The Book of the Fair - Chapter 25



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Chapter the Twenty-Fifth:
Foreign Exhibits

At an examination held, not many years ago, at Oxford university, the 
question was put: "Where is the city of Chicago?" But among these British 
students, many of whom could read Greek and Latin at sight, and some could 
write in either language faultless prose and verse, there was not one who 
could tell the location of what was then a thriving commercial centre and 
is now the second city in the United States. And so it was when the 
project for the Columbian Exposition was published broadcast throughout 
Europe, even cultured men and women asking where Chicago was, while those 
who knew declared that such an exposition should be held in Washington, 
New York, Philadelphia, anywhere rather than in Chicago, which, as they 
said, was merely a distributing point for grain and pork. But as to this 
they were quickly undeceived through the representations of the 
commissioners, ignorance, prejudice, and indifference giving way to a wide-
spread interest which in many countries ripened into enthusiasm; and not 
alone in Europe, but in Canada, in Mexico, in Central and South America, 
in Australia, Japan, and wherever else there are commercial or other 
relations with the republic. Thus it was that Chicago became the seat of 
not only the largest but the most cosmopolitan fair that has ever been 
held, the total of foreign appropriations alone, apart from their 
exhibits, being almost as much as the entire cost of the Centennial 
Exposition, and more than thrice that of the London Exhibition of 1851. 

Of all the European nations which have met in friendly rivalry with their 
cousins beyond the Atlantic, there are none that appear to better 
advantage than Germany, whether in the main departments of the Fair or in 
her national home at Jackson park. But this is as might be expected from a 
country in such close commercial and social intercourse with the United 
States, where there are at least 10,000,000 citizens of German parentage, 
with more than 100,000 persons migrating each year from the Fatherland. 
And especially in Chicago does the German element make itself felt, the 
number of Teutons, either immigrants or of Teutonic parentage, far 
exceeding the Americans in number, and forming a most desirable factor in 
the composition of the body politic. 

Das Deutsche haus, or the German house, one of the most ornate of the 
foreign buildings, occupies a prominent site in the 

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northeastern portion of the grounds, fronting on the lake, from which it 
is separated only by a narrow strip of shore. It is three stories in 
height; the first of stuccoed brick, and those above of wood and plaster, 
with basement of rock-faced limestone. In style it is of the sixteenth 
century renaissance, representing the period of transition from the 
Gothic. The point of architectural emphasis is on the east facade, with 
its gabled front and Gothic spires, above which is a tower decorated at 
its second stage with gilded statues and surmounted by a lantern whose 
apex is 180 feet above ground. The main entrance is in the form of a 
triple archway 48 feet in length, the windows above arranged with 
corresponding effect. The entire front is highly colored and with 
profusion of decorative scheme. First there are the coats of arms of all 
the 26 independent states which, under the presidency of Wilhelm II, 
constitute the German empire. Then there are armor-clad knights with drawn 
swords defending the imperial crown; above them a sun, and above all, near 
the summit of the gable, a huge German eagle in black. 

To the right extends the main body of the building, its roofs of 
variegated tiling and studded here and there with dormers. On the 
northwest corner is a large gable with handsome turrets and rich fresco 
work. On the western face is an extension which terminates in a buttressed 
wall with domical roof and stained glass windows. Here is the chapel 
containing rare specimens of ecclesiastical art, presently to be 
described. Finally at the southwestern angle is a tall, square tower, with 
turreted upper stage, a reproduction of the schloss of Aschaffenburg. In 
the belfry is a chime of bells belonging to the imperial family, and made 
for a church in the Invaliden park erected by the emperor in honor of his 
grandmother. The plans for the German house were prepared by Johannes 
Radke, a government architect attached to the imperial commission, most of 
the materials and decorations coming in the form of contributions from 
German firms. 

Ascending the stairway in front of the main portal, the visitor comes to a 
landing which is of itself a work of art, with ceiling tastefully painted 
and grained, tiled floors, and on the walls, frescoes of Fame and of a cup-
bearer to the king. Passing through double glass doors set in arches 
corresponding to those at the entrance, he enters a lobby surrounded with 
columns and otherwise tastefully decorated. Thence through triple archways 
there is access to two spacious halls extending to the northern end of the 
building, the outer one with 

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galleries on three of its sides, and both with numberless engravings on 
the walls. Here are the collective exhibits of German publishers, more 
than 300 in number, arranged in bookcases with projecting wings, each in 
the form of a miniature booth. There is nothing retrospective in this 
display, which is intended merely to illustrate the art of book-making and 
the appliances of the publishing trade, with cognate industries as 
conducted in the Fatherland. Here are shown methods and specimens of 
printing, stereotyping, electrotyping, wood-engraving, etching, 
lithography, chromolithography, and photo-mechanical processes. 
Bookbinding is also represented, and there are exhibits connected with the 
music trade. There are cases filled with cuts from illustrated magazines, 
and of every periodical published in Germany are shown its headlines and 
typographical style. 

In these exhibits expression is given to one of the leading industries of 
the German empire; for nowhere has the publication and sale of books 
assumed such enormous proportions. In the empire itself are more than 6,
000 establishments distributed among 1,200 cities; in other European 
countries about 900; in America at least 130, with not a few in Asia, 
Africa, and Australia. Of nearly 8,000 firms in all, about 40 percent are 
engaged in the publishing of books, prints, and music, including the 
reproduction of rare volumes and manuscripts. The remainder consist of 
booksellers who place their goods on the market through an elaborate 
system of brokerage, with Leipsic as the centre of distribution, more than 
22,000 works being thus introduced in 1891. Bookbinding is also a 
prominent branch, especially in Berlin and Leipsic, a single house in the 
latter city producing 1,000,000 bindings and covers a year, varying in 
price from a cent to $5,000 apiece. 

In the chapel beyond is the display of ecclesiastical art, including 
stained-glass windows, statuary, paintings, altars, vessels, crucifixes, 
vestments, draperies, and ornaments, with illuminated tests on the softy 
tinted walls. Within recent years the revolution in church architecture 
has been accompanied with a transformation in art as applied to interior 
decorations, both breaking loose from the fetters of classicism and 
reverting to Gothic forms, with traces of the earlier renaissance. In the 
latter department the best that has thus far been achieved is fully 
illustrated in this sanctuary, itself a reproduction of a chapel in some 
mediaeval German castle. 

In an adjacent chamber is a display of presents belonging to members of 
the royal family and other personages of note. Among them are many 
historical documents, with copies of treaties which have changed the 
political geography of Europe, all contained in show-cases of steel, with 
lids of thickest glass, and guarded night and day. Of Bismarck and Von 
Moltke there are several things to remind us; of the former a drinking cup 
presented by the citizens of Frankfort, with gold and silver cases in 
which was tendered the freedom of many cities; of the latter, his baton 
and various relics and decorations. 

In front of the building and on the right of the main entrance are the 
reception chambers and offices of the imperial commissioner, Adolph 
Wermuth. His private room with portal and wainscoting carved in old oak, 
and ornamented bookshelves surmounted by a panel hand-carved 

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with historic figures, is furnished in primitive style. The carpet is of 
antique pattern, as are the woodwork and draperies, while between two of 
the windows stands a hall clock some ten feet high and designed after one 
of the spires of Strasbourg cathedral, the dial with numerals painted on 
triangular pieces of ivory. There is a porcelain fireplace, colored in 
blue, and above the grate a tile painting of a wedding party of the olden 
time. The ceiling is elaborately decorated, and in the centre is depicted 
a sunrise scene, a contribution from a member of the Royal academy of 
Berlin. In a southern projection of the building, disconnected from the 
rest, is the exhibit of the Waldhof cellulose manufactory at Mannheim, its 
products consisting of the pulp of pine wood and used for the making of 
paper. 

Germany's day, the 15th of June, the fifth anniversary of the accession of 
Wilhelm II, was one of the events of the Fair, the attendance far 
exceeding all previous records, with more than 200,000 persons admitted 
into the grounds, of whom at least 50,000 were Germans. The exercises were 
held in front of the Deutsche haus, beginning with music and singing, 
after which Harry Rubens, in the name of the German-Americans, delivered 
an address of welcome to the imperial representatives. After "Die Wacht am 
Rhein" rendered by the maennerchor chorus, Baron von Hollenben, the German 
minister, responded on behalf of the government, and then the oration of 
the day was delivered by Carl Schurtz, whose speech was of a patriotic 
character, touching on the loyalty of those who, while leal to the country 
of their adoption, still held in honor the Fatherland. He was proud of the 
German display in all departments of the Exposition; for here was embodied 
the spirit of the nation, expressing in every branch of industry and art 
the highest results of which that nation was capable. Commissioner 
Wermuth, who followed, spoke of the commerce of Germany, as contrasted 
with that of the United States, predicting that the dawn of the coming 
century would witness a revolution in the commercial conditions of the 
world. The closing address was by Carter H. Harrison who appeared, as he 
said, somewhat at a disadvantage, having to speak against a brass band and 
a thunderstorm. A parade, in several divisions, with floats, tally-ho 
coaches, and more than 16,000 people in line was a feature of the day. 
Late in the afternoon there was a concert at Festival Hall, and at night a 
pyrotechnic exhibition, in which the figures of Germania and Columbia 
stood side by side in tracery of fire. 

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The French pavilion occupies one of the choicest sites in Jackson Park, 
east of the Art Palace and close to the shore of the lake. It is of the 
classic order, and consists of two structures connected by a colonnade, 
with a garden between. Under the portico of the north front are views of 
Paris, and especially of its government buildings, with replicas of famous 
statuary in the vestibules and balconies. The interior plan differs from 
that of other foreign structures, most of the space being devoted to 
exhibition purposes, and with the quarters of the commission held in 
subordination to the rest. 

From the vestibule the visitor passes into a chamber resembling the salon 
of the palace of Versailles, where, on the 6th of February, 1778, was 
concluded the treaty between France and the United States, this being the 
first recognition of the latter by a European power. Years afterward were 
placed in this salon all the articles presented on behalf of the republic 
to the Marquis de Lafayette, and these are arranged in its reproduction 
precisely as in the original, thus forming a graceful tribute to the 
nation whose cause the marquis made his own. Among them is the sword 
presented by congress when, in 1779, he returned to his native land to 
solicit aid for the struggling republic. The handle, mountings, and 
scabbard are of appropriate design and most elaborate workmanship; the 
blade, hidden during the reign of terror in the garden of Chavagniac, and 
there corroded with rust, being replaced with one presented by the people 
of Paris and forged from metal taken from the ruins of the Bastille. In 
this collection are several of Washington's letters, and rings containing 
locks of his own and Martha Washington's hair, one of them presented to 
Lafayette during a farewell visit to the tomb of his former comrade-in-
arms. Other features are the busts of Washington and Franklin, portraits 
of historic characters, and the decoration of the order of Cincinnatus, 
also termed the "decoration of the soldier-laborer," presented by 
Washington to Lafayette, and established in 1783 for distribution among 
French and American officers who had served in the war of independence. 

Across the garden is the exhibit of the city of Paris, illustrating in its 
entirety the municipal system of the metropolis. First is the police 
department, where is shown the Bertillon method of identifying criminals 
by means of photographs. In a large case is a complete rogues' gallery, 
and something more than this; for here is displayed every type of 
forehead, eye, nose, ear, and lip, with profile, full face, and head, all 
grouped for anthropological comparison. Near by is the school exhibit, 
with specimens of work, including those from the Prevost orphanage, and 
from a printing and bookbinding school where pupils are admitted at the 
age of twelve to serve a four years' apprenticeship. Here also are models 
of street cleaning machinery, while the fire department is represented in 
photographs, and in map form are shown the sewerage and water systems, 
with a section of a house supplied with sanitary apparatus. In one of the 
rooms is a collection of bric-a-brac from Parisian merchants, with works 
of decorative art and the finest of Gobelin tapestry. Of the passage-way 
connecting the two buildings one of the sides is open and with a series of 
columns rising to the roof. On the other side are depicted scenes in and 
around Paris with which all the world is familiar. While these are not 
elaborate works of art, some of them are from prominent artists, Vauthier, 
for instance, having a sketch of the Bois de Boulogne, and Didier of the 
Avenue des Champs Elysees and the Place de la Bastille. 

It was to commemorate the fall of the Bastille that the 14th of July was 
selected for the French celebration, this being the 104th anniversary. 
First of all there was a luncheon or breakfast so-called, given by the 
consul-general to the French commissioners, 

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exhibitors, and other invited guests. In the afternoon a reception was 
held on the lawn, the consul standing near the bust of President Carnot 
and the statue of "Gloria Victis," a replica of Mercie's group now 
standing in the Hotel de Ville, showing a winged figure of Victory bearing 
in her arms a wounded soldier with broken sword in hand. Then, by 
Commandant Ballincourt, M. Bourbier of the French marines was presented 
with the cross of the legion of honor in recognition of long and faithful 
service, the first man thus to be decorated on American soil. There was 
music by the Iowa band, and from a buffet adorned with morning glories 
refreshments were served by comely French damsels in Phyrgian caps with 
tri-colored cockades. Toward dusk the assemblage dispersed after a 
pleasant and information reunion, one in which there was no speech-making 
to mar its enjoyment. 

In the quantity, if not in the quality of exhibits, Great Britain and her 
dependencies rank first among foreign participants, occupying a total area 
of 500,000 square feet, or nearly half the entire floor space of the great 
exhibition of 1851, the first international exposition worthy of the name. 
When in March, 1891, Robert Lincoln, as American minister, invited on 
behalf of his government the cooperation of the United Kingdom, the 
proposition was somewhat coldly received; for the passage of the McKinley 
bill still rankled in the hearts of British merchants and manufacturers. A 
royal commission was appointed and the task of organization accepted by 
the society of Arts, which had been closely connected with similar 
enterprises whether at home or abroad. But the entire amount appropriated 
was only $125,000, and with this nothing could be done on a scale 
commensurate with the occasion; for other European nations and even one of 
the British colonies had appropriated from twice to five times that 
amount. 

Gradually, however, the authorities began to realize the all-embracing 
scope of the coming exposition and the magnificence of its general design. 
It was then determined to bring the matter more fully before the public; 
and from this purpose circulars were addressed to prominent firms and 
personages, including all who had taken part in former exhibitions, 
advertisements being inserted in the leading newspapers, English, Scotch, 
and Irish. Thus a widespread interest was aroused, and this was even 
manifested in the house of Commons where the grant was increased to $300,
000 by an almost unanimous vote. Hence in several departments of the Fair 
Great Britain was enabled to present a fairly creditable display, and 
especially in the Fine Arts, the galleries of the queen and the royal 
family, with those of many of the wealthiest citizens and corporations, 
being placed at the disposal of the Art committee. It was also determined 
to erect a separate building, to serve as the quarters of the commission 
and as a contribution to the architectural features of the Fair. 

Victoria house, as is styled the British home in Jackson park, is a unique 
and substantial structure, forming three sides of a quadrangle, its open 
side enclosed by a raised and balustraded terrace, which almost touches 
the waters of the lake. Designed by Colonel Edis, architect of the 
commission, it is in the style of the Tudor, and especially the 
Elizabethan period, its upper story of half-timber construction, with 
projecting gables, of which many well-preserved specimens may still be 
seen in England. But there is also a modern aspect to the building; for on 
the lower story terra cotta is freely used, with brick facings and 
mullioned windows. Perhaps the most interesting feature is the decorative 
scheme and furnishings of the interior, for which nearly all the materials 
were contributed as loans or gifts, especially by the London firm of 
Johnstone Norman and company, to which, as to other establishments, the 
commission acknowledges its obligations. 

Passing through a covered portico, the visitor enters a spacious hall, on 
one side of which are the library and reception room, and on the other the 
offices. The hall is oak-panelled, with furniture of carved oak in partial 
imitation of that which belonged to the Medici family, and ceiling copied 
from the North Wales mansion of Plas Mawr, erected about the year 1550, 
and better known as Queen Elizabeth's palace. On a cassone or ornamental 
coffer of Florentine pattern, as in the royal palace of Naples, is a panel 
on gilt ground, painted with figures allegorical of Columbus' 

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departure from Spain. At its side is a large arm-chair on which is 
sculptured in bas-relief "The Discovery of America," with a companion 
fauteuil in the style of Francois I., known as the cacqueteuse or gossip 
chair. There are wide old-fashioned fireplaces with huge andirons, and on 
either side of the grates a lion and unicorn rampant. In the alcoves over 
the stairway, which is ceiled as in Haddon hall, the seat of the duke of 
Rutland, are armored knights on pedestals, and here also is what may be 
termed a "grandfathers' clock," such as those which stood in the homes of 
"Merrie England." 

The library is finished and equipped entirely in oak with ceiling ribbed 
in geometric forms, to which bookcases extend from the floor. As to the 
furniture, each piece was designed from the antique, so far at least as it 
could be adapted to modern requirements. So with the reception room, in 
whose carved and inlaid furniture are largely represented the manors of 
mediaeval times, with patterns borrowed from the Louvre and the South 
Kensington museum; but all with a certain affinity which gives to the 
collection a just adaptation of parts. A cabinet of ebony and boxwood 
resembles one made for Archbishop Sharpe in 1621. A Scotch clothespress 
belongs to the time of James I, and in a walnut cabinet with capriole legs 
is reproduced a Dutch design of the days of William and Mary. The centre 
table is a facsimile of that which stands in the dining-room of Windsor 
castle, and another table resembles the one fashioned for Sir Thomas Holte 
of Aston hall, a loyal subject of the Stuarts. There is a King Charles 
chair of ebony, with a Knole chair such as stood in the Kentish residence 
of the earls of Dorset, and one from Linlithgow palace, belonging to the 
time of Mary, queen of Scots. In the ingle-nook is a terra cotta 
fireplace, on the back of which are cast the arms of Great Britain. In a 
painting by Sargent is depicted the "Jubilee Garden Party at Buckingham 
Palace," wherein are 400 figures. The ceiling is copied from the 
banqueting chamber at Crewe hall, one of the finest specimens of 
Elizabethan architecture. 

The waiting-room is ceiled as in Campden house, the residence of the duke 
of Argyll, and with simpler treatment as to furnishings, except for the 
antique vases and the embossed leather on the walls, the latter identical 
in pattern with that which is seen in the ball-room of Sandringham hall, 
the county seat of the prince of Wales. On the floors of all the rooms are 
Wilton rugs woven in oriental designs, while the draperies and fabrics are 
the most finished products of the looms of England and France. On the 
upper story is the boardroom of the commissioners, furnished in old oak, 
with seats and lounges such as are used in the Carlton and Reform clubs. 
Especially handsome is the office of the commissioner, Sir Henry Wood, 
with low, broad windows overlooking the lake, and tastefully decorated 
walls hung with the choicest works of art. The veranda is lit by old-
fashioned English lamps, the building itself lighted by electricity, the 
globes concealed by the strap-work of Elizabethan chandeliers. 

The house was opened to the public on the queen's birthday, the 24th of 
May, but without exercises, except that in the Canadian building there was 
brief informal speech-making, with singing of the national anthem, 
followed at night by a banquet given at a Chicago hotel under the auspices 
of the commissioners. British Empire day fell on the 19th of August, the 
attendance exceeding 213,000, the largest up to that date except for the 
4th of July. At the appointed hour, escorted by the West Point cadets, the 
detachments selected for the military tournament from the choicest 
regiments of the British 

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army, among them, "the far-famed Black Watch," formed in line in front of 
Victoria house. Then came "the trooping of the colors," after which 
soldiery and civilians adjourned to Festival hall, where, as resident 
consul and chairman of ceremonies, Colonel Hayes-Sadler delivered the 
opening address, briefly and with becoming dignity. After "God Save the 
Queen," rendered by the Columbia chorus, he proposed the name of the 
president of the United States, the cheers being given with a will, and 
the mayor of Chicago responding on behalf of his countrymen. As secretary 
of the royal commission, Sir Henry Trueman Wood discoursed with telling 
effect on the status and future of the dominion. Other speeches were from 
the commissioners for Canada, India, Ceylong, Trinidad, and British 
Guiana, all of which were represented at the Fair. Later there was a 
concert in the court of honor, followed by the last performance of the 
tournament, the members of which set forth on the morrow for Toronto. At 
night there was the usual display of fireworks, and meanwhile a civic and 
military parade was held in the city, massing on the lake front and after 
a circuitous route disbanding on Michigan Avenue. 

Scotchmen held festivity for an entire week during the term of the Fair, 
the 4th of August being devoted to exercises in the reception room of the 
New York building and later in Festival Hall, under the auspices of the 
Scottish directory. These were brief and of informal character, the 
Scottish choral union being present at the second meeting, where national 
airs were played on bagpipes, with dancing of the Highland fling. The 
Welsh and Irish had also their special days, the former on the 8th and the 
latter on the 30th of September. In a pouring rain the Irish parade 
assembled on the Midway plaisance, only 2,000 strong, instead of the 30,
000 that had been expected. Nevertheless it was an imposing procession, 
with bands galore and several military companies, conspicuous among which 
were the old Hibernian rifles. There were the Foresters, the ancient order 
of Hibernians, the Gaelic athletic associations, temperance and church 
societies, civic and literary organizations, with invited guests in 
carriages and tally-ho coaches. Everything and everybody was arrayed in 
green; the women with green dresses and hats, the men with green cravats 
and badges, and the horses with green plumes; while over the Electricity 
building floated the green flag of Erin, and even the lake assumed for the 
occasion a deeper hue of emerald. 

The exercises were held in Festival hall, where Archbishop Feehan, as 
chairman of the day, delivered the opening speech. After an eloquent 
tribute to the artificers of the Fair, in honor of which they were met 
together, he continued in part as follows: "But the Irish-American people 
assemble for another motive, and that is to revive for today, and I hope 
for the future, the traditions as well as the aspirations of one of the 
oldest races of the world. You represent a most ancient people; for your 
forefathers came from Phoenicia 3,000 years ago, and founded a nation at 
the time when Moses was leading the Israelites from Egypt, and when Cadmus 
was giving letters to the world. Even at that early period the Irish were 
a people with a written law and of advanced civilization. And today, 
toward the close of the nineteenth century, the Irish-American people 
recall those grand progenitors and keep alive their traditions." Then 
spoke Archbishop Hennessy of Dubuque, followed by Edward Blake, who as a 
representative of the Irish party in the Commons, chose for his theme 
"Home Rule," and in conclusion read a letter from Gladstone, in which were 
the following words: "I learn with great pleasure that there is to be an 
Irish day during the World's Fair. There could not be a more interesting, 
nor except on the day of the final victory, a more encouraging occasion." 
Among other speakers 

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were Arthur O'Connor, James Shanks, lord-mayor of Dublin, and Father Ring, 
who read a dispatch from the primate of Ireland. There was music, with 
singing of national airs and ballads, a feature in which was the rendition 
in harp solo of ancient Gaelic melodies by a daughter of A. M. Sullivan, 
the Irish orator. Later a reception at Blarney castle concluded the 
celebration. 

On the plaza in front of Victoria house, and almost opposite the Canadian 
building, is a group of statuary in terra-cotta, a replica of the American 
pier piece on the pedestal of the Albert memorial column at Kensington, 
erected by order of the queen in honor of the prince-consort and of the 
great exhibition of 1851. The figures are of heroic size, with America in 
the centre in the form of a shapely Indian maiden mounted on a buffalo, in 
Indian costume and with figured head-dress; in her right hand a stone-
headed lance, and in her left a shield emblazoned with national emblems. 
The United States is represented by an eagle with outstretched wings; 
Canada by a beaver and by a young girl robed in furs; Brazil by the 
Southern Cross; Mexico by a male figure, and South America by a half-breed 
Indian with bronco and sombrero. It is in the main an excellent piece of 
workmanship, though somewhat heavy in tone and bulk, weighing 25 tons and 
costing $25,000. By Henry Doulton, proprietor of the Doulton pottery works 
at Lambeth, where it was fashioned, the group was presented to the city of 
Chicago, "as a connecting link between the first international exposition 
and the last and crowning one." 

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Canada is well represented, as we have seen, in the main divisions of the 
Fair, much more so indeed in some departments than the mother country, in 
relation to industrial conditions. That the dominion would appear to good 
advantage in her agricultural and horticultural, her fisheries and mining 
exhibits, was expected of this enterprising and ambitious commonwealth; 
but in other branches also her exhibits were of excellent quality. In the 
annex of the Transportation building, for instance, the vestibuled train 
of the Canadian Pacific was a feature of the display, while in the 
building itself was a choice assortment of carriages, buggies, wagons, 
boats, and railroad and other supplies. In the palace of Mechanic Arts her 
collections were somewhat of a surprise; but perhaps the greatest surprise 
was in the hall of Manufactures and Liberal Arts. While here was no large 
array of costly luxuries, there was a comprehensive and varied assortment 
of staple lines and standard grades, the groups of textile fabrics and 
especially of cotton goods attracting general attention. So with the 
educational groups; Ontario, Quebec, and other provinces fully 
illustrating their thorough and practical systems of instruction, from the 
kindergarten to the college and university. 

The Canadian pavilion, the plans for which were designed by the department 
of the public works at Ottawa, is in the form of a quadrangle, surrounded 
with wide verandas supported by Tuscan columns, with semi-circular 
projection on the front and surmounted by a tower with look-out, the view 
from which is one of the finest in Jackson park. There is little in the 
way of exhibits, except for the structure itself, its apartments finished 
in polished native woods representing the various provinces. Passing 
through the main portal, the visitor finds in the entrance hall a post-
office, telephone office, and intelligence office, where registers afford 
information as to hotel and other accommodation, together with the 
whereabouts of friends. In the reception room adjoining, its walls and 
pillars festooned with flags, are files of Canadian newspapers from every 
portion of the dominion, and near at hand are the quarters of the national 
commission, of which J. S. Larke is chief executive officer, while across 
the corridor are those of the commissioners for the provinces. 

At the top of a spacious stairway, also constructed of native woods, is a 
corridor adorned with photographic views of Canadian scenery and mounted 
specimens of Canadian birds. At either end are exits to the balconies 
which encircle the pavilion, and on the right of the staircase, two other 
offices for the national commissioners, Senator Tasse and G. R. R. 
Cockburn. Across the corridor is a dining-room, where many have been 
entertained with the hospitality characteristic of the dominion. Adjoining 
is a ladies' parlor, and elsewhere are the apartments of C. F. Law and 
Senator Perley, commissioners for British Columbia and the Northwest 
territories, with that of W. D. Dimock, secretary of the Canadian 
commission, who for many years has been engaged in similar service in 
connection with international and local exhibitions. Finally there is the 
sanctum of the press, and on the floor above are the tower and smoking 
rooms far above ground. No plaster is used in any part of the interior, 
the walls and ceilings all being finished in native woods handsomely 
polished, as I have said, and showing the native grain - oak, pine, 
chestnut, walnut, cherry, maple, birch, ash, spruce, cedar, and butternut. 
Over a bold dental cornice is an open balustrade, and the roof is low 
pitched and partially concealed by a paraquet wall. Around the pavilion is 
a plat of ground, green turfed, dotted with Canadian shrubbery, and 
divided by serpentine walks and roadways. 

The 1st of July, the 26th anniversary of the confederation, was selected 
as Dominion day, a day held in no less honor by its citizens than is the 
4th of July by those of the United States. The celebration began with an 
informal reception at the pavilion, followed by a military and civic 
parade and by exercises at Festival hall. 

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Among the audience were not only thousands of Canadians and former 
subjects of the queen, but there were also many thousands of Americans; so 
that in his opening address Commissioner Cockburn observed: "If ever I 
harbored a doubt that Americans were not true friends to Canada, this 
assemblage would forever put such a feeling at rest." Senator Tasse of 
Quebec spoke in French, the applause which accentuated his remarks showing 
that the French-Canadians "a very nice class of people, whose interest 
were parallel with those of the union, and whose government lay in 
parallel lines," predicting also that the time was not far distant when 
"one flag would float over the country from the far south to the far 
north." To this Commissioner Larke responded by reminding the mayor that 
parallel lines never meet. But all was said in amicable mood; for between 
the dominion and the union, as between the union and the united kingdom, 
the breach, if such there be, is more in fancy than in fact. 

Adjacent to the Canadian pavilion is Australia house, or as it should 
rather be termed, the home of New South Wales; for in the structure and 
nearly all that it contains is represented only this, the oldest of the 
Australias. While serving among other purposes as the headquarters of the 
commissioners, it is also an exhibition building, especially as to the 
fine arts, from which department, as we have seen, the colony was almost 
excluded, not for lack of merit but through misapprehension. Of sculpture 
there are several pieces, two of them portrait busts in plaster and others 
carved in native marble and freestone. Of oil paintings there is a large 
collection, executed by members of the Art society in Sydney. They embrace 
a great variety of subjects, from portraits of premiers and primates to 
the hunting of wild ducks; and it is worthy of note that, with rare 
exceptions, they deal with local themes and personages. Landscapes, with 
sketches and genre paintings of Australian life are the favorite subjects, 
some of them finished canvases and nearly all above amateur rank. In water 
colors there are more than 100 works from the same society, most of them 
by Mrs. Ellis Rowan of Victoria, representing the flora of Australia, all 
studies from nature, and combining with richness and delicacy of coloring, 
boldness of execution and skill in technique. 

The building itself is at least on a par with others of its classes, 60 
feet square, with a spacious portico in front, the roof of which is 
supported by Doric columns, with pilasters of the same order at each of 
the corners. The frieze and balustrade extend around the entire edifice; 
above all the openings are moulded 

Page 901

architraves, and beneath each window, moulded modillions. In the interior 
is a central nave 30 feet wide, from which rises a polygonal dome, giving 
accentuation to the architectural scheme. 

In the India building the ancient glories of Agra, with its changing 
fortunes, are fully typified, and here are models in marble and alabaster 
of many monuments which testify to the former power of Moslem and Hindoo. 
Even the famous mausoleum is shown in miniature, the original bearing a 
dome of marble 70 feet in diameter. The structure itself is an harmonious 
combination of Arabic and Indian architecture, minarets springing from 
above the main entrance and corners, the former painted in oriental style. 
While the exhibits are unique and comprehensive, perhaps the most 
interesting feature is a party of Hindoos of high caste who have come to 
America partly on a proselyting and partly on a business mission. 

Great Britain is of course represented in the industrial and historic 
collections of the India building, and especially the India tea 
association and the Bengal chamber of commerce. Near the principal 
entrance is a tea room, where the beverage as made in India is served by 
native attendants in picturesque attire, and presented in porcelain hand-
painted by native artists. Small tables are placed in shady corners of the 
hall, where the visitor may enjoy the variegated picture presented by the 
art manufactures of the empire, scattered profusely around him and in the 
galleries above. In the centre of the main floor is a marble shrine, 
elaborately carved and colored, standing about the height of a tall man. 
On thousands of such shrines in India are images of the Hindoo trinity - 
Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Siva, the destroyer; but 
here are no sacred effigies, except that on either side is a figure of 
Buddha, screened by the hood of the sacred cobra from the scorching rays 
of the sun, while the eastern savior of mankind is absorbed in worship or 
contemplation. Carved in stone or wood, hammered from brass, painted and 
embroidered on silk or satin, are also such minor divinities as Agni, the 
god of fire, who burns the body that he may recreate it in celestial form; 
Doorga, wife of Siva, with three eyes and ten arms; Sudra, the king of 
heaven, and Tama, the judge of the dead; Krishna, one of Vishnu's many 
incarnations, and the elephantine Ganesha, symbol of prudence. 

A superb display of art manufactures is made by Tellery and company, whose 
headquarters are at Delhi, with branches in Calcutta, Bombay, and Simla. 
Ever article is fashioned by hand, and the entire exhibit is intended to 
illustrate the efforts of business men to check the importation of goods 
which threatens to overwhelm the native industries of the country. Since 
rich and poor alike utilize their savings in the making of silver 
articles, either for personal adornment or practical use, the trade in 
silverware has assumed a leading position, centring at Kashmir, Lucknow, 
Kutch, Madras, Poona, Kuttack, and Burmah. While these articles are all in 
repousse work, handsomely wrought, they have also their characteristics, 
according to the locality in which they were made. The influence of 
Mohammedanism is shown in the Kashmir wares, whose ornamentations are 
exclusively floral in character, the designs being chiefly taken from 
shawl patterns. Raised mythological figures, relieved by floral 
decorations, give to the articles collected from Madras and Poona their 
pleasing effect. But the Burmese repousse work on silver is considered the 
most artistic, the exhibits from all these points comprising tea and 
coffee sets, wine jugs, sugar bowls, candlesticks, bread baskets, 
photograph frames, cream and milk jugs, salt cellars, pepper casters, card 
and cigarette cases, toilet sets, and boxes of many descriptions. There is 
also an attractive display of articles wrought in brass and copper, 
chiselled, embossed, engraved, enamelled, and incrusted in a variety of 
designs and with a richness of 

Page 902

effect which is the best possible proof of the skill and patience of 
artisan and designer. 

Piled upon counters and tables on the ground floor and in the galleries 
are rich silks, many of them woven from Chinese material; brocades worn by 
Hindoo ladies; Kashmir shawls and silk embroideries; silver tinsels from 
the hand looms of Delhi and Agra; gold leaf cotton prints, studded with 
glass, from Poona; cloths covered with designs in wax and sprinkled with 
mica; woollen and cotton carpets and rugs, with goods of silk and cotton 
printed and embroidered. 

Carvings in black, sandal, and teak woods are exhibited as specimens of an 
industry which has flourished in India for many centuries. In ancient 
times carvers in wood ornamented the thrones of kings and princes, the 
chariots of warriors, and the shrines of temples. These were the days when 
the facades, doors, windows, balconies, partition screens, and furniture 
in the dwellings of the rich were elaborately decorated, the custom 
gradually spreading to the west. The most intricate work in sandal wood 
comes from the Madras and Bombay presidencies, Mysore and Burmah, the 
Burmese carvings being especially bold and fantastic. The Punjab and the 
northwest provinces supply the best inlaid specimens, their most 
noticeable characteristic being the combination of brass wire with dark 
colored woods. Beautiful lacquer work, ivory carvings, water color 
paintings on ivory, most of them miniatures of the Magul emperors, enamels 
on gold and silver, idols and sacred animals in marble, such as are seen 
in the temples, and the delicate pottery which the high cast Hindoo will 
never use but once, are presented in many forms and symphonies of 
coloring. 

Finally there are relics and curios, some of historic character. One of 
the most remarkable is a collection of swords, battle-axes, matchlocks, 
powder-horns, spears, bows, arrows, and shields, representing the weapons 
of the Hindoos and Mohammedans, the Burmese and the warlike Mahrattas. 
There are the finest of Damascus blades, the steel of which is said to 
have come from India, the entire group suggestive of the wars and 
conquests of ancient and modern times. Old manuscripts and pictures, 
antique musical instruments, bronze vessels and idols from Thibet and 
Nepal, Indian, Indo-Scythian and Graeco-Bactrian coins, and a quantity of 
chinaware sent long ago by the emperors of the celestial kingdom as 
tribute to the Mogul emperors, are among the curiosities here displayed. 

There are also living curiosities in the East India building, among them 
one Gobind Burshad, a Brahmin high-priest, and the first one, as he 
claims, to visit the United States. Gobind is a man of striking 
appearance, with met black hair slightly tinged with grey and features 
thoughtful and intent. He is a scholarly man withal, speaking English, 
Mogul, and Persian fluently, in addition to Hindostanee. What please him 
best is to discuss theosophy and to show his knowledge of the ancient 
traditions of his native land, especially as to its gods, of which there 
are many n this temple - gods of brass and bronze, of ivory and wood, of 
silver, gold, and precious stones. Of all the antique specimens he knows 
the history, and taking up, for instance, an ivory statuette will declare 
that is came from a Buddhist temple where 1,000 years ago, it was 
worshipped as the god of war. 

Of the courts which represent the British colony of Ceylon, two are in the 
departments of Agriculture and Manufactures, one in the Woman's building, 
and the fourth remains to be described. Except of course in the 
Manufactures division, all are mainly intended to place before the public 
the tea industries of the country as developed within recent years, 
exports of tea increasing from 23 pounds in 1873 to 162,000 pounds in 
1880, and 72,000,000 in 1892. Since he coffee plantations were almost 
destroyed by the ravages of a fungoid pest, the cultivation of tea has 
become the staple industry of Ceylon, and 

Page 903

for its products are claimed special dietetic properties, with superior 
richness of flavor and absolute purity and cleanliness. By the Planters' 
association of the chamber of commerce funds were promptly subscribed, and 
a local committee, acting in accord with the royal commission in London, 
undertook the task of organizing the exhibits, J. J. Grinlinton, as 
special commissioner, proceeding to Chicago to secure the necessary space. 

The Ceylon court, which serves at once as government building, exhibition 
hall, and tea kiosk, consists of a central octagon, with wings facing 
north and south, raised on a projecting basement and approached by 
stairways carved in designs from ruined fanes, some of them erected 
several centuries before the Christian era. In its columnar design the 
structure is mainly of the Dravidian order of architecture, adopted with 
modifications in the ancient temples of the Cingalese. Native woods only 
are used as materials, some 20,000 feet of timber being cut and shaped for 
the purpose. The framework of the exterior is of satinwood and the 
projecting roofs terminate at the eaves line in ornamental valance tiling, 
the roofs themselves being covered with imitation pantils, rising at the 
centre in tiers and culminating in a spire, with finial as in the temple 
of the Sacred Tooth of Buddha. 

In the octagonal hall, entered through a handsomely carved doorway, the 
ceiling is supported by pillars on which are designs of the lotus and 
plantain, fashioned as in the royal temple and the king's granary at 
Kandy. A score of native pillars; among them ebony, tamarind, satin and 
ironwood, their names, whether botanical or in plain English or Cingalee, 
being indicated on labels. On opposite sides of the hall are colossal 
figures of Buddha and Vishnu, with others, disposed at intervals, of a 
Buddhist priest and his bowl for receiving alms, of a Kandyan chief, and a 
Veddah and his wife, very few of the aboriginal Veddahs now remaining 
alive. The panels are painted by native artists, the most interesting 
being those which represent the religious processions, with figures of tom-
tom beaters, standard bearers, pikemen, elephants, and devil-dancers. 

The exhibits, contained in cases of ebony and satinwood, are grouped 
around the octagon and wings, consisting, apart from tea and coffee, of 
native manufactures, works of art, and curios; among them jewelry and the 
quaintest of carvings in ivory, ebony and cocoanut shells. Of tea there 
are fifty varieties from twice as many plantations, and in the tea kiosk 
above the central hall the beverage is served as in Kandy or Colombo. In 
this apartment are paintings of modern design, its decorations resembling 
those of the chamber below, but of less elaborate pattern. Recesses are 
formed by a double row of pillars hung with oriental draperies; and here 
are tea-poys, or ornamental tables, made of satin and margosa woods. 

On a triangular site opposite the Fisheries building is a picturesque 
structure of many colors, towers appearing upon different portions, with a 
tall spire rising from the centre, the entire edifice being a combination 
of church and castle architecture. The main hall, hexagonal in shape, is 
60 feet across; above it is a cupola, and above this a steeple with 
flagstaff, from which is displayed the Swedish ensign, some 150 feet above 
ground. The building was forwarded in sections from Sweden and so 
constructed as to represent the style prevailing in churches and country 
homes in the time of Columbus. Worked 

Page 905

artistically into the base of the main facade are specimens of the brick, 
terra cotta, and cement work produced by the most prominent manufactories 
in Sweden. Here also, as in the staircase, are tiles of polished cement; 
but with these exceptions the entire structure is of wood. 

The exhibits include one of the most complete collections of Swedish iron, 
both in the ore and manufactured forms, that has ever been seen in 
America. The most scientific display, designed to illustrate the 
metallurgy of iron and steel, is made by the association of Swedish iron 
masters, the object of which is to promote this industry in every possible 
way. It advances money to its members to assist them in extending their 
works, making appropriations also for the purpose of conducting 
experiments and investigating new processes. Several iron and steel works 
show iron ores from various mines, such manufactures as ingots and billets 
of Martin and Bessemer steel, subjected to tests for strength, ductility, 
and other desirable qualities. Drawn wire and wire rope, cast steel goods 
and materials of war, rolled pipes, iron in bars and sheets, hammers and 
tools for working stone, minerals, and wood, are also displayed, together 
with engine and car wheels, anchors, anvils, parts of steam engines, and 
other mechanisms. 

By the geological department of the government are exhibited glass models 
and maps of the Gladhammer, Ljusnarsberg, and other mines. There are also 
earthenware and glass products, gold and silver work, fire and facing 
bricks, tiles and ornaments for mural decorations, yellow, brown-glazed, 
and gray-burned; unglazed vessels, pedestals, and garden decorations, as 
well as glazed earthenware pipes and tubes, pottery for household and 
chemical uses, and earthenware stoves, table sets, and toilet ware. In the 
line of glassware are many articles for the table, cut, plain, etched, and 
gilded, and various exhibition cups for art museums, for which awards were 
received at expositions held in Paris, Moscow, Copenhagen, Bogota, 
Philadelphia, and several cities in Sweden. Among objects representing art 
metal work may be mentioned a buckler of chased steel-plate, with border 
ornaments in old Scandinavian style, gilt and deeply etched. A viking ship 
in full sail is seen in the centre, around it a score of scenes founded 
upon the Saga. Lamps of chased brass and vases of steel attract much 
attention, with fans and jewel cases of the latter metal, variously etched 
and gilded. There are also sets of silver church plate, a toilet service 
of silver gilt formerly belonging to Queen Sophia Magdalena, the 
reproduction of a cup presented in 1631 to Gustavus Adolphus by the 
citizens of Nuremberg, and collections of antique drinking cups and 
jewelry associated with the history of the country. Mention should also be 
made of the exhibits of wood pulp, wrapping and printing paper, and other 
factory products for which Sweden is famous. 

Page 906

Elsewhere are imitations of Venetian lace, knitted shawls and coverlets, 
embroidered underwear, a collection of fans from the Baroness Norderfalk, 
and an exhibit of hangings, tapestries, and carpets from the Friends of 
handiwork, a Stockholm association founded a score of years ago fro the 
encouragement of art industry among Swedish women. Private exhibitors also 
show embroideries in the style of the Lapps, portieres, carvings in wood, 
antique furniture covered with Gobelin and gilt leather, and silk 
embroideries and screens. Another attraction in the government pavilion is 
a representation of a Swedish home, in a suite of rooms completely 
furnished and decorated according to native customs by the Industrial Art 
society, which in cooperation with agricultural organizations has done 
much for the improvement of domestic industries. Various manufacturers and 
house furnishers, as well as makers of curtains, portieres, and wall 
hangings, together with sculptors and painters, add to the exposition of 
household decorations as understood in this country of home-loving people. 

In contrast with these is the exhibit of the Swedish tourists' clubs, 
showing not only typical costumes and outfits but the attractions offered 
the pleasure seeker. There are models of snow-skates, toboggans, and 
sledges propelled by the foot; sections of boats that have been used by 
the Royal Swedish sailing club ever since its foundation; reproductions of 
yachts and fishing boats such as ply along the coast of Sweden; skates for 
racing and for military service, with the sails by which skaters are 
propelled, and yachts that skim over the ice. 

In the background is a large picture of the capital of Sweden with its 
royal castle, near which are life size figures in wax attired in national 
garb. In panoramic form are shown a Swedish landscape and a Swedish 
cottage with its inmates; while of landscape paintings belonging to 
legitimate art, the best are those of the Ljungans river valley. There are 
hunting scenes in which the bear and fox are the central figures; Lapps 
are depictured roaming over 

Page 908

their snow-covered plains, and on canvas are transcribed the most striking 
views in the neighborhood of Stockholm, with its approach by sea. In 
statuary the bust of Gustavus Adolphus is a well executed composition, and 
in portraiture there are Charles XII and Oscar II. Thus it will be seen 
that here, as in the palace of Fine Arts, the works of native artists 
incline to domestic themes and personages. 

In the galleries are the exhibits which illustrate the prevailing systems 
of mental and physical education, together with a large collection of 
publications, globes, and instruments, forming the Swedish section of the 
Liberal Arts department. From the directress of needlework at the public 
schools of Stockholm comes a series of models illustrating her system of 
instruction, while the most approved methods of teaching sloyd are 
represented by the normal school at Naas. Technical schools and special 
institutions display the articles made by their pupils, the Agricultural 
society of Blekinge having a series of models in woodwork, with textile 
fabrics and objects fashioned of bone. Elsewhere, in drawings, 
photographs, models, and apparatus, the Royal and other gymnastic 
institutes show what is being done in the way of physical training. 

Viewed in its entirety, the Swedish exhibition forms a complete 
presentation of the industrial and social condition of the kingdom, and 
for this much credit is due to the royal commissioner, Artur Leffler, 
whose zealous and intelligent efforts are worthy of all commendation. 
Swedish day fell on the 20th of July, and was quietly celebrated. A parade 
including many societies was reviewed in front of the national building, 
assembling later in Festival hall, where a concert was held, after which 
came fireworks and a procession of floats. 

Norways' contributions to the Fair are divided among several departments. 
Her fisheries' exhibit is one of the best of its kind; in the hall of 
Manufactures is a large display installed in a pavilion of Norway pine; in 
the Agricultural section the groups, though small, are remarkable for 
their attractive setting; while the Norwegian gallery in the Art 
department is not unworthy of the genius of her 

Page 909

painters. The government building, in which are no exhibits, is a unique 
composition of the Stavkirke style of architecture, representing a church 
of the twelfth century, a cross-gabled edifice, with peaks ornamented, as 
in the days of Leif Erickson, with the prows of Viking ships. It is 
fashioned by Norwegian firms for shipment to Mediterranean and other 
ports. The idea of an old Norse church is also carried out in the interior 
decorations, in the massive beams and simple but effective carvings. 

Several times during the term of the Fair the Norsemen held celebration. 
The two most noteworthy occasions were the arrival of the Viking ship from 
Norway, described in the Transportation chapter, and the dedication of the 
pavilion, on May 17th, in commemoration of the 79th anniversary of 
independence. The procession, which marched to Festival hall, consisted of 
Scandinavian workmen, members of Norwegian lodges, riflemen, turners, and 
a number of girls in native costume - blue skirt, with bands of red braid 
around the bottom, a bright red waist with white sleeves, and a white 
apron. Knute Nelson, governor of Minnesota, spoke in his native tongue; 
and Congressman Haugan, of Wisconsin, and Julius E. Olson of the state 
university were also among the speakers, the latter making some pertinent 
remarks on the occasion which they had met to commemorate. 

The Turkish building, opposite the Fisheries pavilion, is a small but 
unique edifice, typical in style of architecture and with oriental 
decorations. Its plan is in imitation of a fountain opposite the Babi-Hama-
Youn in Constantinople, erected some two centuries ago by Sultan Ahmed 
III. The exterior is entirely covered with wood carvings executed in 
Damascus specially for the purpose, and it is estimated that twenty 
workmen were employed for six months on these panels of intricate design. 

The structure is used for displaying the collective exhibits from all the 
countries over which the star and crescent flies. Most of them are fabrics 
of such rich texture and intrinsic value that they are protected by glass 
cases, which form an irregular circle around the room and rise to the 
ceiling. In the centre is a star-shaped case and around it are grouped the 
exhibits of mechanical and scientific productions, a display which tells 
of remarkable progress within the last few years. Turkish rugs and pearl 
inlaid work from the Damascus take the lead, but gold and silver 
embroidery and silks, ranging in color from the most delicate tints to the 
most gorgeous hues, occupy much of the space. Chibouques, their long stems 
covered with gold and jewels, beautiful silver ornaments, bracelets, 
earrings, and the high-heeled patterns worn in Turkish baths, are side by 
side with torpedoes, soaps, scents, minerals, and coffees. 

Back of the main building are the quarters of the imperial commission, 
with offices, a coffee-room, and a large reception room, decorated with 
gaily-colored silks, embroideries, and tapestry, with divans of oriental 
fashion, native furniture, paintings, and bric-a-brac. 

On the opening day, the 26th of June, the building appeared at its best, 
and was the theme of general comment by hundreds of foreign and state 
commissioners, Fair officials, and invited guests. "Long Life to the 
Sultan," was the inscription above the portals through which they passed 
between lines of Syrians and Bedouins from the Midway plaisance, 
gorgeously attired. The visitors were presented to Ibrahim Hakky Bey, 
commissioner-general, and to the imperial commissioner, Ahmed Fahri Bey, 
then to the other members of the commission, after which they were 
escorted through a group of gaily costumed Turks to the reception room, 
the space between it and the main structure containing a Turkish marquee. 

Luncheon was served in Turkish fashion, except that champagne took the 
place of coffee, and there was music by the Second Regiment band of 
Chicago. Assisting Hakky Bey and Fahri Bey were several of the members of 
the commission, Charles Henrotin as consul-general and Sursock Effendi as 
consul acting as hosts. All the 

Page 910

Turks wore European costumes, Prince Albert coats, black trousers, neatly 
fitting gloves, and on the head a red black-tasselled fez. The ceiling was 
draped with the rarest of Turkish silks, and the walls were covered with 
hangings of the richest quality, attendants in the garb of the orient and 
occident being stationed in the doorways and corners. A few short speeches 
were made; but there were no formal exercises, and this was declared to be 
one of the most pleasant receptions ever held in Jackson Park. 

Spain's official building was modelled after the historic merchants 
exchange building at Valencia, known as La Lonja, built in the style of 
architecture which marked the transition period from the Gothic to the 
renaissance. While Columbus was in Lisbon, soliciting the aid of King 
John, the silk merchants of Valencia were negotiating with one Pedro 
Comte, a leading architect of the day, for the erection of a suitable 
edifice. In 1482 it was completed; and in its reproduction is well 
represented the composite architecture of the times. It is a massive 
structure of buff sandstone, the square tower at one end, the arched 
doorway, the pointed windows, each terminating in a cross, the fretwork 
ornamentations, the mail-clad warriors, the figures symbolic of commerce 
and finance, the heavy cornices, and the parapets solid as those of a 
fortress, all being faithful copies of the original. The interior is 
almost devoid of architectural ornaments, except that it is divided in the 
centre by a row of cathedral-like pillars which extend to the roof, with a 
series of pilasters on either side. A circular stairway leads to the 
tower, a facsimile of the prison used in the original for bankrupt or 
defaulting merchants. 

In oil paintings, engravings, prints, and photographs are represented many 
historic and modern incidents and personages. Near the main entrance is a 
large painting of Ruiz Luna, entitled, "October 12, 1492," showing 
Columbus and his crew in two small boats, the caravels being anchored in 
the offing. Elsewhere the discovered is represented as before the Catholic 
kings, and here is the hall of the ambassadors at Seville, where centres 
so much of the history of the Columbian era. Moorish palaces and noted 
battlefields, with such famous haunts as the garden of the Escurial and 
the cloisters of the Toledo cathedral, are reproduced in oil and water 
colors. Rome and Egypt are freely drawn upon for subjects, among them 
sketches of famous temples, while one of the most powerful paintings in 
the entire collection is Arpa & Perea's "Pompey's Funeral;" the body 
resting on a blazing pyre, the stolid Moors seated near by on the banks of 
Nile, and the pyramids in the distance, as nearly symbolic of eternity as 
handiwork of man can be. Not far away 

Page 912

the commanding features of Cortes appear in contrast with studies of old-
time and modern peasants, Catalan, Valencian, and Andalusian. There are 
also the interior of farm-houses, landscapes peaceful and wild, vineyard 
scenes, and scenes of the mountain and the plain. Specimens of steel and 
copper etchings are plentiful, and there are drawings showing the plans 
and decorations of theatres, circuses, hospitals, and public buildings, 
with carvings in ivory of religious and architectural themes. 

La Lonja, it may here be said, was selected for reproduction partly 
because the Spanish minister at Washington and the commissioner-general, 
Enrique Dupuy de Lome, were natives of Valencia, the latter preferring as 
his official headquarters a structure which represents one of the 
architectural features of that ancient and historic city. The edifice, 
together with the Spanish pavilions in all the general departments, was 
opened by Princess Eulalia on the 13th of June. The ceremonies were of the 
simplest and without formality, the building being tastefully decorated in 
honor of the occasion, though only completed a few hours before the 
arrival of the royal party. The princess passed to the entrance-way 
between borders of yellow daisies, under a canopy of Spanish and American 
flags, a military band playing the national anthem of Spain. Then came 
luncheon and the reception of a few friends, with more music, and La Lonja 
was open to the public. 

First among the headquarters of the Latin-American nations may be 
mentioned Guatemala's building, near the verge of the north lagoon and 
southeast of the Art palace. The exterior is of Moorish architecture, with 
interior plan of home design, and with excellent arrangement for their 
intended purposes of the roomy and well lighted halls. The structure is of 
wood and staff, its sides adorned with pictures of tropical plants, of 
which living specimens are freely displayed in the grounds adjacent, 
including the finest collection of orchids in Jackson park. In front is a 
comfortably furnished sitting-room, its walls and columns draped with the 
national colors. In the centre is an open court, with galleries supported 
by colonnades, as is the fashion in Spanish-American countries. A terrace 
extends to the edge of the lagoon, where a landing faces the principal 
entrance, and for the further accommodation of visitors there is a rustic 
pavilion partially surrounded with agave and coffee plants, where by 
waiters attired in the picturesque costumes of the country is served a 
beverage that rivals the extract of the Mocha or Java berry. 

Page 913

In common with other Central and South American countries, the exhibits of 
Guatemala are contained almost entirely within its government building. In 
the eastern wing a spacious hall is stored with manufactures, relics, and 
works of art; and here perhaps is the most interesting feature of the 
display; for while Guatemala is not a manufacturing country, she possesses 
most of the elements and in embryo many of the industries needed for such 
development, awaiting only the advent of capital and well directed 
enterprise. Among the articles arranged in show-cases are silk, woollen, 
and cotton fabrics, embroideries, clothing, mattings, hammocks of 
hennequen and agave fibre, musical instruments, crockery, and wooden 
vessels skillfully carved by hand. Of relics there are pre-Columbian and 
post-Columbian antiquities, the most valuable of which are included in the 
archaeological collection of Manuel S. Elgueta, while in art there are 
photographs, statuary, and wax-works, if the last can be said to belong to 
the domain of art. 

In the western wing are illustrated the flora and fauna, the agricultural, 
horticultural, and mineral products of the country, so grouped as to 
convey a general idea of its resources. Here are maize, wheat, barley, 
beans, lentils, sesame, and other cereals, leguminous, and herbaceous 
plants. There are all the fruits of tropic and temperate climes, with 
spices, frankincense, oils, dyes, fibres both animal and vegetable, herbs 
both edible and medicinal, rubber, storax, tobacco, and a large assortment 
of cabinet woods. Coffee, the staple of Guatemala and forming the bulk of 
her exports, is largely represented; nor should we omit the samples of 
sugar and of Soconusco cocoa, the latter in demand wherever cocoa is used 
as a beverage. Of mineral products there is a valuable collection; for 
while mining receives but little attention, the country is by no means 
lacking in mineral wealth. Geological specimens are also numerous, and in 
map form are further illustrated the geological, as well as the 
topographical and hydrographical features of the republic. 

In Costa Rica's home at the Fair is housed a choice collection of exhibits 
from this enterprising and prosperous nation, the connecting link between 
the two Americas, and often styled the Yankees of Latin-America. Here is 
represented a region rich in resources, mineral and agricultural, with 
plant and forest growth of tropical luxuriance, the former of commercial 
value for manufacturing purposes and the latter for cabinet and 
construction timber. In educational matters Costa Rica is far in advance 
of her sister republics, supporting some 350 primary schools, in addition 
to high-schools, a university, and national and agricultural colleges, for 
the maintenance of which was voted in 1892 more than $500,000, or one 
tenth of the total appropriation. In other respects the country is no less 
progressive, having a large and increasing trade with Europe and the 
United States, with excellent postal and telegraph systems, and with 
railroad connection between the Atlantic and Pacific. 

Situated on the eastern verge of the north lagoon, the building forms a 
neat and airy domicile, with a score of double casement windows and ten 
large skylights 

Page 914

on the roof. In the front a spacious piazza stands on the brink of the 
waters, and on each side is a portal flanked by Doric pilasters, above it 
the shield of the republic in bold relief. The iron frieze and cornices 
are of tasteful design; the outer surface is painted in effective colors, 
and the inner walls frescoed in suitable designs. The structure is 
partially surrounded with trees, their foliage masking the open doors and 
windows with a curtain of living green. The entire effect is that of a 
cool and cosey retreat, a pleasant resting place, but one where there is 
also much of interest, much that is novel and unfamiliar. 

The interior forms a single room or hall, without partitions and with a 
gallery around its walls. The exhibits suggest a country rich in raw 
materials, most but not all of which can be manufactured to better 
advantage by older communities. Coffee and bananas are the staple exports 
of Costa Rica, and these are freely displayed, together with other 
products of the soil and sea. Of agricultural and vegetable specimens 
there are such as are raised in common with other countries, and there is 
one that is probably found in no other country. This is known as 
"vegetable ivory," almost as hard and white as tusk of narwhal, but 
nevertheless a seeding plant and one that is now being cultivated for 
manufacturing purposes. Of rubber there are many kinds; of medicinal 
plants a large variety, and among woods there are mahogany, as common 
almost in Costa Rica as the oak in Pennsylvania, and the cedron, whose 
surface when polished shows colors such as no painter can depict. 

Of exhibits of metals and minerals there are gold, silver, nickel, copper, 
lead, iron, zinc, sulphur, and bismuth; these with clays, building stones, 
and earths of commercial value being widely distributed in Costa Rica and 
in paying deposits. Manufactures are shown for the most part in primary 
forms; but there are jewelry, hardware, and cabinet work of excellent 
quality, with intricate and ingenious designs in sea and tortoise shells. 
Of raw silk there are several cases and of textile fibres, both animal and 
vegetable, there is a liberal display, the latter, when passing into 
domestic use, being fashioned into the roughest of home-made clothing. 

In the gallery are landscape and other paintings by prominent artists, 
with portraits of historic personages, the former representing mainly the 
scenic wonders of the cordilleras. Here also is a collection of birds, 
indigenous and some of them peculiar to Central America, as the kelzal, a 
large and beautiful species with brilliant plumage, but one that cannot 
live within a cage, and hence was adopted by Guatemala as one of the 
emblems impressed on her seal of state. There are also varieties of the 
canary, which in Costa Rica is plumed in yellow, black or white, and again 
in a mixture of all these colors. There are no live birds or beasts within 
the building, except for a cage of diminutive monkeys, with abnormal tufts 
of hair crowing their tiny and wrinkled foreheads. Finally there are 
ethnological and educational exhibits, the former consisting mainly of 
Indian relics and weapons. 

Almost facing the Guatemala building is Columbia's tiny home at the Fair, 
a white two-story edifice, dwarfed by the towering structures of Germany 
and Sweden. In style it is of the Italian renaissance, a domical glass 
roof rising abruptly from the centre surmounted by the national emblem, a 
condor with outstretched wings, on either side of which is a group of 
figures supporting a globe, and above this a flag-staff whence the 
national colors are displayed alternately with the stars and stripes. In 
the panels under the dome are inscribed the names of President Nunez and 
Vice-president Coro, with those of Bogota, the capital, and the nine 
political departments. 

Page 915

On the ground floor are small but interesting collections which speak of 
the history, products, and fauna of the country. From the graves of 
Indians, some of them representative of prehistoric times, come specimens 
of idols and images, pottery, wood-carvings, water bottles, helmets, 
trumpets, breastplates, necklaces, and bangles and anklets of gold. In wax 
statuettes are shown the features and physique of the natives, attired in 
garments fashioned by themselves, and there is at least one article which 
is proof of native skill in the line of fancy needlework. This is a silk-
embroidered portrait of Director-general Davis, wrought in colors from a 
photograph taken by a female artist of the Quimbaya Indian tribe. 
Columbian coffee, especially such as is raised in the vicinity of Bogota, 
is prominently displayed, while cotton, another staple export, is 
exhibited in such manufactured forms as hammocks and clothing. There are 
also not a few specimens of gold; but more beautiful than all is the 
collection of moths and butterflies native to the country, and with all 
the rich hues which nature lavishes on the insect life of the tropics. 

For Venezuela's mansion was erected a one-story building of marble in 
three divisions, with Graeco-Roman facades and domical roofs, those above 
the wings being surmounted with statues of Columbus and Simon Bolivar. 
Within is sufficient evidence that the latter is held in esteem, not only 
in his native country but in Peru and elsewhere, as the hero of South 
American independence. A sword with 1,400 brilliants, a belt with three-
score precious stones, a saddle cloth weighty with golden braid, and "El 
Sol de Peru," ablaze with diamonds, are all presents from the Peruvians, 
whose liberty he won in the campaign which ended at Pichincha in 1822. 
There are also the swords that he used in action and on one of the walls 
is the banner which Pizarro carried to conquest, presented nearly three 
centuries later to the national congress, by congress to the marischal de 
Ayacucho, and by the marischal to Bolivar. Finally there is a medallion 
portrait of Washington, a present from his family and handed to the 
deliverer of five republic by Lafayette, thus linking together the three 
central figures in the achievement of New World liberty. 

The material riches of Venezuela are freely displayed in her classic 
pavilion, tastefully decorated in yellow, blue, and red, colors symbolic 
of the state. First among the raw products is coffee, of which 1,500,000 
bags a year are exported or consumed. There are also silk, wool, cotton, 
and other fibres; native woods, including dye-woods; tonka beans and 
tobacco; oils, gums, and nuts. Of minerals there are asphaltum, petroleum, 
and cooper ore, the last from a mine which is said to be the second 
largest in the world. Of manufactures there are chocolates, starches, 
soaps, hammocks, basket-work, and leather in several forms, with saddles 
mounted in silver and embroidered in silk. 

But the art collection is the feature in Venezuela's pavilion; this, as I 
have said, being excluded from the general display, through tardy 
application for space, though belonging to the department of Fine Arts, 
and as such examined by the international board of judges. There are but 
twenty-five works in all, and with only six artists represented; their 
paintings grouped in the main hall around a central dais. First among them 
may be mentioned Cristobal Rojas' "Purgatory," a vigorous but grewsome 
composition, showing the souls of men and women writhing amid the flames, 
an angel hovering above with messages of peace which fall on ears that 
cannot hear. This work as is related cost the artist his life; for in 
order to give realism to his conception he studied daily for several hours 
the effect of the flames in Parisian smelting works, inhaling the 
poisonous atmosphere and thus inviting the attack of consumption which 

Page 917

ended his career. In all his works is a certain sadness of tone; for the 
genius of sadness possessed him, even at the time when he was sent as a 
student to Paris to complete his training at the expense of the Venezuelan 
government. 

Arturo Michelina, who now stands at the head of the Venezuelan school, has 
several canvases showing his range and grasp of art. His portrait of 
Bolivar is the only one exhibited in the art chamber; but there are others 
elsewhere in the pavilion. In "Charlotte Corday Going to the Scaffold," 
the central figure is passing through the door of her cell, the eyes of a 
young artist following her with fixed and sorrowful gaze, while the jailer 
is carelessly lighting his pipe; for to him such scenes are of daily 
occurrence. "Penthesilea" is one of Michelina's strongest works, and here 
the Amazon queen is represented not as Virgil describes her; 

Penthesilea furens, lunatis agmina peltis,
Ducit Amazonidum.

She is wounded and some of her followers are bearing her from the field, 
while all around her the battle rages, and men and women lie prostrate 
dabbled in their blood. "Charity" is a most powerful study, and by many 
considered the best of Michelina's canvases. A woman is lying on her death-
bed, with a child at her side, and except for the pallet on which she 
rests, there is no article of furniture and not a morsel of food in this 
home of poverty and woe. A lady and a little girl are entering the room 
with relief that comes too late, and the look in the eyes of the dying 
woman is one that they will never forget. 

The Brazilian building is the most ornate of the South American pavilions, 
one in which the artificer has given full rein to his fancy; for by the 
Exposition management there were no restrictions as to the designs of 
state or foreign structures; only that they must be attractive and in 
harmony with the general plan. In style it is of the French renaissance, 
nearly 150 feet square, and surmounted by a dome 120 feet in height from 
floor to finial, around which are campaniles, each with an open 
observatory. On each face are columns of the Corinthian order, and on the 
facades and the stylobate of the dome are Indian and other figures 
symbolical of the republic. The ground floor is almost without partitions 
and devoted mainly to the exhibit of coffee. On the upper floor the 
assembly room is handsomely draped and furnished; in its centre a group of 
palms and ferns, above which is a figure of Mercury. There are also 
ladies' reception parlors, and in rear of the building is an annex where 
by native waiters is served such coffee as nowhere else can be had; for as 
the Brazilians claim, the art of roasting the berry and preparing the 
beverage is unknown in the United States. 

In the central hall are more than 2,000 specimens of the 370,000 tons of 
coffee yearly produced in Brazil, or about two thirds of the world's 
supply, one half of it coming from the state of St. Paulo. The samples are 
ranged in glass jars grouped on tables or in pyramidal form, and represent 
the greatest of Brazilian industries; for nearly all the coffee sold as of 
the Mocha or Java varieties comes from the southern republic, whose 
choicer products are not inferior to either. 

In addition to the Brazilian collection in the palace of Fine Arts there 
is one of equal merit in the government building, including Pedro 
Americo's famous painting of the "Proclamation of Brazilian Independence" 
by the emperor in 1822. "Tiradentes," by Aurelio de Figuerdo, represents 
the execution of this proto-martyr of Brazil. Antonio Parreiras has three 
canvases, one of which is a "Panorama of the City of Nictheroy." Insley 
Pacheco has a number of landscape views, most of them from the 
neighborhood of Rio Janeiro, whose harbor is the most picturesque in the 
world. Among portraits is one of General Deodoro by Henrique Bernardelli, 

Page 918

and by Girardet is a medallion of Benjamin Constant, leader of the 
revolution by which Dom Pedro was deposed. 

The Japanese commissioners erected as their headquarters a small structure 
near the northern extremity of the wooded island, where it is partially 
concealed by trees and shrubbery. In the vicinity is the temple of 
Phoenix, called Hooden in honor of the mythical bird of Japan, and in part 
a reproduction of the historic edifice of that name built more than eight 
centuries ago at Uji, the original of which is still in a fair state of 
preservation. It is of two stories, with a wing at either side and a 
corridor at the back; its design prepared by the government architect of 
Japan, the interior decorations supplied by the Tokyo academy, and the 
furniture and works of art by the Imperial museum. In the architectural 
scheme are illustrated three historic epochs. The main hall represents the 
style of the Tokugawa period, dating back a century and a half, 
reproducing the sitting-room of one of the great lords of these days. The 
south wing is planned as in the Ashikaga era of the fifteenth century, and 
the north wing after the golden or Tujiwara era of 850 years ago. Native 
woods form the body of the temple, its roof being covered with sheets of 
copper. The ceilings of the main hall are divided into panels of lacquered 
wood, those of the two side rooms being elaborately decorated with 
phoenixes in gold and colors, with similar figures on the walls and 
sliding doors. 

Near the German building Hayti erected a model pavilion of the southern 
colonial style; with broad piazzas on three of its sides and surmounted by 
a central cupola, from the flagstaff of which is displayed the national 
standard in horizontal stripes of red and blue. Above the main portico is 
the coat-of-arms, and below it, in gilt letters, the words Republique 
Haitienne, with the figures 1492, 1892, and 1804, the last referring to 
the acquisition of independence. Of the interior space a large portion is 
occupied by a central hall, draped with festoons of colors, and in the 
centre a statue of "Reverie" by a native artist. Relics are freely 
displayed; among them the rapier of Toussaint L'Ouverture, while others 
refer to the Columbian era and to the aboriginal inhabitants, including 
one of the anchors lost from Columbus' flag-ship in 1493, the other being 
placed at the entrance to the convent of La Rabida. There are also 
portraits and busts of prominent men, as of the Haytian liberator, of the 
first president of the republic and of Frederick Douglass. 

All that Hayti has contributed to the Fair is contained within her 
pavilion, where first of all are native woods, some polished and others in 
their natural state, the most massive specimen being a huge block of 
mahogany. There are also minerals, and various articles of manufacture, 
especially in leather, including some highly finished saddlery. Coffee is 
a feature in the display, and of this there are some two-score varieties, 
the beverage itself being served in an apartment in rear of the hall. Of 
sugar there are numerous samples, these with syrups, liquors, liqueurs, 
and a few other articles completing the Haytian exhibits. 

World's Fair Miscellany

The French colonies are represented at the Fair by several buildings, 
among which may be mentioned those of Tonkin, Tunis, and Algeria. The 
first is identical with that which was erected for the Paris Exposition of 
1889. It is a rectangular structure, its interior partially finished in 
walnut, with stained glass windows, and is covered with Chinese 
hieroglyphics, some of which date back to the days of Confucius. 

In connection with England's participation in the Fair may be mentioned 
the White Horse Inn, a reproduction of a famous hostlery at Ipswich, where 
excellent meals and the choicest of liquors were served at somewhat 
extravagant prices. But to many the main attraction was the barmaids 
brought from England for the occasion. All were of the better class, never 
indulging in flirtation, and serving their tankards of ale or glasses of 
mulled port or claret, in the making of which they were 

Page 919

specially skilled, with strict attention to business. They were well-
favored lasses enough, bright-eyed, buxom, and trig; each with light 
auburn hair, for this was a necessary qualification, and in neat but 
orthodox attire, with bib and apron of spotless white. 

James Shanks, lord-mayor of Dublin with his wife and party, among whom 
were two Irish members of parliament, arrived in Chicago on the 25th of 
September and met with a cordial welcome, being entertained as guests of 
the city and the World's Fair directory. Before the celebration of Irish 
day, in which he was the central figure, the mayor paid several visits to 
the Exposition, and on the 28th was invited with his party to a luncheon 
given by Sir Richard E. Webster, chairman of the royal commission, and Sir 
Henry Trueman Wood, its secretary. In the afternoon they attended a 
reception at Lady Aberdeen's village, tendered by Mrs. Peter White, its 
manager. At night the mayor and several of his party were feasted by the 
city council. There were flowers in profusion, with music by Tomaso's 
mandolin orchestra, and the choicest of viands and liquors, among them 
"punch a la Shanks,' of which his lordship doubtless partook. There was 
also speech-making, of course, but not enough of it to mar the feast. 
Other banquets and receptions were given by Sir Richard, who was appointed 
attorney-general during the first of Salisbury's terms, and is the 
youngest man who ever held that position. He is a gifted orator, and 
except perhaps for Sir Charles Russell, none stand higher in the 
profession, whose members say that it is almost impossible to draw up a 
document or prepare a case in which he cannot find a serious flaw. This 
the American advocates found to their cost during the sittings of the 
Bering Sea commission; for while all were able lawyers, they were no match 
for the ex-attorney general. Of the Fair Sir Richard remarked; "The 
architecture is simply marvellous in its beauty and the vista down the 
lagoons and the effect of the buildings from the water is beyond 
description. Surpassing even the dreams of oriental dreamers is the effect 
in its entirety of this wonderful Exposition." 

The 12th of August was Bohemia's day at the Fair, and an important 
occasion it was; for, as stated by Lieutenant-governor Jonas of Wisconsin, 
the orator of the day, the Bohemian population of Chicago is greater than 
that of any city in the world, with the exception of Prague. At the 
exercises in Festival hall he said it was eminently fitting that such a 
day should have been named by the management, as the exposition of the 
industries and arts of Bohemia held at Prague in 1791 was the first of the 
kind in history. Antonin Dvorak, the famous composer, was leader of the 
orchestra, and received an ovation from the thousands of his countrymen 
who were present. The Bohemian societies gave an exhibition of athletics 
in the Live-stock pavilion, in which the participants were of both sexes. 

August 31st, the thirteenth birthday of Wilhelmina, queen of the 
Netherlands, was a feature among the foreign celebrations. Exercises at 
Festival hall inaugurated the day, the chairman being George Birkhoff, 
commissioner-general and consul. After speeches, varied with music, the 
assemblage adjourned to the Javanese village, which was closed to all but 
the Dutch and their descendants. Here they were entertained by native 
dancers and musicians, drank coffee, and enjoyed themselves to their 
hearts' content. 

On Mexican day, the 4th of October, the celebration was warmly supported 
by the Exposition management; for Mexico was among the first of the 
nations to respond to their invitations to take part in the Fair. Miguel 
Serrano, commissioner-general rang the liberty bell; Commissioner McDonald 
of California welcomed the Mexicans, and after music by one of their most 
famous military bands President Palmer welcomed them again. In the recital 
and music halls Mexican shields and flags were profusely displayed, 
together with the stars and stripes, while bronze busts of Hidalgo, 
President Diaz, and Washington were objects which spoke of the friendly 
relations between the two republics. 

Guatemala's inaugural day, the 3rd day of July, was celebrated with simple 
but impressive ceremonies, attended by many of the foreign commissioners 
and the leading officials of the Fair. Two days later the Costa Rica and 
Venezuela buildings were formally opened. At the former there were no 
special exercises, M. M. Paralta, as United States minister, welcoming his 
guest in brief and courteous phrase. Consul-general 

Page 920

Saldivia spoke on behalf of Venezuela, Francisco E. Bustamaule, his 
associate commissioner and minister at Washington, accepting the building 
on behalf of his government. Costa Rica's celebration was held on the 15th 
of September, the day on which Central America declared her independence 
in 1821. There was a reception in the state pavilion, attended by many of 
the foreign commissioners and Fair officials, including the Board of Lady 
Managers. 

Columbia dedicated her home on the 20th of July, the 83d anniversary of 
her independence or rather of its declaration; for freedom was only 
purchased after a cruel and protracted war. As head of the commission, 
Parlos Silva delivered the principal address, the sons of President Nunez 
being among his audience. Brazil opened house on the 19th of July, and 
held celebration on the 7th of September, on which day of 1822 Dom Pedro 
I, governor of what was then a Portuguese colony, receiving word from his 
father, the king, that the liberties of the country were to be curtailed, 
proclaimed its independence. On the former occasion the only speech was by 
Lemos Basto, president of the republic. On the latter there was no speech 
making; merely a concert in the music hall, followed by a reception in the 
government building, Rear-Admiral Maurity being president of the 
commission. 

On a plat of ground sloping gently to the banks of the lagoon, between the 
Brazilian and the Fisheries buildings, are two small structures of wood 
and bamboo enclosed by a low, light fence. Here is the Japanese tea house; 
its floors covered with matting, cushions, and arm-rests, for the 
accommodation of those who would partake of the beverage as prepared and 
served by native attendants. 

Of the many banquets tendered by foreign commissioners none exceeded in 
luxury, taste, and hospitality the one given by Japanese commissioners, 
Tegima and Matsudaira. For the occasion the banqueting hall of the 
Auditorium building was ornamented with the flags and shields of all 
nations, prominent among which was the banner of Japan, with its disk of 
red on a field of white. The balcony was draped in crimson velvet, and on 
a line with the columns which supported it was an array of wonderfully 
decorated vases, filled with lilies and begonias. On the tables were 
smaller vases containing flowers of every hue; elsewhere rosebushes and 
orange-trees were disposed at intervals, with a background of palms and 
laurels. The guests were welcomed by Tegima, who called attention to the 
Japanese Exposition to be held in Kyoto in 1895, commemorating the 1,100th 
anniversary of its selection as the national capital. In response, Thomas 
B. Bryan, as chairman, spoke of the generous part which Japan had played 
in the affairs of the Columbian Exposition. 

Hayti dedicated her building on the 2d of January, the 19th anniversary of 
her independence, Frederick Douglass, one of the commissioners, with 
Charles A. Preston as associate, delivering the opening address, to which 
Director-general Davis responded. A special fete day was appointed for the 
16th of August, when there was a reception in the state pavilion, followed 
by a banquet at the Richelieu hotel.