OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1686, 22 June 1904, Page 57

OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

THE ST. LOUIS EXHIBITION AND OTHER TOPICS.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) NEW YORK, May 21.

When the New Zealand Commission to the World’s Fair at St. Louis returns home upon the completion of its duties, it will carry with it a herd of fine elk, the gift of President Roosevelt, to New Zealand. The President’s gift is the result of his -interest in the country. Mr T. Edward Donne. CommissionerGeneral of New Zealand, who hails from Wellington, has been in the city since the opening of the exposition, with Messrs John W. Muirell and F. Moorehouse, Assistant Commissioners, installing the exhibits of New Zealand in the Palace of Forestry, Fish and Game in the Palace of Agi'iculture. New Zealand’s exhibit in the Palace ..of Forestry, Fish and Game consists of a splendid collection of trophies of the chase, wild boar heads, a fine exhibit of kauri gum, from which varnish is made, and an interesting display of photographs and paintings of Maori life in New Zealand. The New Zealand exhibit in the Palace of Agriculture is also worthy of note. Woollen blankets, finely worked robes, New Zealand grasses, hemp and such cereals as corn, Wheat, barley, peas, beans and hops, are displayed. ATTRACTIONS AT THE FAIR. -

At present it is impossible to give a description of the exhibits of Great Britain and her colonies, which it was intended should he the basis of tbis letter, for the reason that neither those nor many of the other exhibits are as yet complete, and an account of them will have to be deferred for some time. Ceylon is the first of the foreign countries at the fair to actually finish and. furnish its pavilion and throw the doors open to. the public. Every afternoon the broad verandahs of the Ceylon building, with their big easy chairs and attractive tables, are visited by many ladies, who enjoy a brief rest over a cup of tea. The quiet Singhalese servants, clad in their native costumes, glide, among the tables and serve the wholesome beverage with tbe same grace they display in the palaces of the big island in the Indian Quean. Everything about the place is reminiscent of the Orient. The building itself is designed after the Temple of the Tooth, at Kandy, one of the famous Buddhist temples. Its location on the World’s Fair grounds is ideal. On the east is the lake of the Government Life Savers. From a broad verandah Ceylon’s guests may see the performance'as well as from the grand stand provided by the Government. An outrigger canoe, manned by an expert Singhalese, will ply the waters. On the south are the beautiful gardens of Agriculture Hill, on the west is Canada, and on the north is Intramural. Station No. 8. The pavilion is crowded with interesting products and relics from a curious country. Many of the curios ante date the Christian ora. There are wonderfully carved pieces of furniture. One is a semi-circular table, hand carved, or lustrous ebony. It is in the form of a moonstone, that serves as an entrance to the Buddha temple. Another is a cabinet, also hand carved, from calamander, a wood as hard as ebony, but lighter in colour. The calamander forests have been practically exhausted and the woo'd is no longer to be obtained commercially. There is a full set of furniture made from porcupine qpills. Dainty tables, inlaid, and showing the wealth of Ceylon’s timber resources,, are plentifully scattered about) Curiously wrought images in gold, silver and brass are everywhere displayed. Tortoise shell caskets, richly ornamented in solid gold, and worth fabulous sums, are shown in cases. There are relics recovered from ruins that existed as long as 300 years B.C. ' Figures of Singhalese from all walks of life, models in clay, and clothed in the garb of their social status are stationed at various points in the building. So lifelike are they that it is difficult to tell them from the real Singhalese attendants. Mr Stanley Bois and liis staff cordially welcome exposition visitors. The building is two stories high. On the main floor is a large papier macho map showing the harbour at Colombo, the principal city of Ceylon. There are several pagodas in which tea, the chief product, is tastily displayed/ Commercial rooms are also provided, where information is fully given. A great deal of the representations of development, in foreign countries will be by photographs in the Liberal Arts building where large spaces are occupied by - England, France, Germany and China, and a number of the South American countries also make goodly displays. The collection of models, maps and pictures whicn. the German Government has sent to the exhibi a from its Department of Public Works includes many models of river and_ harbour improvements, besides models or vessels of different types, and instruments devised for nautical uses. lhe chemical exhibit of Great Britain has been completely installed by Mr Charles A Tvrer of London, who has made an interesting feature of the show with a collection of antique chemical apparatus.

Among this may be mentioned eight ancient druggists’ jars of white glazed earthenware ; ten white glazed jars with blue, decorations; a collection of thirtyseven antique pharmacy mortars and three pestles. This is probably the largr est collection of the kind in existence. The mortars are of hell metal and slate, and some of them date back'to the 13th century. They are of English, Dutch, French, German and Spanish make-

Less than half the exhibits for the Palace of Agriculture had been got into position last week, and many car loads of farm machinery which it might have been thought would be on hand early are yet to arrive. The largest wine ever made is in the cooperage exhibit in this building. It is 17$ feet in diameter, and 17$ feet long, and will hold 14,300 gallons. It is made entirely of oak, the wood being from Mississippi. Kentucky and Tennessee. The staves of the cask are five inches thick. Experienced coopers were brought from Nantes, France, to construct the cask. Nearly 5000 plates of apples, pears, oranges and loquats, embracing every known variety of these fruits raised in America, are on exhibition in the Palace of Horticulture. Under the direction of Prof. John T. Stinson, Superintendent of Pomology they have been carefully classified, and are ready for the verdicts or the judges. Some of the prominent exhibits follow : —Apples—Connecticut. 425 plates; Kentucky, 500; West Virginia, 300 ; Virginia. 450 ; Canada, 250 ; Texas, 100; Montana, 144; Idaho, 200 ; Minnesota, 125; Indiana, 500; lowa, 375; Nebraska, 250; Arkansas, 522. Apples and pears—Colorado., 450 plates. Apples, pears and grapes—New York. 500 plates. California’s exhibit is especially notable. The capitol building at Sacramento, reproduced in almonds, is one of the features.

Apparently the entertainment features of the Pike are not expected to be in full blast this month, for less than 25 per cent, of them to which concessions were granted have thus far opened up for business. This has been a serious disappointment to the visitors and doubtless'a loss to the entertainers, for in the first week the number of fares taken by the Scenic railroad alone was 37,362. One of the active industries on the fair grounds is the sale of smoked and scenic glasses, the former, it is claimed, afford a protection from the glare of the sun and the others give a tone effect to . the buildings. Roller chairs for those who attend the functions in the different state buildings are becoming fashionable. Upon arriving at the grounds the visitor mounts his carriage and is trundled to his destination. An attendant at the house of entertainment receives him obtains the number of the guide, repeats it to the visitor as a means of identification, and the guide’s number is called when the occupant of the chair wishes, to depart. The expense of such transportation is cheap when measured by carriage rates. As a visitor to the New York building remarked the other night,_ "One dollar and a half for a roller chair sounds better than five dollars for a hack.” A passenger may be carried on a continuous trip from almost any point on the grounds to another for a 25 cent fare. AN HISTORIC RELIC. "Liberty Bell,” tKe most revered of all the American national relics, has for the first time in its eventful history crossed the Mississippi river, and may he viewed by World’s Fair visitors some time in June. The hell is the property of the city of Philadelphia, and many prominent Pennsylvanians, among them Gov. Pennypacker, ’ strenuously opposed the proposition to permit the famous bell to leave the borders of the state. There Avas such a demand, however, among patriots in all sections for the display of the bell at the World’s-Fair, that the opposition Avas overcome, and the Philadelphia City Council adopted a resolution appointing an escort of 24 to guard the revolutionary relic, and appropriating 15,000 dollars to defray the cost. The "Liberty Bell/’ Avliich on July 8, 1776, proclaimed the Declaration of Independence, is almost sacred to patriotic Americans, and thousands will vieAV with a reverence akin to awe the famous bell, Avhich Avi 11 occupy the place of honour, in Pennsylvania’s magnificent mansion on the Plateau of States at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The bell is 12 feet in circumference around the lip-and 7ft 6in around the crown. It is 3in thick in the thickest part near the crown. The total weight is 2000 pounds. These words, in capitals, from LeAdticus XXV, verse 10, encircle the crown: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” The bell Avas originally cast in London, and was received in Philadelphia in August, 1752. In less than a month the bell cracked and. was recast by American workmen. The bell cracked again, and was silenced for all time while tolling the funeral of John Marshall. Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, on July 8, 1835. The bell has not made many journeys from its home in the old State House in the City of Brotherly Love. Its first trip was made for its preservation. In September, 1777, before the British armies invaded Philadelphia, the bell was removed from the steeple and, carefully guarded by the Continental troops, Avas conveyed to AllentoAvn. It was returned to Philadelphia on June 27, 1778. The next time the bell left was on January 23 1885, when it started on a triumphal tour to the Exposition at New Orleans. Its next journey was to the World’s

Fair at Chicago, and the start was made April 25, 1893. On October 4. 1895. the bell was started to the Atlanta Exposition.

THE GLORIOUS FOURTH.

The excursion business for abroad this summer is reported to be largely below the normal on account of the St. Louis Exposition, but the steamers will probably be much more crowded than usual in consequence upon leaving here for trans-Atlantic ports during- the latter part of the year. This is tbe season in New York Avhen vacation schedules are being made up in the various business establishments, and the dates arranged for the employees to take their fortnight or possibly three weeks' seriatum beginning the first of June. The holiday season is always considered to open Avit-h Decoration Day, which is the anniversary for the memorials to soldiers who fell in the Civil War. and is always celebrated on May 30. Being a general holiday, this is the date upon which excursion steamers start their summer services and the Saturday afternoon holidays are inaugurated. By the time you read this, the great national holiday of the United States Avill be almost in celebration, and even noAV the authorities are preparing permits for the sale of fireworks for that great occasion. At this date more than 200 applications have been received by the City Fire Department for permission to sell combustibles, and further applications are steadily pouring in. The firemen have to investigate each application and see for themselves in what sort of a building are to be stored and in what building they are to be placed on sale. Only one permit on a block is allowed, and no stock of more than 500 dollars in value may be carried. At least six pails of Avater must be kept on tihe premises, and the permits are all hedged with other restrictions. The number of fires and casualties which invariably occur from Fourth of July celebrations is nevertheless ahvays great. The object of many people is to get aAvay from the city before the glorious fourth arrives, and the tAvo or three days preceding that date are always a period of night and day labour for baggage handlers and all those who cater in any respect to travel and transportation. To obtain a stateroom on any of the boats leaving here on the night of the 3rd, it is necessary to secure it three or four weeks in advance. The people who remain in the city ahvavs include a number who enjoy the racket that begins in early morning and lasts till midnight, and a great many private exhibitions of pyrotechnics are given by families Avho club together for the purpose. Sometimes all the people in one block will get up a joint fund Avith a committee to look after the operations, and Avith their friends Avill sit on their front stoops all evening to leisurely enjoy the display. By the Fourth of July the weather is generally hot, but so far there has been a remarkable continuance of cool weather, and Avhile overcoats are not necessary about the city there are many people who have not yet discarded their winter underclothing, and feel not uncomfortable for it. MISCELLANEOUS.

The influx of immigration from Europe is at present showing a great decrease, and business in all shipping lines is distinctly dull. The general trend of retail business is reported fairly good, and the spring activity in a commercial sense is believed to be up to the ageThe politicians are busily planning their campaigns for the autumn elections, but as yet nothing has been decided as to who may be the Democratic nominee for President. The talk of favouring former President Cleveland for another term seems to be steadily groAving, while the quest of W. R. Hearst, of yelloAV journal fame, for presideniial honours, appears to be as steadily doclining. Mr Henry Watterson, of Kentucky, Avho, it Avas thought, had strong presidential aspirations and considerable backing, has come out for Cleveland, and there are many Avho believe that lie is the only man who can unite the Democratic party and successfully oppose Mr Roosevelt. If the fight should be betAveen Cleveland and Roosevelt, I am inclined from present indications to-predict that Cleveland Avill win. What do you suppose is a "Stand Patter?” Tbis is, perhaps, the latest American Avord. It does not mean one 'who pats a stand, but one Avho stands pat—that is to say, one avlk> is satisfied to abide by the decision he. has arrived at without any reconsideration, and will hold to that decision come what may. Delegates to a convention, for instance, who have previously announced their intentions and are not to be swayed by oratory or influence, are dubbed “Stand Patters.” The term probably arose from the great American game of poker, m Avhich, I am told, if a player accepts the hand as it has been dealt to him AArithout discarding or draAving any fresh cards, he is said to "Stand pat.” Dressmakers are said to he exceptionally busy at present arranging summer toilettes for their patrons, and it is stated that many fancy colours wk 1 be shown forth in the way or dress goods. Tan shoes and stockings are coming into favour again to a material extent tnis summer and some of the shoiv window s of the big stores are radiant with la c ies sun umbrellas of every colour of the rainboAV, reminding one to some ex.ent of the gaudy parasols of the past generation, although these sunshades are a size larger. ■ The sandals that last season made their appearance as foot-Wear for

very small children are now exhibited in sizes for very large children, and it is said will be worn by many children old enough to know better. Fashions -iff general, it would seem, have taken rather a giddy turn this year, and Avhat the climax may be is impossible to foretell.