The Coronation Exhibition

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVI, Issue 7, 16 August 1911, Page 33

The Coronation Exhibition

TOURING THE EMPIRE IN AN HOUR.

TEN years ago the possibility oi an individual city being able to support an extensive and com prcheti-iv.- exhibition of the i isources 01 the world at largt was regarded as frankly beyond the realms if the possible. A decennial display ot the arts, crafts, and manufactures of the different nations was considered ■i"ie than ade ptate. Even then the International or any other exposition ' l l to be heralded for years in advance : n-i a.lverti—d lavi-hly fr -:n Equator t. Poles with a view to focussing the attention of all and sundry, in the hope f luring them to tht spot and thus

reduce the extent of the balance on the wrong side rd the profit and loss ■Hit. ■ lie truth is that the "Great Eair” ■ had its day. It departed with the teenth century. The facilities for ging the changes” to a sufficient nt to intetest th? public time after ■ were so limited as to ] revoke the - that "one , xhibition just lik - ‘.:;>r." He r. again, the pi], ting o', enterpri- - denial. i- .n-i lerald.- ” - tity and fertility upon th ■ part of m at tic helm in order 1 , avoid "monotony which pall-.” and the ' cion manager able to fulfil the i- ]uirements is but seldom found. - fact is proved more conclusively c the solitary exception which Lonffers. For four or five years past English metropolis has provided resign - and visitors with an unique annual ■ y of the world’s products and

industrial efforts, replete with that elusive attribute "n. v.-ltyand which are comparable in every wav with the gigantic displays we are aceust med Jo witness once every decade in same prominent city er other on either of the two hemispheres. No other capital, de--pite the numb -r and variety of its attractions, can offer such a contribution to its gaiety and means for whiling away a few hours to profit or amusement. Bush has become known as the home of exhibitions; the White < ity is one of the sights and twentiethcentury traditions of the Empire’s hub

I hi- highly -ati-factory i •'■lit has been achieved mainly through the untiring energy and efforts of one man—lmre Kiralfy. He i- a ".Mammoth Exhibition ftrganisei to the manner born, and such a]par at but rare int a val'. Years ag when the old Uiympia was al th.- zenith "■ lame. h.. ~-t.-ni-hed one anl all hy the manner in which he brought Venice t ■ London. It was witnessed and enjoyed by hundreds of thousands and ert ated such al indi Hide impression that it is remembered to this .'lav. s Him -ix '. ar' ago th- though; cured to this hu-tling renter of diversion that London was in lire necessitv of some elaborate and riveting magnet of attraction during the summer months. In this respect it was provided for but in ■ herently. The theatre was too hot and stifling on a hot summer’s .lav. and what outdoor centres of amusement existed were too small, too remote from

th - city. ...i dilii idt of a.-,-..-. ■ . , p ; .- permanent popularity. But in . rl r to reach the public and thus g iin their su I ort such would have to I. ■ ... p.i te 1 tl] "ii or : g : mil ill.--. I hen In- though* of ar .. . > -c <-\aib; tion. London with its teeming milli n-, and hundreds of thousand' <f visit >r; not only from the provinces, bn foreign parts it' well, should surely lie aide to ext< nd such an undertaking the re piisit assistance to render the venture pr -fitable. He discussed hi' idea with kindred spirits and enlisted their sympathetic support. He would not only amuse the public, but would interest them as well; would not only strive to find a means of idling away an hour or two. but

would enable -ueh be a..-.mpl:-h<-! to material individual profit by a judi cious blend of the recreative with th 1 he 1 ranco-British Exhibition was hini't effort i’l this direction. Eighty acres of and vvithir a few minutes' . i b of the city, nd within a .to;;..', thro.' " *le- I; "'i -low.led —e.-ti.m — of -u--imrbii. were .i .paired, and thereon vv.-..-«-r. . ted < range of building' whi.-li uitr • dueed the Londoner to -um.-tliing new it' t. gard t . ar bite. Hire. In do.■ . our-■ followed Hie Imperi ;1 and Angl . Japan ese displays, each of which proved e.pjial |y successful. The continued - erf of the public proved that he was < n the right lit.-: that he had -n. -d-d in avoiding that galling monotonv; that th" nni'ses appreciated something new and fresh with each succeeding v-ir. But th? latest developnvmt of hienterprise in th:- dir.-.tion promi... to eclipse anything that lie has hitherto attempted Taking advantage of th" fact that the pre... nt year i- to 1,, onof unwonted fe«tivitv and gaiety in the centre of the Empire, h- in-ivg ir.it -d th - < ...ona’i-.n E'h'h’tion. I! • ran-a cd th Empire from end to end for material to fa.--in.ite th" Londoner ami stranger, and as a result has been able to reproduce the unu-iial. for at Shepherd’s Bn-h one i. able to roam through, ami t" pem-trat. to. corner, of the

l-.mpir.- th.- n.im.-s ~f which have been kn<»u u but ’i.'./i’ \. I " Attempt to comb'll. ■ a vast ar.-a '■ atti re i over J.l.oiiu niil.-s ~f Hie glob ■ within a mere handful of eightv acre- ino mean aehiev -ni.-nt. but when it is ■ -ompli'li.-l in th.- nianm-r di'pl'v-.l at the White < ity. it is a real success, I ’’ ■■ transported in turn from th® barbaric splendour of India to the backblocks of commercial Australia; from the priniev ah'in of New Guinea to the hustle of t anada: from th.- «vv.-It.-ring diamond mines of sunny South Africa to the garden of th - southern hemisphere. New Zealand. Moreover, it i< m. mere tinsel display. Rather is it an elaborate impres-

*‘on of h« venders, arts, indiistries. and >• *• ur es of everv part of Greater Britain. i.mi,-d out t.. th.- tin.-'t detail so as to .... nr,- a complete atmosphere and environment. M..m-_v hi. 1 expended l-ivi-hly to secure startling exactitude, th-- - t :. r.-ali't One gains mpre.s idea of the majesty of 11 a t■ - i in Fill, on the Zambesi, with ■’i- wat.r- tbin:.b ring ov.-r the gigantic ledge: of the b ■autie. of the Wairoa |-a!l' ot N.-w Z-alam!. .mi the -pravand aw.- of Niagaia. In .-• ■tri-t with this I tlo- wond-rful I gi11,1.1 tile natural Zoo with - g -rg.-ou- -11 --t a u.l sum 1 i' l ' and tlu imi . .mg grandeur ot 1 'iin altar with it- 11.. a ning bn t iti ations and l.u.y -hipping I Io- diorama ha. g v .-n u. all th ' b.-toi. . hut th pi tin.- li.i' b -en flat an l only ot pa—ing fa-cimitioii. At th • Whit, t ity it i' no ni re panorama, but I laretnlly prepared actuality that is d. pi. ted upon a eot-.b-n—.l .cile. Each *■ ' u: ie. < ..n-id.-t abb- -pa e and is set as carefully and as -.paciously ath • big -.-en>- of a tlie.iti \on w ind thioiigh th gioove- ,-nl tr.-i.| the grass aioum! th-- Tai Mahal .-at -hing a glinip-e of it. Wonderful a r.-liite. t ui,■ through the veg.-tation. und-i the ...it illumination ot th.- moon -hilling from a deep blue cloiidl.-s- -ky to th" ace..mi niiuvtit of th. -tats

•' ' -- ' ' fth Exhibition was to • : ■ : , ■ .. _ . . ■ "- '■■' •■ ■ ::' ■ f ■ Em?

A little farther on yon are brought face to fa<-c with Benare-. rearing up frmn the bank- of tin- broad Ganges. sweeping round in a ere- ent and framed by pic-ture-.pie mountain- and magnificent temple-. The street- are seen crowded with pilgrim-, camel-, ami other beasts of burden employed in the -acred city - evervdav life. Down by the water-id- 1 are the native- bathing, praying o l gathered in group- around the Fakirpractising their devotion- and au-teritie-.

In farther India one make- a close acquaintance with my-tie Mandalay, which native city with it- magnificent palace «a- but a name a few year- ago. The actuality of the scene i- enhanced from the introduction of the natives garl-'d in their national attire pra-ti-ing their everyday indu-trie- amid local colour. It is a- if the magic earpet became an a tual vehicle of travel and carried the vi-itor over thousand- of miles in the -pace of a few seconds.

From the brilliant sunshine and bustle of the Indian Empire to the quiet sylvan beauty of the Antipode- is but a few step-, with it- noble street- rising in terra. -e- and bays humming with -hipping from all part- of the world. Within a -tone'- throw is the majesty of the Wairoa Fall-, one of the sight- of the southern hemisphere. Here the ru-hing water tumbling over the lofty ledge and sparkling in the light complete- the illu-ion. Near by one gain- a peep into the -beepfarming industry of Australia, where the

ranches spread for mile after mile without a break, and the wool and meat from which constitutes such staple industries of the Britain of the south. Baek on<T more to the Dark Continent, though it i- far from "dark" as presented at the White City. Here is Cairo with it- mosques and minarets. You are overlooking the city and see the desert stretching away in the distance with all its wonderful inspiring atmospheric effects. You catch a glimpse of the Nile, winding with it- green bank- through the trackle— scorched expan-e of -and with the dahabyah making its way over the -lowly moving blue waters of the rivet. The latter in turn bring- you to Khartoum. the city which a few years ago was the stronghold of the Mahdi, but which now is arising in a new form under the hand of the town-planner and the beneficial influences of civilisation. Cairo and Khartoum in reality are separated by several hundred miles of desert and Nile, but here they have been brought within a few yards of one another. Time and distance have been annihilated completely. Then Uganda with the Mountains of the Moon in the distance is reached with the dank vegetation shrouding the groun. in gloom and the sky wreathed in the glory of sunrise. Even the famous railway claims attention, and the ditii-ulti 1 - confronting the engineers in the spanning of the yawning ravine- i- reveal. 1 1 bv the lofty creation of -teel which carries the thin ribbon of track from ont mountain slope to the other. In South Africa the diamond mines claim attention, as does also the rolling veldt with its kopjes breaking up the flat expanse, to give way to the broad Zant, besi at the 'point where it tumblethrough a crack in the earth's surface to produce the wonderful Victoria Falls Nor are the more remote and lessei known corners of the Empire overlooked. Here is a glimpse of Borneo with the wild men wrought in clay practising their primitive crafts: there it is Nerr Guinea with the primitive huts built or stilts above the swamp and a couple oi natives practising tattooing on the thres

hold ot their dwelling with its quaint thatched roof. Then comes Canada with its far-flung wheattields and the prairie farmers at work garnering the food of the world side by -ide with the lumber yard- tearing down the wealth of dense forests, and goldfields amidst the rugged fastnesses of the mountains. But the needs of more than the tourist and sightseer are fulfilled, though in this latter in-tance more than aimless wandering in idle curiosity, from pillar to post of the Empire is provided, for the round trip pos-es-es a certain educational value. The display of scientific apparatus compels more than passing attention, for it is one of the most complete that has ever been collected at such an exhibition as this. The greatest interest doubtless will be centred in the complete working installation of a Marconi wireless telegraphy station where the visitor will be initiated into the mysteries of this striking invention. and the simplicity with which messages can be transmitted and received. de-pite the apparent complexity’ and intricacy of the apparatus employed. One of the most novel displays, and one which certainly constitutes a decided feature in such exhibitions, i- the Press section, which contains some highlv interesting feature- incidental to the Fourth Estate. Memories of the South African war and the siege of Mafeking are revived by the complete tile of the "Mafeking Gazette.'* loaned by General Baden Powell. This was published under trying conditions while fighting was in progress, to afford the beleaguered citizen- a vehicle for the dissemination of news, ami published with regularity ■-hells permitting"—a- the inscription announces with a touch of grim humour. Newspaper publishing under conditions of war contrast vividly with that under adverse circumstances of peace, as the Antarctic journal printed and published amid perpetual -now and ice upon the la-t British expedition abundantlv testifies. Then there is a volume of the "Farthing Post." the cheapest newspaper ■ver published, though its career was -holt, too—with valuable tiles of newspaper- recording more or less graphically and with fluttering accuracy, historic

battles, speeches by old-time orators, and other incident- of varying interest to the world al large. Here the cinematograph has been pressed into service to illu-trate the preparation of a modern newspaper throughout its thousand and one different phases, both editorial and mechanical. Such will convey a comprehensive idea of the elaborate organisation that is requisite to furnish the ’’ha’penny morning paper." Glimpses of native village- will serve to introduce the visitor to some little known inhabitants of Britain beyond the

seas, a- well as their strange arts and ■ raft-. The Canadian prairie of titty years ago is recalled by the Red Indians from Sa-katehewan. with their veteran chief. ■’Scarface." making tomahawks, moi-as-ins. birch-lurk eanoes. a- well atheir urious beadwork. the making of Panama hats an,l the carving .of walking -ti.-ks ft,mi .ingle gourds is shown by the West Indians from Jamaica. Their perfect knowledge of English appears somewhat r< nark able; especially when it is remembered that they have been brought from the

interior parts of the islands, and before they embarked I r London had never seen the sea. The Somalis in the in sque native eo-tmne pursuing tile peaceful art of making mats will arouse more than casual attention: inasmuch as their chief -'I" 'amid Hamid, an upright, iiaid a--tee! wairior. acted a- the interpreter to ta,. English commander in harge of G e t">’ es in the la-t campaign again-t tine Mad Mullah. Nor have the n.-.-l- of those who delight in promenading to the strains of

music been overlooked. So far as «outside amusements as concerned these are continuous and well-varied. The grounds of the White ( ity have already attained distill-tion from the wealth of flowers, glitter of »< dour, and overwhelming perfume. But this year sees the high-water mark in this direction. Efforts have been made to establish the sweet pea and the carnation as the Coronation flower, but the rose refuses to la* usurped from its time-honoured distin -tbn of being England’s national floral emblem. Consequently the grounds of the White (it v are carpeted literally with this blossom. Over 50.1 MM) rose-trees’ have been planted, and when such are in the height of their glory, a remarkable spectacle will b e presented, providing a wonderful splash of varied colours, and an overwhelming fragrance. England has its manifold activities, its serene beauties, unfolded in it series of ten sections. Weaving, mining, engineering. shipping, and agriculture* tell their several tales. In the six sections which fall to the share of W;iles are history and industry, sentiment ami scenery agreeably blended. W e can feast our eyes and our imagination on Pembroke Cattle and Carnarvon Castle; we can descend into the bowels •of rhe earth (metaphorically speaking) with the miner. Ireland lies open to our regard. Wo are able to contrast the formation of the Giant’s Causeway and the grudging mood of Nature on the Galway Coast with the loveliness of the Lakes of Killarney and the beauty of the \ ale of Avoca: <>r we can marli the striking cDntra.-t between the loneliness o. L a bog scene and the activities of Ship-building Belfast. Scotland has her character and history written for her. as it were, in some eight sections. Balmoral, the King’s Highland residence, we have, of course: and the Palace of Holyrood. In the way of scenery we have the Pass y.if Killiecrankie, as well as the Caledonian Canal, with Ben Nevis in the distance: and. reflecting the business energy of the Scot, we have representations of such places as Glasgow and Perth.