THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 615, 8 June 1876, Page 3

THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION.

Ths New York correspondent of the Argus, writing on April 17th, says:™* As the day approaches for the opening of the Centennial Exhibition, the interest in it increases notably in this country, and the evidence of any large amount of general interest abroad, such as will bring many foreign visitors to the country, ia not so conclusive as the ardent believers in the enterprise might desire. Within the past month two of the lines running steamships between this port and Great Britain have announced their intention of taking off a steamer each fortnight. This will leave, instead of two steamers weekly, only one, which certainly does not betray any great expectations as to travel towards this bide of the Atlantic during Itye summer. But it is quite well determined that the exhibits froin foreign countries will occupy all the space allotted to them, and this, too, after a pretty rigid application of a high standard of selection. This is particularly true concerning Great Britain. Prom that country all well-informed judges agree the exhibition is to receive very liberally. This was to be expected. The United States are already good customers of England, and may be much better for they sell to her twice what they buy of her. They are recognised as formidable rivals also in some directions, and as possible rivals in others, They can send cutlery where Sheffieldware cannot equal theirs, and they are exporting cotton goods to English markets. The competition between the two countries is as intelligent as it is earnest. England sees in the Exhibition a- chance for meeting her; young opponent on his own ground, and; showing to the world exactly what the merits of each are in certain disputed departments of industry. It is'a resolution worthy of the grand courage of the " mother country," and it will be accepted and reciprocated by the United States in a spirit worthy of both peoples. The system of awards contemplated, to which I have already alluded, is gaining in favour among exhibitors, who are naturally the most scrutinising critics of its probable efficacy. It is in theory not unlike that which prevailed at the Intercolonial Exposition in Melbourne last fall, as I gather the character of the latter from the reports in The Argus, but in application it is intended that it shall be very thorough. A body of 200 jurors is selected by the Centennial Commission, on which foreign representatives of each branch of exhibits are of course included, the foreign jurors numbering in all IGO. This body is divided into the necessary number of juries, and it is proposed that each jury shall give a report upon the articles submitted to its inspection, setting forth critically its opinion of their respective merits and the facts on which the judgment of the jury is based. These reports will obviously be of considerably greater value than medals, diplomas, or certificates only, which convey but a vague impression of the judgments arrived at. The ordinary method, indeed, leaves every man to form his own unaided opinion of the value of an award. A medal which may mean a great deal to an expert, who has seen the articles in competition, who has an intelligent notion of their respective claims, and who knows the standard by which the juries were guided, may mean positively nothing to the general public. Thus, after the last Paris Exposition the great rival houses of piano manufactures in this country, the Steinways and the Ohickerings, began a dispute which they have ever since kept up as to which received the attestation of superiority on that occasion. No such confusing contest could have arisen had the judgment of the jury, and the reasons on which it was based, been made the real award between competitors.

Amoßg the English exhibits, the ceramic ware is likely to attract great attention in tbis country, partly because of its exceeding beauty, and partly because there are very good clays here, which our potters are seeking to utilise. Mr Doulton has brought over some 1100 articles for exhibition, and among them is a reproduction of the American group, in terracotta, of the Albert Memorial. The Doulton ware proper is, I believe, a species of vitrified clay, which is very hard, strong, highly polished on the surface, and comparatively manageable in the baking. Some of the specimens have been unpacked, and are of surpassing elegance and grace of design. In this field, we may as well say beforehand, there is almost no competition to be made by America. American designing, whether in pottery, in textile fabrics, or in metal, is, with scarcely an exception, detestably bad. It is at once ambitious and feeble. It is made by men who have little taste, less instruction, and no self discipline Natural forms rarely appear in it, but it is crowded for the most part with weak, florid perversion and confusion of conventional lines and masses, which are sufficiently imitative to lack originality, and not sufficiently so to catch any of the truth or vigour which distinctly conventional work invariably has. Probably no country on the face of the globe hao bo large a number and bo small a raiietj

of ugly buildings—ugly outside and in—as the United States. It is to be hoped that the sights of English and French designs of various kinis will stimulate to some improvement in this regard ; but I am by no means sanguine. If we cannot show the world anything very beautiful in the way of designing, we may be aMe to show it some novel exhibitions of the talent of Amerieacs for making the best of novi 1 situations, and improvising comforts and conveniences which ordinarily take a long time to secure. The centennial build ings !!•! on one side of the Schuylkill (pronounced Schoolkill) Kiver, and the city of Philadelphia proper is at a distance of some two miles on the opposite side. The con nexions, by way of bridges and railways, are not the most complete imaginable. Hence it happens that very great efforts have been made to accommodate visitors near the grounds, and it is probable that not less than 20,000 people will sleep in buildings put up for this ocasion only. But a still more venturesome method has been adopted by the Grangers, who are organisations of faimers from various parts of the State of Pennsylvania, as well as other States These have procured a large plot of ground some miles from the Exhibition, and on the line of the Peiansylvanian railway. They have made a contract with the Road to carry passengers from this point to the Exhibition and back for 15 cents, or one way only for 10 cents. They are putting up long onestorey buildings for 2400 people, and they have arranged to lodge and feed these at the invariable rate of 50 cents for each meal, and 50 cenis for a bed for the night. Doubtless the plan will involve some confusion for the first week, when there will be a crowd at the opening ; but I venture the prediction" that it will work exceedingly well after that time, and that many tens of thousands of the farmers of the country will be provided for by this plan during the six months of the Exhibition.