 miles, at the rate of a quarter of a cent a mile, 
even that rate yielding, it was said, a not inconsiderable profit. As a 
result, although Asiatic cholera prevailed at the time, the attendance was 
larger than at the Paris Exposition held four years later, almost as large 
as the London Exposition of 1861, both of them far superior in spectacular 
and artistic display, and though open for the smallest number of days, 
was, from a financial point of view, the most successful of all the great 
world's fairs. 

As to the charges of the transportation department itself, for the 
reception and handling of exhibits on the Exposition grounds, a rate was 
announced in January 1893 of six cents fro 100 pounds, with a minimum of 
fifty cents for single packages, and an extra rate for exhibits exceeding 
fifteen tons in weight, arrangements for the reception of the latter to be 
made in advance with the managers. Similar charges must be paid on the 
removal of exhibits, but in neither case did such charges apply to those 
of states and territories or of foreign powers whose exhibits would be in 
charge of officials appointed by themselves. Finally, no duty would be 
exacted on foreign exhibits, except for those that might be sold within 
the limits of the United States, in which case they would be subject to 
the regular custom dues. 

Of the facilities for reaching the city of the Fair, and for making the 
tour of the city, brief mention has already been made; and assuredly there 
could be no cause of complaint in this connection. At the 

Page 79

Paris Exposition of 1889 the daily attendance was on an average more than 
137,000, and on the closing day reached what was then the unprecedented 
total of 400,000 visitors. But Chicago proposed to handle, if necessary, a 
passenger traffic of 100,000 an hour; nor was this an idle boast when we 
consider her railroad and street-car system, together with the lake 
steamers utilized for the purposes of the Fair. 

In other departments, whether pertaining to the Exposition proper or to 
the thousand ramifications connected therewith, there has been such 
thorough organization and such close attention to detail that, as it would 
seem, only one of three contingencies could stand in the way of success. 
These were an outbreak of Asiatic cholera, a railroad strike, and a 
conflagration. On the first it is not my purpose further to remark; but as 
to the last it may be stated that all possible precautions were taken. In 
the autumn of 1892 a committee of insurance men was appointed to make a 
careful inspection of the fire department, and this is what they reported; 
There was first of all a strong and reliable corps of firemen, drilled up 
to the highest standard of efficiency, equipped with the best appliances, 
well distributed throughout the grounds, and with a force on duty by day 
and night. There were fire buckets by the thousand; there were Babcock 
extinguishers without number; chemical engines by the score, with hose 
lines reaching to the top of the tallest structure, and with a water 
supply of more than 64,000,000 gallons a day; there was a fire-boat in the 
grand canal, with powerful pumps and half a mile of hose, ready for 
instant service. Finally there was an excellent system of electric 
signals, with fire alarm boxes at all necessary points, and with men 
always ready and able to work them. With such precautions it is no wonder 
that the amount of insurance carried on the buildings during the 
construction period did not exceed two or three millions; but this was 
largely increased when the temples of industry were completed and filled 
with their precious contents. 

For the safety of the public, both as to person and property, due 
precautions were also taken. For special duty at the Fair there was a 
large and well disciplined force of police, and to act in conjunction with 
them and with the fire department was organized the Columbian guard, 
mustering during the Fair from 2,000 to 2,500 men, under command of 
Colonel Edmund Rice, a Gettysburg veteran of the 19th Massachusetts 
volunteers. The Guard was divided into companies conveniently distributed 
through the grounds, two on patron duty, one at each of the gates, one or 
more at each of the various buildings, one for secret service or detective 
duty, and with a strong service always held in hand for emergencies. In 
the use of appliances for suppressing fires they were so thoroughly 
drilled and so on the alert that only once between June and December of 
1892, on an October day, when the dome of the Machinery Hall was 
threatened with destruction, were the services of the regular fire 
department required. Meanwhile they extinguished countless incipient 
fires, such as were almost inevitable where as many as 12,000 men were 
employed at a time, and in so doing more than once saved the city of the 
Fair from a Chicago conflagration. 

To the guards is intrusted the safe keeping of everything on the grounds 
whether in the shape of buildings, exhibits, or other public or personal 
property, and as they were guardians of the place during the construction 
period, when accidents were of frequent occurrence, so to their care and 
protection is committed the army of visitors during the term of the Fair. 
In case of need patrol wagons can be had at a moment's notice; thieves and 
disorderly characters are promptly given into custody, and in the even of 
more serious trouble a strong force can be at once dispatched from 
headquarters, with which there is instant communication from every quarter 
of the grounds. If required thus to act, the men are expected to restore 
order merely by force of numbers, no weapon being carried except a small 
sword, and that more for ornament than 

Page 80

use. For their appearance, discipline, intelligence, and zeal, the 
Columbian guards are among the interesting features, and never perhaps was 
organized for such a purpose a more efficient body of men. All were 
subjected to a critical test before being appointed, and were required to 
furnish proof of good character, ability, and habits. They must be at 
least five feet eight inches in height, of good physique, and not less 
than twenty-one nor more than thirty-five years of age. Many of them had 
served in the ranks of the army, and not a few in the navy; there are ex-
army and ex-police officers, men from every state in the Union and from a 
score of foreign nations, college graduates and linguists who converse in 
a dozen different tongues, all selected as the best among many thousand 
applicants, all of them competent, thoroughly equipped, and kept ever on 
the alert by a constant system of drill and inspection. 

For the headquarters of the police, the Columbian guards, and the Fire 
department, together with those of the chief of construction, an edifice 
called the Service building was erected near the Festival hall and the 
Horticultural building. Here also is the hospital in charge of Dr. John E. 
Owens, its medical director, and with the most complete of modern 
appointments. Here were treated, during the construction period, from 200 
to 300 patients, most of them suffering from the effects of injuries 
caused not from lack of precautions, but by the fact that the men were not 
accustomed to work on structures of such vast proportions. By the Woman's 
building is another so-called model hospital, a term by no means 
inappropriate, for both as to service and equipments, everything of the 
best has been provided, with physicians and trained nurses, and wiht 
arrangements so perfect that this is of itself in the nature of an 
exhibit. In a room devoted to the purpose are couches and hospital beds 
for such cases of sudden indisposition or accident as do not require 
serious treatment. Hither come or are conveyed those afflicted with sudden 
faintness or hysteria, and here the aged or inform may find a resting 
place at any hour of the day. 

A feature of the Fair is the five acres of dining and refreshment rooms, 
for such is the floor space set apart for these important adjuncts. There 
are twenty-seven restaurants and cafes, with one hundred and fifteen 
dining-rooms, with tables set forth from kitchens as complete as those of 
a hotel, with seats for 8,000 persons, and with more than 1,000 waiters 
and cooks. They are well distributed throughout the grounds, the best 
being that of the Administration building, near the common terminus of the 
several railroad lines by which the place is approached. There are many 
smaller restaurants, for the most part in 

Page 81

connection with state or foreign buildings; there are lunch counters, each 
having some specialty, and in the Dairy building is a luncheon room where 
articles of food prepared from the choices products of the dairy are set 
before the visitors. In a word the pilgrim to the great show can find 
within its gates such diet as suits his palate and purse. By those to whom 
concessions are granted for such purposes, a percentage of the receipts, 
usually a quarter, was made payable to the management, thus furnishing a 
considerable source of revenue. 

In this connection a word may be said as to newspaper and other unfounded 
reports of extortion to which visitors would be subjected at the Fair. 
Doubtless there was many a scheme for fleecing the unwary; but he who 
permitted himself to be fleeced had only himself to blame. By the Bureau 
of public comfort under charge of W. Marsh Carson, a systematic canvass 
was made of the city with a view to provide at moderate rates the best 
possible accommodation for the expected army of sightseers. As the result 
rooms were secured for many thousands of persons in some of the best 
residence sections of the city at an average daily rate of $1.35 for each 
person, such rooms to be at the disposal of those who engage them directly 
at the bureau. This rate did not, of course, apply to first class hotels 
or to the more expensive buildings erected in the neighborhood of Jackson 
Park. On the other hand accommodations could be had in less fashionable 
suburbs at lower prices, and by visitors who preferred the seclusion and 
economy of private rooms there was no difficulty in finding quarters to 
suit their taste. 

The financial affairs of the Exposition are conducted by some of the 
ablest of Chicago's business men, and with consummate ability. When first 
the project of a world's fair began to take shape, the outlay was 
estimated at $5,000,000, or much below that of Philadelphia of 1876 and 
the Paris Exposition of 1889. But, in keeping with their world-wide 
reputation for enterprise, the people of Chicago would brook no unseemly 
stint or false economy. Before the buildings were completed it was known 
that the affair would cost nearly twice as much as any exhibition which 
had been held in the history of the world. Its grounds were to occupy 
nearly four times as many acres, and its area under roof was to be twice 
as great as at any former exhibition, while at no other was there so large 
a proportion of foreign participants. 

Before the passage in April 1890 of the act of congress authorizing the 
enterprise funds were procured, as we have seen, to the amount of $10,000,
000, of which one-half was voted in bonds by the city council of Chicago, 
and the other half, later increased by nearly another million, through 
subscriptions to the capital stock. By the sale of debenture bonds was 
realized $4,000,000; by the United States was appropriated under the 
provisions of the act, $1,500,000 for its own building and exhibit, 
together with incidental expenses and labor, and without including such 

Page 82

premiums, $2,500,000 in the shape of 5,000,000 souvenir coins, from the 
sale of which it was expected that an equal amount would be secured in 
premiums, making in all a total of $19,000,000. The cost of construction 
and operation, including all expenses until the closing day, were 
estimated at $21,250,000, leaving a deficit of only $2,250,000, without 
taking into account any of the sources of income. As to the estimates of 
that income formed by the management, a comparison may later be made with 
the actual results. 

In connection with the financial aspect, it may here be mentioned that, as 
the opening day drew nigh, reports were circulated that the enterprise was 
bankrupt. So far from being in such a strait, it was officially stated 
that in February 1893 the management had in bank a balance of $2,500,000, 
with more than another million in unsold bonds, and that at no time had 
the balance to its credit been less than $1,500,000. Nevertheless, to meet 
the expenditure still to be incurred, congress had been asked to advance 
as a loan $5,000,000, to be repaid from the income. Considering that 
Chicago had already advanced nearly $11,000,000, and that conservative 
estimates placed the receipts from all sources at about $4,000,000 above 
the total outlay, the application was by no means unreasonable. Moreover, 
it should be remembered that many millions had been expended, and that 
many more were yet to be expended by the people of our own and foreign 
lands, either as participants or visitors, and that the enterprise would 
largely increase the sale of American goods in existing markets, and open 
to them new markets in every quarter of the world. 

By the states and territories of this republic, and by foreign nations, 
including local and individual subscriptions, it is probably that not less 
than $13,000,000 was added to the amount expended on the proposition, 
making a total outlay of some $32,000,000 before its opening day. Never 
before, even at the Paris Exposition of 1889, were foreign contributions 
so numerous and on so liberal a scale, more than fifty foreign nations and 
colonies being represented, and with appropriations ranging from $800,000 
for that of Germany to $1,200, for the Danish West Indies. 

Looking at it merely from a financial point of view, all the vast sums 
expended on its buildings and exhibits, on the transportation, custody, 
and safe return of its myriads of groups, with other incidental expenses, 
formed but a small percentage of the aggregate to be disbursed by the 
visitors themselves. By these visitors large amounts would be distributed 
among the hotels, boarding-houses, restaurants, stores, theatres, 
transportation and other companies, and individuals that catered to the 
needs, amusements, and caprices of this gathering of the nations. Among 
these were not included the many thousands whose homes were within easy 
reach of Chicago, and by whom would be greatly increased the amount of 
this expenditure and the volue of attendance. 

Finally, it may be remembered that, in expending thrice the sums devoted 
to any previous exposition, the management knew perfectly well what they 
were about. They merely cast upon the waters bread that would return to 
them before many days with tenfold its former bulk; for should the 
monetary affairs of the enterprise result in financial loss, the benefits 
that would accrue indirectly, nor merely the number of dollars that would 
find their way into Chicago vaults, but the stimulus imparted to 
industries, the quickening of the pulse of commerce, the reputation 
acquired 

Page 83

for Chicago's products and for the products of the great west in all the 
markets of the world, the concentration of interest, for however brief a 
period, on a city that fifty years ago was almost unknown beyond a radius 
of as many miles, here are some of the results that will remain and bear 
fruit for may a cycle after the last vestige of this great display has 
disappeared from the face of the earth. 

Let us not judge merely from the utilitarian point of view, and most of 
all let us not judge solely in relation to the influence on foreign 
countries, but rather in relation to the influence on our own community. 
Says a well known writer, in considering what the Columbian Exposition 
would do for America: "Its national will be of far more vital importance 
than its international effect. What we chiefly wish to lay stress upon is 
its claim upon Americans as a very beautiful spectacle, and still more 
forcible, its claim upon Americans as a very instructive spectacle. It 
will delight their eyes as nothing else has done. It will teach them the 
nature and value of art as nothing else could do. And it will confirm and 
increase their faith in those democratic institutions which once more, in 
a new field, have proved themselves capable of a magnificent, an unrivaled 
achievement." 

As to awards and medals, it was decided, after much discussion, that they 
should be distributed among every class of exhibits. By congressional act 
of April 1890 it was provided that the national commission should, among 
other functions, "appoint all judges and examiners for the Exposition and 
award all premiums, if any." At a later session of the national 
legislature $100,000 was appropriated for the casting of 50,000 bronze 
medals and for 50,000 diplomas, this but a small portion of the outlay to 
be incurred by the committee of awards. By many of the exhibitors protests 
were made against awards of any kind, some of them even threatening to 
withdraw their exhibits on the ground that they had everything to lose and 
nothing to gain by their goods being classed with those of inferior grade. 
This question determined, came the method of granting awards, whether by 
what were termed, in self-explanatory phrase, the single judge or the jury 
system, the latter the one adopted at former international exhibitions. 
The former provoked no little opposition, not only from exhibitors, but 
from the director-general and the chiefs of departments, whose tables were 
covered with written protests and offers to withdraw applications for 
exhibiting space. Especially were artists opposed to the single judge 
system, refusing to submit their work to the judgment of any single member 
of their profession. By the head of the Fine Arts department it was stated 
before the Board of Control that the adoption of this system would leave 
the galleries of the Art Palace almost bare of the choicest works of 
living artists. Finally it was determined to place all decisions in the 
hands of juries, competitors to state their intention to compete for 
prizes, a written report to be filed in each instance, stating why an 
award had been made or withheld, and with right of appeal to the executive 
committee, by whom a re-examination might be ordered. In the interests of 
American artists and of the Department of Fine Arts advisory committees 
and juries of selection were established in the principal art centres of 
Europe and the United States. Of the organization and functions of these 
committees mention will be made in connection with art exhibits. 

As the question of opening the gates on Sundays was one which gave rise to 
much acrimonious discussion, it may here be stated that although they were 
opened, the work of employees was reduced to a minimum, and with none of 
the machinery or manufacturing and other processes in operation. Certain 
it is that nothing of a boisterous or demoralizing character is permitted 
on any day of the week, and least of all on the Sabbath. In answer to the 
countless petitions and protests that were forwarded to the management in 
this relation, it may be said that few employees are required to work on 
the Sabbath; that their task is for the most part merely nominal; that 
they are allowed some other week day of rest; that it requires no more 
attendants for a hundred thousand visitors to the Exposition than for a 
hundred thousand visitors at other and perhaps more questionable places of 
amusement; that the Fair is the most liberal of all educational agencies; 
finally that here can be read some of the noblest sermons preached since 
the great 

Page 84

Nazarene delivered from the Judean mount the most sublime discourse that 
ever fell from the lips of man or saint or angel. 

Among the most attractive phases of the Exposition are the musical 
entertainments held in the Festival hall, a vast amphitheatre at the 
southern extremity of Jackson Park, with accommodation for an audience of 
10,000 or more. Grand choruses were carefully drilled for the purpose, and 
here are heard some of the finest military bands in the world, those of 
France, Germany, England, and other foreign nations, together with the 
choicest in the United States, taking part in a series of popular concerts 
such as have seldom been heard before. At the north end of the peristyle 
which spans the entrance to the lagoon is the Music Hall intended for 
professionals and connoisseurs, where are frequent opportunities to listen 
to some of the foremost artists in the world, with programmes of the 
highest standard, such as rank with the most memorable performances in the 
history of vocal and instrumental art. Here is also the Recital Hall for 
smaller concerts, and distributed throughout the grounds are music stands 
for the accommodation of the various bands, among others present being 
that of the garde du corps of Emperor William. 

As announced by Theodore Thomas, the musical director of the Exposition, 
it was proposed by the bureau of music to group all illustrations and 
performances around two central ideas; first, "to make a complete showing 
to the world of musical progress in this country in all grades and 
departments from the lowest to the highest; second, to bring before the 
people of the United States a full illustration of music in its highest 
forms, as exemplified by the most enlightened nations of the world." By a 
commissioner despatched to Europe to invite the participation of 
distinguished composers, such favorable answers were received as permitted 
a succession of international concerts, where might be heard the best that 
each nation could produce. By the bureau itself invitations were forwarded 
to the principal choral societies throughout the country, where 
cooperation was requested, not only for their love of art, but for the 
opportunity thus to show to the world the artistic excellence already 
attained by our own musical organizations. Not the least interesting 
feature in this department are the bi-monthly concerts in the Woman's 
building, at which only female amateurs of the foremost rank are allowed 
to take part. 

World's Fair Miscellany 

The management of the World's Fair was partially modelled after that of 
the Paris Exposition of 1889. To gather details as to the operation of the 
latter, Edward T. Jeffery, a member of the Board of Reference and Control, 
was sent to the French capital with several assistants, and returned with 
a valuable report. 

Among the vice-presidents of the Board of Lady Managers is one of the 
leading journalists of the southern states, who also manages a large and 
profitable sugar plantation. 

Although it is the policy of the management closely to restrict the sale 
of merchandise and even curiosities within the grounds, exhibits may be 
used as samples, from which orders may be filled elsewhere. While this 
will not be encouraged it cannot be prevented for it is a matter over 
which the authorities have no control. 

Many exhibits were delayed by the non-payment of charges from Chicago to 
Jackson Park, the authorities refusing in all cases to advance such 
charges. 

Early in March 1893 the jury on fine arts met in the building of the Art 
Institute to select from a large number of American pictures offered by 
intending exhibitors those worthy of exhibiting space. In New York, 
Philadelphia, and Boston there were local juries, to whom were submitted 
the works of artists in the states which those cities represented. 

One of the most interesting features in the programme of the Congress 
Auxiliary is the Youth's Congress, composed of a small number of the 
brightest and most promising students, chosen from all the principal 
nations of the world; those from foreign lands to be selected by their 
ministers of education; those from the United States by state 
superintendents of education; but none to be less than thirteen nor more 
than twenty years of age. At their sessions will be present some of the 
foremost teachers and writers of the age, and it is intended that the 
students themselves will take part in the discussions. As stated by the 
committee of organization, "It is purposed to draw together the worthiest 
and the most talented youth of all lands, the coming leaders of mankind, 
that they may be led to realize, as could not otherwise be possible, the 
meaning and the worth of the fellowship of nations and the brotherhood of 
man." 

Of Colonel Rice, commander of the Columbian guards, it should be said that 
on the field of Gettysburg none rendered better service than he and his 
men of the 19th Massachusetts volunteers. When the union lines were broken 
by Pickett's column, this corps placed itself in the gap, and for a time 
withstood alone the enemy's fire at a distance of fifteen paces, half the 
regiment being killed or wounded, and among the latter Colonel Rice, who 
fell in front of his regiment, with one foot on the body of a prostrate 
foe. Presently reenforcements arrived, and thus the day was saved. The 
Columbian guards may be recognized by their uniform of light blue, the 
tunic ornamented with rows of black braid, and the cap with crossed gun 
and sword after the fashion of Columbus' time. They are empowered to make 
arrests, offenders merely against the rules of the Exposition being 
expelled from the grounds, while those who transgress the laws of city or 
state are turned over to the police. 

Page 85

To the police force of Chicago large and necessary additions were made for 
the occasion. By the chief of police it was stated in December 1892 that 
no city in the world had, in relation to size and local conditions, so 
small a body of police as Chicago. But if small in number they were 
efficient, as was shown during the several days of the dedication 
ceremonies, when crowds were handled with care and discretion, and 
criminals so carefully watched that few cases of robbery occurred. 

Opposite the Fisheries Building, and on the other side of the water-way, 
is the live-saving station, a necessary adjunct, when it is considered 
that the lagoons and canals are crowded with hundreds of craft, many of 
them of the frailest description. To provide against serious accidents 
through the collision or capsizing of boats every precaution was taken, 
the station being in charge of the government and well manned and 
equipped. 

Adjacent to the grounds is an encampment of the National guard, where are 
contingents from many of the states and territories. It was at one time 
proposed to hold a camp of instruction, at which 50,000 men would be 
present; but though an imposing feature, it was rejected on the grounds of 
expense, the difficulty of finding suitable and sufficient space for 
manoeuvring, and of instructing and handling such a force so as to make 
their manoeuvres effective. 

With railway companies arrangements were made whereby excursion trains, by 
whatever road they might reach Chicago, would run to the grounds without 
transfer of passengers. 

There are in Chicago nearly 1,400 hotels of every size and grade, with 
spare room sufficient for at least 150,000 extra quests; this in addition 
to innumerable boarding and private houses where quarters may be had. Of 
restaurants and cafes there are also about 1,000, whose capabilities are 
almost unlimited. For a single hotel project nearly $200,000 was collected 
in small subscriptions paid in advance as room rent, before even ground 
had been broken. 

On the books of the bureau of public comfort is a list of several thousand 
rooms, with their prices, locations, and conveniences, any of which may be 
engaged by visitors either personally or by letter. After making their 
selection they receive a permit to occupy the chosen apartments, paying 
their rent to the bureau, which deals directly with the landlord. By the 
Chicago Inter Ocean a bureau was established and correspondence invited as 
to accommodations, exhibits, concessions and other matters pertaining to 
the Fair. Such correspondence was to be directed to the World's Fair 
department of that journal, and would be answered without other charge 
than that of the stamps which must be inclosed for reply. 

Early in 1893 many millions of tickets were ordered by the management, the 
first installment to be delivered on April 1st, and the remainder as 
needed. These tickets were required not only for sale to visitors, but by 
merchants for advertising purposes, and as souvenirs and curiosities. 

It has been stated that $1,000,000 will be realized from the privileges of 
selling pop-corn, soda-water, and lemonade, more than half the proceeds of 
which go into the Exposition treasury. By a peanut vender, it is said, 
seventy percent of the gross returns was offered and refused, though with 
a guarantee that his total payments should not fall short of $140,000. To 
another applicant was granted the sole right of keeping wheeled chairs on 
the grounds, of which are provided no less than 2,400; horse vehicles are 
not admitted within the inclosure. To pay the cost of these chairs and of 
their attendants, and to meet his obligations to the management, it is 
stated that the receipts of this man must reach $1,000,000. 

From the commencement of work on the grounds and buildings up to the 
middle of December 1892, John E. Owens, director of the medical bureau, 
reported 23 deaths, 2,092 cases requiring surgical treatment, and 1,703 
needing medical treatment; but as to the surgical cases most of them were 
of slight injuries. Nevertheless the casualties were greater in proportion 
than those which have occurred on many an historic battlefield. The 
largest number of accidents occurred at the manufactures building, where 
nine men lost their lives, most of them by falling from great heights. No 
spectators had been injured except at the dedication services, and that so 
many of the workmen suffered was due, as I have said, to carelessness and 
inexperience, and not to any want of precaution. 



Page 86

Chapter the Sixth:
From the Dedication to the Opening - The Naval Review

The three October days of the dedication ceremonies, from the 20th to the 
22nd of that month, were days that will long be remembered in the annals 
of the Garden city, the business portions of which were almost concealed 
by their wealth of decorations. Never before had there here been witnessed 
a spectacle, or rather a series of spectacles, at once so dignified, 
brilliant, and impressive, and never had been gathered from our own and 
foreign lands so great an assemblage of eminent men. To thousands 
invitations had been extended, and by nearly all accepted, including among 
other the president of the United States and his cabinet, - the former 
detained by domestic affliction, - the vice-president, ex-presidents Hayes 
and Cleveland, the judges of the supreme court, the members of congress, 
the governors of states and territories, the foreign diplomatic corps, the 
envoys of foreign powers, army and navy officers, and the foremost 
representatives of commerce and industry, of science, art, and education 
from every land.

A gray autumnal sky ushered in the morn of the 20th, when half a million 
of Chicago's citizens filled the streets at every point of vantage from 
which could be witnessed a parade of civic, fraternal, and other 
organizations, 80,000 strong, passing in review before the vice-president 
of the United States. At noon, when the streets were cleared without 
disorder, all the invited guests, except those who took part in the 
procession, were assembled on the main stand, where a few minutes later 
were heard the sweet, fresh voices of children singing the national 
anthem. Then came a brief interval of silence, as from his box, seated 
side by side with the nation's vicegerent, the director-general of the 
Exposition gave forth a signal that the great civic army was approaching. 
Following a squadron of mounted police came a band playing "La Belle 
Chicago," a 

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melody composed for the occasion, and next the band of the Mexican 
republic, permitted, at the request of President Diaz, than whom no 
foreign potentate has displayed a deeper interest in the World's Fair, to 
participate in its initial ceremonies. Then as chief marshal rode General 
Miles, in front of his numerous staff, attired in civilian garb, and 
riding the sorrel charger which has shared with him the hardships of many 
an Indian campaign. Next came in view the head of the first grand 
division, composed of the city officials and the members of the city 
council, escorted by six platoons of the Chicago hussars, mounted on coal-
black steeds, and with a rear-guard of grand army men and sailors, all 
veterans of the civil war. 

At the head of the second division, preceded by the Pullman band, came the 
Italian societies, carrying the banners of their native or adopted land, 
and after them the legion of Garibaldi, followed by other military 
companies, mounted and on foot. Then, drawn by ten horses, was a huge 
canvas in the form of a float, representing a rock-bound coast, and beyond 
it the Santa Maria tossing amid the waves, her sailors dressed in the garb 
of the Columbian era. Next appeared the governors of states, headed by 
those of Delaware and Pennsylvania, and in the carriage of the latter 
General Snowdon, by whom were suppressed the Homestead riots. Much 
cheering greeted the advent of Governor Bulkeley and his Connecticut 
footguards, attired in the uniform of French grenadiers in the days of 
Louis XVI, when first the corps was organized. With still louder cheering 
were saluted Governor Russell, the boy ruler, as he is termed, of the Bay 
state, and Governor Flower of the Empire state, the acclamations lasting 
until both were well out of sight. No less hearty was the welcome accorded 
to the governors of Ohio, Iowa, and other states, but above all to the 
governor of Illinois, who rode without staff or escort, merely raising his 
hat as he passed the reviewing stand. 

After the procession of governors came what was to the more thoughtful 
among the multitude one of the most interesting features of the parade. 
Preceded by their own band, headed by their principal, and dressed in 
neat, new uniforms were several companies of Indian students from the 
industrial school at Carlisle in Pennsylvania. The leading company carried 
slates and school-books; the second, type galleys; the third, implements 
or products of agriculture, and the rest, such specimens or tools as 
represented their various pursuits. Halting in front of the grand stand, 
they performed a series of military evolutions with a rapidity and 
precision which won the applause of the observers. But how attractive 
soever this spectacle, it evoked as 

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much of sadness as of interest, for here in this handful of boys, some of 
them the sole survivors of nations now swept from the earth, were 
represented the few who had availed themselves of this boon of education 
which the government extends to the offspring of its meanest citizens. 

The order of Foresters formed the next division, the Illinois lodges being 
represented, with many from states adjoining. Other features of the 
procession were the Royal Orangemen, the members of athletic clubs in 
their gray gymnasium suits, followed by Highlanders, Norsemen, Danes, and 
Scandinavians in civil or military garb. The appearance of the sons of 
veterans was the signal for a discharge of miniature cannon, loaded with 
fire-crackers, and shot from a mammoth float, built in imitation of the 
Monitor, and manned by veterans of the Farragut post. There were cadets in 
blue and gray uniforms; there were the Riverview guards in zouave 
uniforms; there were colored troops, with a colored lodge of the knights 
of Pythias, and there were a thousand well-drilled youths from high 
schools, grammar schools, and training schools. Nor should we forget the 
Catholic division, which in number exceeded all the rest, including 
Catholic foresters and knights, members of the Catholic Benevolent league 
and of the ancient order of Hibernians, with thousands of others from 
almost every class and nation in the world. 

Though somewhat ponderous, and composed of such heterogeneous elements as 
had never before been grouped in the ranks of a parade, it was an 
interesting procession, one compared with which a military march is of 
small significance. Here was the initial celebration of the greatest of 
all human triumphs, the triumphs of peace, of arts and industries, greater 
than were ever achieved by the armies of a Caesar or a Scipio. Here were 
assembled people of all nationalities, ages, and conditions in life, from 
grizzled veterans of the civil war, bearing aloft their country's banner, 
to rosy-cheeked boys and girls, waving their miniature flags. Here in the 
same line marched the Teuton and Sclav, the Orangeman and Catholic, the 
African negro and the American Indian. Foes by heredity became as 
brothers, and under the colors of the great republic marched scores of 
thousands of foreign birth, whose forefathers had met on many a bloody 
field. The hatreds of jealousies of olden days were laid aside; for now 
all were Americans, native, naturalized, or by sympathy, all were freemen, 
and a proud of their citizenship as of their country. 

Before the sunrise on the 21st the inhabitants of Chicago were awakened by 
the deep-voiced intonation of artillery, announcing the anniversary of the 
day when, four centuries ago, the great discoverer set foot on the shore 
of this western wilderness. An hour later a million of people were in the 
streets, two-thirds of whom were journeying toward the place of the Fair, 
or to the park adjacent, where was to be held such a military parade as 
was never witnessed on the shores of Michigan. By noon at least a quarter 
of a million souls were gathered within the Exposition grounds, and then 
it was that their extent was for the first time fairly tested. So far from 
any symptom of crowding or inconvenience, it appeared rather as a holiday 
gathering and with ample room to spare. On entering the gates, the first 
question asked by visitors, one of another, was: "Where is the crowd?" 
But, as one of those aptly remarked, "You could put a million of people 
here before the place would have a crowded look." Thongs there were at 
times on the broad avenues and 

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esplanades, the wide bridges and spacious promenades; but at no hour of 
the day was there jostling or other discomfort, and never for an instant 
was there anything resembling a blockade. The Columbian guards, stationed 
here and there for the preservation of order, found themselves with 
nothing to do; for there was no disorder. Around some point where a 
landscape vista or a gem of constructive art arrested the attention, a 
crowd might linger for a moment; but then a polite remonstrance was 
sufficient, and this uttered in such tones that the most captious could 
not take offense. 

It was one of those bright October days, perhaps the most perfect weather 
witnessed in the city by the lake, and brightly shone the temples of the 
Fair in the mellow autumn sunlight, amid flutter of streamers and pennants 
from flagstaff, dome, and turret. The waterways were smooth and mirror-
like, the greensward that arrayed their banks in robes of emerald 
contrasting with the sombre hues of the autumnal foliage. For the occasion 
the great hall of Manufactures had been converted into a vast auditorium, 
no pillar obstructing the view amid all its covered acres. The decorations 
were in excellent taste, and among them none attracted more attention than 
the banner of the Columbian Exposition, here for the first time displayed. 
In shape it was triangular, its field divided into blue and white, the 
colors of the lake and of the Exposition buildings. Its sides were fringed 
with green, gold, and buff, and near the staff, encircled by a laurel 
wreath, were four Cs wrought in Gothic capitals, the initials of the words 
Cyclos, Christopher, Columbus, and Chicago, the number o f Cs representing 
the four hundredth anniversary of the event which the Fair commemorates. 

Some two hours after noon the head of the procession, preceded by an 
escort of cavalry, entered the Exposition grounds. When, side by side, the 
vice-president of the United States and the president of the Columbian 
commission passed down the centre aisle, a cheer broke forth from a 
hundred thousand persons, such as perhaps had not been heard since Lincoln 
reviewed at Gettysburg the army of the Potomac. An instant later the 
director-general touched an electric signal, and as with one grand burst 
of orchestral melody the opening strains of the Columbian march, swelled 
by a chorus of five thousand voices, rolled through the great auditorium, 
a hush fell on the multitude, stricken with amaze as though the huge dome 
had been shaken by the crash of thunder. A momentary silence greeted the 
final notes, silence even more impressive than the music itself; and then 
came a tumult of applause, stilled only by the outstretched hands of 
Bishop Fowler, by whom were offered the opening prayer and thanksgiving; 
but except for the orchestra and choruses, little that was said or sung on 
this occasion could be heard beyond a radius of a few hundred feet. 

Taking advantage of the stillness that followed the conclusion of prayer, 
the director-general stepped forward and delivered the introductory 
address, then turned to Mayor Washburne, by whom were tendered to the 
assembled guests the city's welcome and hospitalities. Next on the 
programme was the reading of selected verses of the Commemoration ode, 
written by Miss Harriet Monroe, and read by Mrs. Sarah C. Le Moyne, a 
portion being set to music and rendered by the orchestra and chorus. 

By the chief of construction were introduced to the president of the 
Columbian Exposition its artificers, to each of whom was handed a medal, 
the orchestra meanwhile rendering Mendelssohn's ode to "The Sons of Art." 
Then stepped forward the president of the Board of Lady Managers, by whom 
was explained their work, - the organization of women for mutual aid, the 
widening sphere of woman's usefulness, and the methods whereby that sphere 
may be enlarged. 

By the president of the Exposition the buildings were transferred to T. W. 
Palmer, president of the National Commission, who, turning to Vice-
president Morton, at the conclusion of his address, asked that he dedicate 
the buildings and grounds in the name of the government of the United 
States. After the orchestra had rendered the hallelujah chorus of the 
"Messiah," the dedicatory oration was delivered by Henry Watterson. Then 
was sung "The Star Spangled Banner," after which the Columbian oration was 
delivered by Chauncey M. Depew. The ceremonies concluded with prayer by 
Cardinal Gibbons, the singing of Beethoven's "In Praise of God," and the 
benediction pronounced by the Reverend H. C. McCook. While the solemn 
words of blessing still lingered on the ear, a momentary hush was broken 
by the crash of artillery, firing the national salute, and as the gray 
October twilight deepened into dusk, the audience slowly withdrew from a 
scene such as 

Page 90

few among them had beheld, as few again shall behold. The following day 
was given to the dedication of such of the state buildings as were 
completed, or in condition to permit the ceremony, and after a welcome 
Sabbath of rest, the people of Chicago returned to their usual avocations. 

By foreign commissioners who had taken part in international exhibitions, 
it was declared, some weeks prior to the 1st of May, that to open on that 
date would not be possible. There were too many unfinished buildings, 
walls unplastered, leaky roofs, and the accumulation of debris. Moreover, 
on account of heavy snow-falls, followed by rain and thaw, the work of 
installing exhibits was delayed until long after the appointed time, and 
more than once suspended, those which were already unpacked being covered 
with tarpaulins, and thus preserved from injury. Such was the severity of 
the winter that the end of March drew near before this portion of the work 
could be thoroughly taken in hand. For this purpose a special department 
was organized and equipped, one capable of handling several hundred 
carloads a day, and with many miles of track connecting the buildings with 
railroad termini. From dawn till dusk, and from nightfall almost until 
daybreak, the trains were running goods intended for the Fair receiving 
the preference in right of way. Express lines were utilized, one of them 
forwarding by the first train of flat cars ever despatched by express a 
consignment of British works of art. 

If, as the opening day drew near, few of the departments were in 
presentable shape; if even for some time after the opening men spoke of 
the Exposition as it would be, and not as it was, it was mainly due to the 
tardiness of certain exhibitors, many of whom would not even pay for the 
additional labor needed to install their wares. By the chiefs of 
departments and their employees all that men could do was done, and had 
they been seconded by others they would have come nearer to fulfilling 
their expectations. From the hall of Manufactures and Liberal Arts came 
word that the building was practically completed and installation well 
advanced. In the Agricultural building a number of states and foreign 
powers were at work on their pavilions, with others ready to commence. In 
the Electricity building many of the booths were either completed or 
nearing completion, with hundreds of men to remain at work for each of the 
remaining days, and, if need be, each of the remaining nights. In the hall 
of Mines and Mining exhibits were being rapidly delivered at the main 
entrance, and thence lifted by cranes and carried on trucks to their 
allotted space. 

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In the Transportation department it had been found necessary to increase 
the exhibiting space until, including special buildings, it covered nearly 
twenty acres. The roof had been seriously damaged by snow and ice, so that 
it must almost be recovered, thus delaying the work of installation. This 
accomplished, every effort was being made to complete the preparations, a 
great transfer table being used for the handling of locomotives and 
passenger cars. In the Horticultural hall exhibits were rapidly being 
placed in position, and the space of those who could not be ready in time 
was transferred to other applicants. And so with the remaining 
departments, where, as one of their chiefs remarked, "all objectionable 
features would disappear and all uncompleted groups be finished as 
speedily as possible. In their stead would come forth forms, lines, 
curves, combinations, and harmonies, so bewildering and enchanting as to 
electrify the world." 

By those who visited the grounds a few days before the opening could best 
be realized the magnitude of the now completed task. There was then at 
work an army of 40,000 or 50,000 men, under such discipline that all 
seemed to move with the precision of a military parade. Some were busied 
in cleaning the roads, in leveling roadways, and removing debris; others 
in gardening, and still others in finishing staff decorations or putting 
the final touches on buildings, with thousands of painters and carpenters 
at work and with many additional thousands passing to and fro, on errands, 
on business, or acting as escort to visitors. Most striking of all was the 
endless procession of wagons and drays, approaching the grounds from 
several directions in lines a quarter of a mile in length; then, under the 
direction of the Columbian guards, falling into other lines already within 
the park, and proceeding on their way with loads of materials and 
exhibits. In the opposite direction passed a similar line of empty 
vehicles, returning for new loads to the railroad depots. Inside the 
buildings a second army was at work, unpacking and installing exhibits, 
some by hand and some that must be lifted by derricks and wheeled on cars 
into place. 

Thus, if not completed by the 1st of May, the Columbian Exposition was, in 
proportion to its scope and size, as far advanced as some others of the 
great world's fairs. Never, since the London Exhibition of 1851, and 
seldom even at our state and county fairs was the display in perfect 
readiness at the appointed time. To the allotments of space some 
exceptions were taken, but this was inseparable from the task of housing 
within certain limits unlimited collections. 

And now after more than two years of preparation, after so much had been 
said and written concerning the great display, so much that was true, so 
much that was untrue, its gates were about to be thrown open, that all the 
world might judge for itself how well or ill the work had been 
accomplished. 

As part of the ceremonies connected with the Columbian Exposition, and 
before proceeding further with the annals of the Fair, brief space may 
here be given to the naval review held in New York harbor on the 27th of 
April, for none of the president's invitations met with more cordial 
response than the one extended to foreign powers "to send ships of war to 
join the United States navy in rendezvous at Hampton roads and proceed 
thence to the review." Here were assembled, as on international fleet, 
thirty-five vessels of war representing the best and most interesting 
naval specimens of Old and New World architecture, from the caravels of 
Columbus to the swiftest and most powerful of steel-plated cruisers. Other 
reviews there have been on a larger scale, as at Spithead in the jubilee 
year of England's queen; but never before had the squadrons of England and 
France, of Russia and Germany, of Italy and Spain, in line with those of 
other empires and monarchies, passed in parade before a president of the 
United States. 

On the 25th of April the fleet arrived in successive divisions in the 
lower inlet of New York harbor, 

Page 93

and was brought to its anchorage ground in the upper bay by the British 
vice-admiral, whose flagship, the cruiser Blake, led the van of the 
starboard division. Next morning two guns from the American flagship 
Philadelphia proclaimed the signal for opening the ceremonies. Two columns 
were formed in the Narrows, between which passed the Dolphin, the vessel 
of the president, and the caravels of Columbus. To foreign contingents was 
assigned the New York side of the river, where was the starboard division 
of the fleer, commanded by the British vice-admiral Sir John Hopkins, 
whose squadron consisted of the flagship Blake and her three consorts, all 
powerful ships, black-hulled and grim of aspect. Then came the Russian 
vessels, commanded by Admiral Koznakoff, and followed, in the order named, 
by those of France, Italy, Spain, and Brazil. In the larboard or port 
division, anchored off the New Jersey shore, a dozen men-of-war gave 
assurance that at length the Washington government has at least the 
nucleus of a navy. In the van of this section was the Philadelphia, the 
flagship of Rear-admiral Gherardi, followed by a long array of steel-
armored cruisers, one of them named after the city of the Fair. Somewhat 
strangely their unbroken line of white contrasted with the sombre aspect 
of the English and Russian columns. The Argentine republics were each 
represented by a single vessel, and in the entire fleet there were few 
better models of naval architecture than the German cruiser Kaiserin 
Augusta, which, with her consort and the American ship Miantonomoh, formed 
the rear of the larboard division. 

In this peaceful pageant, and in the one which to follow, there was much 
to commend itself to the more thoughtful observer; for here were assembled 
in perfect harmony, and merely in honor of the occasion, the war vessels 
of all the great naval powers, a single squadron of which could, before 
nightfall, have laid waste the city of New York. 

Next day companies of sailors and marines, landing from the fleet, were 
received by the first brigade of the national guard, and a parade 
followed. At the head rode the governor of New York, in company with 
General Horace Porter, followed in carriages by officers from the several 
squadrons, escorted by officers of the American navy. Then in four 
brigades came the first division, in which were detachments from all the 
United 

Page 94

States war-vessels. The array was much commended for its appearance and 
precision, the marines in their neat blue uniforms marching past in ranks 
as solid as the sections of a wall. The second division was composed of 
foreign contingents, in front a column of British sailors, followed by 
companies of marines, the artillery in dark blue uniforms, faced with 
crimson trimmings, and the infantry in scarlet tunics and snow-white 
helmets, the latter ranking among the best drilled corps in the service. 
The Russians followed, with Grand Duke Alexander on their left, a choice 
body of men, of fine physique and sailor-like aspect. Next were the 
Italians, and those from the Argentine cruiser, and after them the 
Hollanders, the quaint, old-fashioned head-dress of their leading company 
contrasting strangely with the rest. Then a detachment of German sailors 
passed the reviewing stand in the so-called goose-leg step of the 
landwehr. Behind them was a battalion of French marines, in heavy marching 
order, and last of all a colored regiment of Brazilians. In rear of the 
second division were the naval reserves of New York and Massachusetts, 
with Gatling guns and rifled cannon. 

Turn again from the queen city of the ocean to the queen city of the 
lakes, where the day that followed the naval parade was also one of 
military and civic display. On this, the second day before the opening of 
the Fair, three out of the many arrivals in Chicago were the signal for 
such greetings of welcome as her citizens never fail to accord to those 
whom they delight to honor. These were the duke of Veragua, the president 
of the United States, and the liberty bell. In the later morning hours the 
lineal descendant of the great discoverer, attended by his suite, with his 
wife, his son and heir, Cristobal Colon & Aguilera, and others of his 
family and kin, was received at the railway station by the Exposition 
authorities and conducted with due ceremony to the quarters prepared for 
his entertainment. 

A few minutes after noon President Cleveland and party were met by a 
committee of welcome, and with the more demonstrative welcome of an 
assemblage gathered to do honor not only to the chief executive of the 
nation, but to the citizen and the man. So cordial was his greeting that 
from the steps of his carriage to the 

Page 96

steps of his hotel he perforce remained with head uncovered, in response 
to the salutations of the multitude. With no less enthusiasm was received 
the liberty bell, which, since from the tower of Liberty hall were 
proclaimed its notes of freedom, had only twice before been removed - to 
escape destruction at the hands of the British and for display at the New 
Orleans Centenary Exposition. After a circuitous and triumphal journey 
through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, this much revered relic 
of revolutionary days was drawn in procession by thirteen coal-black 
horses to its temporary home in the rotunda of the Pennsylvania building. 

The Monday following was the 1st of May, the date appointed for the 
Opening of the World's Columbian Exposition. The ceremonies were of the 
simplest, and may here be described with a brevity of phrase befitting the 
occasion. Before noon a quarter of a million of people were gathered 
within the grounds, most of them around the Administration building, in 
front of which the exercises were to be held. Among the first of the 
invited quests to take their places on the grand stand were the foreign 
representatives, all in uniform resplendent with gold and lace, among 
which contrasted prominently with the rest of the black silk robes with 
white trimmings in which the Koreans were attired. A little later came the 
Vice-president, and after him a number of British officers and Fair 
officials. Presently the tuning of instruments by the orchestra intimated 
the approach of the presidential party, the applause which greeted their 
arrival being extended with no less enthusiasm to the descendant of 
Columbus, with his family and train, to whom places were assigned on the 
right of the nation's representative. 

At a signal from the orchestra leader, Thomas, came the music of the 
Columbian march, the crash of its overture merging into a majestic hymn, 
and the hymn into an anthem, swelling at the close into the thunder tones 
of fortissimo. Prayer followed by Doctor Milburn, and as his eyeless 
sockets were turned heavenward in supplication all stood with uncovered 
heads. Next was read by Miss Jessie Couthoui, attired somewhat in the 
fashion of ancient Castile, and with head-dress of Spanish lace entwined 
with the colors of Aragon, a poem entitled "The Prophecy," composed for 
the occasion, and followed by Wagner's overture to Rienzi. Two speeches 
only were delivered, the director-general reviewing the history of the 
Fair, and, as he concluded, inviting the president to set in motion the 
machinery of the Exposition, with motive and lighting power sufficient for 
all this vast display of industrial processes. 

Stepping to the front of the platform, as soon as the acclaim which 
greeted his presence would permit, the president delivered an address of 
which not the least commendable feature was its brevity. He concluded with 
the following words: "Let us hold fast to the meaning which underlies this 
ceremony, and let us not lose the impressiveness of this moment. As by a 
touch the machinery that gives life to this vast Exposition is 

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now set in motion, so at the same instant let our hopes and aspirations 
awaken forces which in all time to come shall influence the welfare, the 
dignity, and the freedom of mankind." As the final words were spoken, his 
hand rested for a moment over the spot where, amid the drapery of the 
national colors lay a golden key and a small ivory knob. Then with a 
gentle pressure on the button, all the ponderous machinery of the Fair was 
set in motion as at the touch of a magician's wand. The fountains and 
sculptured groups of the central court shot forth their spray of silver; 
side by side with the colors of the United States was unfurled the banner 
of the Spanish admiralty, and the strains of the national anthem, rising 
at times above roar of acclaim and salute announced to the world the 
opening of its Columbian Exposition. 

Of the general features of the Exposition, of it manifold attractions and 
its few shortcomings, of its grounds and buildings, its artists and 
artificers, with the story of its evolution, its construction, and 
management, enough has been said in these the introductory chapters of my 
work. Be it now my task to describe, so far as pen and picture may, each 
of its departments and subdivisions, its groups and classes, together with 
the homes in which they were housed. This I shall endeavor to present 
without prolixity of detail, without elaboration of technical and tedious 
description, and in the briefest of phrase that consists with the 
magnitude of my theme. 

World's Fair Miscellany

Certain it is said that if advertising and discussion assure success, the 
great show cannot prove a failure; for never before was an international 
performance so talked about and written about by the thousands who entered 
the unfinished buildings during the dedication services, and in the months 
that still intervened before the opening day. With the scaffolding not yet 
removed, and an army of workmen toiling day and night at their task, it 
was felt that never before had American genius been so worthily presented. 
It was not the extended proportions of the site, nor that on this site 
were being reared the largest structures in the world; it was rather the 
beauty of combination, the harmony of scenic, artistic, and architectural 
effect that impressed the beholder. Never before had been seen such 
universality of scope and design; for this was no local or sectional 
enterprise, one neither of the west nor east, but one in which were 
represented every quarter of the republic, every nation of Europe, of the 
Orient, and of antipodean regions, all contributing of the best which 
human art and ingenuity have thus far given to the world. 
On the evening of the day that witnessed the dedication services, were 
held at the Auditorium hotel, in the presence of some three thousand 
invited guests, the inaugural ceremonies of the World's Congress 
Auxiliary. On the right of the chairman, Charles C. Bonney, president of 
the Auxiliary, was Rutherford B. Hayes, ex-president of the United States; 
on his left Mrs. Potter Palmer, president of the Woman's branch, and 
Archbishop Ireland. Among those on the platform were William R. Hayes and 
J. H. Barrows, seated next to the ex-president, and near them, Cardinal 
Gibbons, Bishop Fowler, and the postmaster-general; there were also 
several eminent divines, professors, and professional men, with governors 
of states, World's Fair commissioners, and other prominent men and women. 
After the rendering of the festival overture, followed with prayer by 
Doctor Barrows, a few words of welcome were spoken by the chairman and by 
the president of the Woman's branch; then by Mrs. Charles Henrotin, its 
vice-president, was delivered a brief salutation in honor of Queen 
Isabella. The oration of Archbishop Ireland followed, and to his eloquent 
address followed and to his eloquent address all listened with wrapt 
attention. The singing of "America" by the entire audience, and the 
benediction by Doctor Harper, of the University of Chicago, concluded the 
services. 

At the review in Washington park on the 21st there were more than 10,000 
troops of all arms and at least 150,000 spectators. Only regulars and 
national guardsmen were in line except for the Cleveland Grays, whose 
earkskin shakos and handsome uniforms, with their perfect marching formed 
a prominent feature in the parade. In their ranks were not a few of the 
wealthiest of Cleveland's citizens, among others a man worth $10,000,000, 
probably the richest private soldier in the world. 

Soon after nightfall, at a signal from the flash-light on the Manufactures 
building, a display of fireworks was held simultaneously, and with 
programmes almost identical in Washington, Garfield, and Lincoln parks, 
the spectacle being thus divided between different sections of the city to 
avoid overcrowding. In all there were probably 200,000 people present, the 
largest gathering being at Lincoln park, on the northern side of the city. 
The opening piece was a flight of a hundred balloons, from which were 
discharged in mid-air flights of rockets, their colors changing from 
silver to red, from red to green, and from green to gold. Most of the 
pieces were aerial, among them being one representing the American flag; 
but the set 

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pieces were most appreciated. One portrayed in fires of various hue the 
landing of Columbus; another the Santa Maria, the third the Pinta and 
Nina, faithfully depicting the quaint architecture of the galleons. 
"Chicago Welcomes the Nations" was a pleasing device; but the masterpiece 
of all was Niagra falls, represented by a framework of fire a hundred feet 
hight, and in most realistic fashion. 

At the time when the milkmen were making their rounds, on the dark cold 
frosty morning of the 20th, thousands of people assembled in the 
neighborhood of the reviewing stand and there remained until the close of 
the procession. Only two hours and forty-five minutes were required by 
this army of 80,000 men to pass a given point, a feat, said generals Miles 
and Schofield, that broke all previous records, and one that was almost 
marvelous considering the time required for evolutions and other 
unavoidable delays. 

Seated in either wing of one of the stands were 1,500 school children, 
with caps of red, white or blue, and so arranged as to represent the 
American flag. All of them carried banners, which they began to wave as 
the vice-president drew near, accompanied with singing and cheering. As 
his hat was raised in response to this salutation, another cheer arose, 
and still a third as again his silver gray head was uncovered in answer to 
their greeting. 

No injuries occurred in the crush of October 20th, except for the fainting 
of a few women caused by the surging of the crowd as the vice-president 
entered the stand. For a time this mass of humanity waved to and fro like 
a field of grain before the wind; but a line of policemen forming on the 
street set their backs against the throng, and bracing their heels on the 
cobblestones, held them back by main force. Inspector Lewis said it was 
the largest crowd he had ever seen, and yet one easy to handle, for all 
save the roughs were disposed to assist the officers, who controlled the 
multitude without recourse to violence, though some were ejected in a 
fashion more expeditious than graceful. 

On the 19th of October the Columbian anniversary was celebrated in the 
schools, not only of Chicago but of the United States, by exercises of 
which a programme had been prepared by the Nation Association of 
superintendents. There were essays, addresses, reading, declamations, and 
patriotic songs, and among the Catholic schools of Chicago a children's 
parade reviewed by Archbishop Feehan. In many of the assembly rooms was 
read an appropriate address styled "The Meaning of the Four Centuries," 
and also an ode by Edna Dean Proctor, entitled "Columbia's Banner." 

On the evening of the 19th a reception, followed by a banquet and ball, 
was given by the citizens of Chicago, at the Auditorium hotel, in honor of 
vice-president Morton, visiting officials, the representatives of foreign 
powers, army and navy officers, and other persons of note. At the ball 
there were several thousand invited guests, and by envoys and embassadors 
it was pronounced to be on a par with the grandest of European court 
balls. As few others among the assemblage had ever been present at a court 
ball, this was a safe remark, although as true as diplomatic. 

On the evening of the 20th a military reception and ball were held at the 
First Regiment armory, Henry L. Turner acting as host. In addition to the 
vice-president and his party, I find among the names of the more 
distinguished guests, those of sixteen governors, generals and colonels by 
the score, with here and there a judge or senator, and several of the more 
prominent officials of the Exposition. At the Fellowship club, on the same 
night, a dinner was given to the most eminent among the many thousands of 
visitors assembled to witness or take part in the dedication ceremonies 
and in the personnel of the company was betokened, as never before, the 
universal interest displayed in the great World's Fair. 

During the dedication ceremonies no fees were charged; but admission to 
the grounds was only by invitation or complimentary ticket; to admit the 
general public would have imperilled the safety of invited guests. In the 
hall of Manufactures and Liberal Arts seats were provided for about 75,000 
people, with 2,500 reserved for the more distinguished personages, and 15,
000 for those specially invited. All others were permitted to choose their 
seats in the order of arrival. 

In some other cities the anniversary was celebrated with parades, 
exercises, or other demonstrations, each city and town selecting for 
itself the kind of celebration that suited its taste. In New York it was 
held on October 12th, and took the form of a military pageant, 50,000 men 
passing the reviewing stand in Madison Square, with a million or more of 
spectators lining the sidewalks of Broadway and Fifth Avenue. At night 
there was a civic procession to Central park, where was unveiled the 
statue of Columbus presented by Italy to the United States. That the New 
York celebration was held on the 12th was due to the fact that, according 
to the Julian calendar, this was the day of the month on which the great 
discovery was made. If the same event had occurred after the adoption of 
the Gregorian calendar, the date would have been the 21st of October, or 
the one on which the occasion was generally observed. At Brooklyn there 
was a civic and military procession, a feature of which was a division 
composed of 10,000 school boys, marching with cadenced step and with the 
precision of veterans. At Boston the ringing of church bells and firing of 
national salutes at break of day was followed by suitable exercises, by 
the unveiling of a statue of Columbus on the cathedral grounds, and by a 
parade. At Philadelphia the exercises were held at the University of 
Pennsylvania. At Cincinnati there was a procession of some 30,000 
civilians, and on the river a realistic imitation of the voyage and 
landing of Columbus from vessels built after the fashion of his caravels. 

On the day before the departure of the fleet from Hampton roads, the 
caravels, escorted by Spanish war vessels sailed for New York, where they 
arrived and were hauled to their station on the night of the 24th, after 
being driven by stress of weather into Chesapeake bay. Thus were the Santa 
Maria, Pinta, and Nina, spared the ignominy of being towed like floating 
baby-carriages, in company with these mammoth squadrons and astern of some 
naval leviathan, into the river which Verazzano discovered less than a 
score of years after the death of Columbus. Thus also was avoided a 
ludicrous aspect in the arrival and initial manoeuvres of the fleet. 

The forenoon of the 27th was the time appointed for the naval review; but 
on account of rain this was postponed for two or three hours by order of 
President Cleveland. His reasons were that a fair afternoon was predicted 
by the Signal Service bureau and that the secretary of the navy, by whom 
he would be accompanied, was in such feeble health that exposure meant 
risk of life. 

By all it was conceded that apart from the drawbacks mentioned, both 
review and parade were well managed. At the former the passage was kept 
clear by tugs and torpedo boats, in conformity with the special powers 
conferred by congress. Yet such were the tact and discretion displayed by 
those in command, that none had cause for complaint. 

On board the thirty-five vessels of the Columbian fleet there were more 
than 10,000 officers, seamen and marines, the Russian flagship, Dimitri 
Donskoi, having the largest company, 570 in number, and next, the British 
cruiser Blake. The latter was, as I have said, the most powerful ship in 
the fleet; but among those of the United States, there were splendid 
specimens of naval power and naval architecture. The Argentinian vessel 
Neuve de Julio was accredited with the highest rate of speed, reaching 
22.7 knots an hour. Next were the Blake, with 22 knots, the Kaiserin 
Augusta, with 20.7, and the Spanish ship Reina Regente with 20.6. Among 
the United States contingent there were several which approximated and one 
or two that exceeded a speed of 20 knots under a forced blast. 

Of the many interesting features of the land parade, there were none that 
excited more curiosity than the pet of the Tartar's crew, marching with 
solemn gait at the head of the British column - a goat bedecked with a 
mantle of gold-laced scarlet silk. 

A banquet at the New York Chamber of commerce closed a series of 
entertainments and ceremonies lasting for the greater part of a week.