0,000, was given up to
art. This was on the whole the poorest feature of the Exposition.
America had few works of the first order to show. Foreign nations, with
the exception of England, feared to send their choicest art products
across the ocean. France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands,
with some other countries, were all represented. Italy, besides
paintings, sent many pieces of sculpture. England contributed a noble
lot of paintings, including works by Gainsborough and Reynolds. In spite
of all, the collection was the largest and most notable ever seen in
this country, and throngs crowded the galleries.

Horticultural Hall, built of iron and glass in the Moorish style of the
twelfth century, also a permanent structure, was erected by
Philadelphia. Here, one walked amid the glories of tropical vegetation.
Palm, orange, lemon, camphor, and india-rubber trees rose on every hand.
The cactus of the desert, rare English flowering plants, strange growths
from islands of the sea, here flourished each in its peculiar soil and
climate. Outside the building were beds of hardy flowering plants
covering twenty-five acres. Besides these five main structures, the
United States Building, where the working of the various administrative
departments of the Government was shown, attracted thousands of visitors
daily. A Woman's Pavilion contained products of female industry and
skill. A narrow-gauge railway ran in great loops from building to
building.

Twenty-six States erected buildings of their own. These served mainly as
headquarters, but two or three contained large exhibits of state
products. Thirty or more buildings were put up by private enterprise to
illustrate various manufacturing and industrial processes. Before the
close of the Exposition more than two hundred buildings stood within the
enclosure. Several foreign Governments erected small structures of
various sorts.

Through the summer months, in spite of the unusual heat that season,
thousands of pilgrims from all parts of the country found their way to
this shrine of the world's progress. The quiet old Quaker city was moved
with unwonted life. Amidst the crowds of new-comers its citizens became
strangers in their own streets.

On July 4th, simple but impressive ceremonies were held in the public
square at the rear of Independence Hall. On temporary platforms sat
5,000 distinguished guests, and a chorus of 1,200 singers. The square
and the neighboring str