The Fisheries Building was built of everything beautiful produced by
the sea. It would have charmed Ruskin. It was one thousand feet long
and two hundred wide; two polygons connected by an arch. It was built
of marine forms; and here, for the first time, the visitor might enter
as it were the regions of the waters and travel among the inhabitants
of the deep. Japan and Norway led the exhibits, while Massachusetts
finely presented the industries of Gloucester.
“I find here,” said Mr. Marlowe, “an idea to take into our town life;
it is shell decorations for lawns and houses.”
He took his note-book and wrote down the things that pleased him most
which could be so used.
In the Agricultural Building, Mr. Marlowe found like hints in
structures built of corn and cobs.
In the Kansas Building he saw another home art in the wonders of
taxidermy.
“The Arkansas Building is in the French style,” said Mr. Marlowe, on
entering that beautiful structure. “It is a Folk-Lore Building; the
settlers of Arkansas were French. The floor is made of native pine;
and, see, there is a fountain of Hot Springs’ crystals, a gift of the
ladies of Hot Springs.”
[Illustration: KANSAS BUILDING.]
Here they found a book made of seventy kinds of wood, and Mr. Marlowe
found in this a new idea for the society at home.
The California Building was one of the most imposing and
self-interpreting on the grounds. It was Spanish, and was built after
the manner of the ancient adobe mission-houses, with belfries of old
Spanish bells. Here Mr. Marlowe found a beautiful “roof-garden” as a
feature of note. The exhibits of fruit were a wonder, and led one to
feel the greatness of the State of beneficent climate.
In the Connecticut Building Mr. Marlowe found an old settle, such as
was used for story-telling purposes in colonial times. This he thought
might be reproduced in the furniture of new houses, and used for
historic narratives and folk-tales, as in the times of the Puritans.
[Illustration: FLORIDA BUILDING.]
The Florida Building represented Old Fort Marion, and was adorned with
palm like bamboos, and overflowed with orange cider. Here Mr. Marlowe
developed the idea of a home orange party, in which the decorations
should be of orange color, the refreshments of oranges, with a lecture
on different varieties of oranges, to be illustrated by serving the
fruit as described, and with banjo music and log-cabin songs, or the
music of Spanish guitars.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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