Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1892 — THE WORLD’S FAIR. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE WORLD’S FAIR.

A CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT AT THE GREAT SHOW. Practical! Plan for an Exhibition of Much Interest and Educational Yalue. The wonderful educational effect of the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 in our oountry, revolutionizing os it seems, all matters of deooration and architecture, and many other things, besides engrafting on to our schools “manual training” from Russia, has suggested to my mind that the greatest good that can oome to our people from the coming World’s Fair is not in the direction of improvements in machinery, in tho production of materials, in matter of deooration and art in general, all of immense importance,but in the direction of showing our people what the highest enlightenment up to this time, gathered from all the nations, oan do to render the early period of the development of the life and character of men and women as useful, &b beautiful, and as happy as is possible. In the Children’s Department I should want five divisions: For lßt, sohool; 2d, children's clothing and comforts in gene-

ral; 3d, sports, plays, toys, and everything to contribute to the pleasure and entertainment of children; 4th, an auditorium; sth, a bazaar. Ist Division, School. This division I suppose the Educational Department, already provided for, will take oare of, and so relieve the “Children’s Department” of this responsibility; but if they do not take hold of It in the spirit of the “Children's Department” I should wish in our department a school exhibit which should be of our spirit. This would be, not to show what is customary in any particular State or city, as how these may be improved. I would begin with the beet experience from the sohools and homes for babies in London, and if practicable illustrate it with llvo teachers, and nurses, and babies. Then would come the little “kitchen garden ” and “kindergarten,” and the development of Pestatozzi’s and Froebel’s idea's and methods, and the beet we know of manual and heart, ae well as intellectual training all the way up through the grades for children of different ages, all illustrated with real children, and real schools in practical operation. The object would not be to enow how parental oare may he eliminated,but how it may be made more effeotive, and how the child while away from the parent’s influence may have the best influence brought to bear upon it. 2d Division, for children’s clothing sad comforts in general, with the aid of

<ay figures would illustrate the latest improvement in the construction of dress for babies and children of all ages. This is especially important, for the prevailing customs in reference to the dress of the little ones needs reformation more than those of grown people, which have sailed into existence the Women's Dress Reform Associations. The ordinary complicated dress of a baby is the cause, speaking very mildly, of an immense amount of unnecessary discomfort for both baby and its mother. This is so easily remedied that it seems as if the millions of babies living, and those yet to be born should have the benefit, especially since the better ways are simpler, cheaper, and more easily constructed, and the temper and sometimes even the life of the baby, and mother, I suppose, would be saved from rum. Many of these can be conveniently demonstrated in the Exposition by ladies and gentlemen, who will be glad of so grand an opportunity to aid in giving comfort to their fellow-creatures. In this division should be shewn some things important in relation to foods and their preparation, There are societies that will gladly help in these matters. 3d Division, for games, toys and amusements, would be divided into two subdivisions for indoor and for outdoor amusements. Here I should want to illustrate the games and use of toys and appliances in the most alive way possible. In the outdoor subdivision, at least a part of which should be under shelter, I should want among other things a seabeach and sand for children to play on, and I should want some real water for the little ones to sail their boats in. In the indoor subdivision I should have sections for children of different ages, beginning with children two years oiu and younger, playing with their toys, building houses with their blocks, etc. 4th Division, Auditorium. Here I by means of a stereopticon illustrate the child life of various nations, having several good lecturers for the purpose, not only of making this feature entertaining, but with the direct and principal object of as adroitly as possible interesting the people in doing what they can for the pleasure of their own children, and of giving them information as to how they may do it in their own individual homes. Mondays the beautiful ohild life in Japan might be Illustrated; Tuesdays the child life of some other country or countries, and so

on. These entertainments mtgbt be varied in many ways. The building I should erect to seat 500 people, and so arrange it that it could be easily increased in sice. That it might be quickly filled and emptied, I should have several entrances on one side and exits on the other. sth Division Bazaar. After working up the interest of a grown person in the welfare and pleasure of the little Ones at home, before bis enthusiasm has time to subside I should put in his reach all these things which have been exhibited for the comfort and happiness of the children, in a bazaar whioh should be in a building for itself, which nobody need visit for the mere purpose of seeing the articles, as all would be on exhibition in the othor divisions. I think tho exhibitors will make the bazaar so attractive that every person will wish to see it. Here 1 should require the prices to be moderate and plainly marked, and also to pay Borne small tribute to tho general income of the exhibition. It has been suggested that an attract tive feature for the World’s Fair could be a great play-house in which all children coming to the Fair should have the privilege of playing, and that aooommodations might be made for several thousand children at a time, where they would be free to use all sorts of toys. While that idea is full of interest, it looms far more interesting and important to systematically teach the people how to give

pleasure and benefit to the children at home, in some suoh way as is here proposed. It should hardly be expeoted that a first draft of a thing of this kind oould be made whioh would not need to be greatly modified by any one who should undertake the practical work. This plan contemplates the exclusive use of several good-sized buildings, but the grounds, large as they are, were so fully oooupied before application had been made for space for this, that it was questionable, however meritorious tho project might be, whether room could bo round for it. At last room has been found, but it looks as if its friends would havo to be oontent with but a single building, but this may be large enough t«admit of showing all those things whioh it is desirable should be shown.

It is not practicable for various reasons to use children in connection with many exhibits, whioh would be brighter by t heir presenoe, but in those oases it is probable young ladies oan take the part of the ohilaren, in illustrating how children can use for pleasure and to advantage various things. For instance, young ladies, oan show what pleasure and education a child oan get out of a pile of •and in a box or tray, or a lump of clay, or how so simple things as a bunch of wooden toothpioks and a lump of putty can be made very entertaining and call forth ingenuity. They oan Illustrate the value of good building blooks and of

many things, where the advantage of having some one who can niake explanations to the sight-seers may be important. By the accompanying drawings it is desired to suggest how one building may be made to do large service. The plan of but one floor is shown. It has a gallery or walk from which may be seen the kindergarten and manual training classes at work on the ground floor below, occupying the middle of the building: and on the other side of the walk is the space for exhibits, all around the building. This floor is planned to show those things which are of special value for babies and little children. On the first floor, where the kindergarten may be viewed through wire screens on one side of the walk; on the other side may be shown those things which are of interest to older girls and boys, such as drawing, sketching, painting in oils and water oolors, in etching and engraving by the various methods. By this means the visitor can get ideas as to the materials necessary, and the practicability of carrying on these things at home. Toa greater or less extent these things rnsy be shown by olasses in the kindergarten and manual training classes, but it is desirable to show them detaohed, for the purpose of encouraging attempts in cases where the individuals cannot have the advantage of the organized schools for suoh purposes. On this floor may be shown sucn things and ways of using them, as will engage the interest of young people, girls as well as boys, in photography, modeling in clay and plaster, carving, carpentry, smithing, plumbing, electrical work, printing and so forth.

Emphasis can be given to the suggestions as to girls learning to do these things, not only as a matter of education but of practical usefulness, by the exhibition of some of the magnificent contributions to the arts and sciences by women. Some of the most delicate and useful steel engravings ever exeouted were done by a woman, and there will be sewing maohines invented by a woman on which thirteen foundation patents have been granted this year, after the field had seemed to be exhausted by men. In these simple, ingenious maohines, which will do all the things and as well as the ordinary machines, may be used as under bobbin wound with a thousand or fifteen bun-

dred yards es thread, instead of the Uttl< bobbin with room for only about fifty yards. A woman is generally mystifiei and completely lost it some accident occurs to tho plumbing arrangements of the house. There is no reason why the veil of mystery should Hot be raised for her from this subjeot, adding greatly ts her satisfaction and comfort. The building represented by the accompanying picture is supposed to be two hundred feet long and seventy or eighty feet wide, two or three stories high, with a flat roof and easy acoess to it. The oentral part of the roof thirty or forty feet wide and a hundred and sixty feet loug, is raised above tho rest of the roof for the purpose of giving side skylights for the rest of the building. Both the lower and upper parts of the roof can be protected in places by awnings, and used for exhibiting some things whioh require the open air, suoh as kites and balloons. The plan of tho building has not yet been settled upon, but I trust th« ladies, in whose hands this important matter is, will treat it in so liberal and forooful a manner, that as a result thil department shall be not only from iti beauty the most attractive of all in the great World’s Fair, but most useful in matters moral and educational.

Wilson L. Gill.

In a compartment of a train running from Bologna to Florenoe, Italy, a spar*

from the locomotive flew through the open window on the golden hair of e lady, setting itMtfire. There was groat oousternation, none of tho company knowing what to do. The afilloted lady was tlie only person that did not lose hei self-possession for a moment. She raised her hand to her head, soizod hold of tho burning hair, whioh a moment after had made tho journey through the window into tho open air. Her splondid golden hair had been an artificial head-dress.

SIDE VIEW OF PROPOSED CHILDREN’S PALACE.

GROUND PLAN OF CHILDREN’S PALACE.