AT THE EXHIBITION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1136, 25 May 1911, Page 11

AT THE EXHIBITION.

THE HOME INDUSTRIES. It did, indeed, feel like, "port after stormy seas" when the 'interior of tho Exhibition Buildings was reached yesterday afternoon. i'rom one door to another the crowd, consisting of many hundreds of people, surged and wandered, struggling from one entrance to another, only to find that they had in most cases to go still further aiield. Inexorable policemen, deaf to all pleadings, sternly refused entrance to exhausted ticket-hold-ers who had at last managed tp reach some opening—they must go the way that had been inarlcrd out for them, no other. Each one, facing tho striving, confused crowd, must have felt a modern Horatius, with the difference that it was not a forlorn hopo they, were upholding, but a victorious one. Once inside the building, however, there was so much of interest to see that agitated feelings subsided, and people prepared themselves to enjoy the many things which were to he seen on all sides of them. The greater part of the throng made its wav at once into the large concert room, brilliant with red, white, and blue drapings and flags. Hero the opening ceremony was to take place, and in a little while the buildings were crowded with people upstairs and downstairs and everywhere else that offered room, many being quite unable to gain entrance at all. The formal opening of the Exhibition was made by the Hon. James Carroll, the ActingPrime Minister, and much .was said concerning the wonderful progress made by the city within recent years. Figures, of course, were indispensable, and were lovingly quoted. So enthusiastic was the Mayor that not even the healthiness of the city was left out. that possibly inspiring the energy which brought, about tho event at which all were present. It was a perfect riot of colour through which people made their way when examining the various departments, many of the stalls being marvels of arrangement. On the second floor of the main building nearly the whole of one side had been devoted "to homo industries. Although they were not of so varied a character as might have been expected, considering tho wide range that such industries cover nowadays, yet some really beautiful specimens of lace and crochet. work, imbroidery and stencilling, were tp l>o seen. A marvellous piece of work was exhibited in the shape of a knitted woollen shawl' done by. an old Shetland lady, Mrs. Tait, of very nearly eighty years of ase. Another! 'interesting thing was a tablecloth worked by Mr*. Sutherland, hersell full of' years (quite seventy-four), and some knitting as well. Several specimens of wood-carving, relief and chip, were sjiown. among tho latter being a chair covered with spirited dragons almost breathing fire and brimstone. In another alcove were some charming pen and ink sketches. Specimens in oil painting on satin andothor materials were shown by Mis-3 Stella Anderson. X delightful thin?? for a nursery was a dark green wcollen mat, adorned with four or five of the qnaintest dc-ys imaginible, with vividlyred long tongues hanging out, evidently on a hunting expedition. The child mind with imagination would find it quite fascinating. A handsome beaten, brass fender and a couple of trays of similar design wctb exhibited by Mrs. A. Marshall, and a motor engine for a motor boat, made at home by Foster Maynard during the. time of lib apprenticeship, attracted a great dea.l of attention. ..Some beautiful models of boats sent in by E. Kuffani, and a model of a yacht, Maliutu, made out of a kauri log by A. Bender, of Lyall Bay. drew an admiring crowd around it. An exhibition of first, aid in.a bedroom specially littcd up for the purpose was given by Nurse, Sexton. As well as the boats th>re: we're-models of tho Hutt suspension bridge and of a tramear—the latter not being adorned with advertisements. Specimens of work, most of it stencilled curtains, were sent in by the. .teachers' class (Education Board). ;A scctic-n over which numbers of peonle lingered for a long timo was that of the children. Hero one saw how the young idea is trained to shoot, the methods being very different to those of former years, and infinitely more interesting. It will be very surprising if tho coming generations do not develop highly artistic faculties, for their sense of colour nnd of form is now being directed and cultivated from the earliest years. Fruit and flowers, loaves of bread, fish, animals, and all the objects that surround them in their daily life' have been modelled in plasticene and coloured, and if some of tho animals do happen to bo somewhat quaint to look at, the idea is there. Several nursery rhymes had been illustrated by youthful fingers—all the incidents and personages in "The House that Jack Built," "Sing a Song of Sixpence." and mythical beings such as "The Dish that ran away with the Spoon," etc., being carried out in a variety of ways. Cats and rats .with beautifully-luxuriant whiskers were quite plentiful, and intermingled with them upon the wall-division were specimens of handwriting and of brushwork. A great deal of. interest was ] centred upon a model cottage, containing a drawing-room, bedroom, dining-room, and kitchen, all furnished entirely by children. They even had not forgotten the cat sitting before the fire in one of tho rooms, while pictures and portraits of their: own work adorned the walls. The kitchen with its pots and pans and useful-looking candlestick was a model one. In another division were infants' garments, dolls' outfits, and other kinds of needlework made by children,-some of it being beautifully done. Handwriting, maps of various countries, and more advanced brushwork were to be peen upon l the walls, and on the top of one of the stands was a display of spiral staircases, cottages, and many other things, designed in cardboard. Altogether it was a most interesting display of what children can do.