Books: Palaces and Courts of the Exposition
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Juliet James >> Palaces and Courts of the Exposition
The Palace of Manufactures shows the coarser, heavier articles, such as
furniture, carpets, woolen goods, hardware. Many articles are being made
in this palace.
The Palace of Liberal Arts includes all kinds of printing, book binding,
engraving, photographic apparatus, especially in the line of moving
pictures and color photography, theatrical appliances, musical
instruments, instruments of precision, wireless telegraphy and the
wireless telephone, etc.
Palace of Education
Architect - W. B. Faville of San Francisco.
There are three portals on the south in the Spanish Renaissance style,
with twisted columns of the Byzantine school. Notice that the screws
twist in opposite directions.
Above the central portal is Gustav Gerlach's tympanum relief
"Education." The tree of knowledge is seen in the background. The
kindergarten stage, the half-grown, and the mature periods are shown,
the last showing the man no longer under a teacher, but working his
problem out by himself.
The modern costumes, combined with the classical styles, suggest that
the knowledge of today rests upon that of the old schools. Mr. Gerlach
is a pupil of Karl Bitter of New York, the Chief of the Sculpture.
Below the tympanum is the open book of knowledge from which light
radiates in all directions. The curtains of darkness have been drawn
aside. The hour-glass says, "Improve the shining moments as they pass."
The crown awaits those who will seek knowledge.
Atop this portal is the globe suggesting that education extends around
the world.
The panel on the left shows the female teacher in the center. She is
instructing her hearers who discuss their interests.
This panel is by Peters.
The companion panel with the male teacher is by Cesare Stea.
Both panels are quite evident in meaning. Messrs. Peters and Stea are
pupils of the Beaux Arts of Paris and the National School of Sculpture
of America, respectively.
The Palace of Education and Social Economy shows developments since
1905. Comparative exhibits of educational interests of all nations are
shown.
Child welfare, playgrounds, care of the feebleminded, treatment of the
insane, missionary work, the Red Cross system, criminology, park
systems, street improvements, methods of disposing of sewage, and many
other allied subjects are interestingly worked out for public benefit.
The flora is just about the same in front of these palaces as that which
you have noticed. The veronica buxifolia is grouped around the lawn at
the corner of Palm and Administration Avenues.
The west side of the Palace of Education as well as that of the Palace
of Food Products, has great Roman half domes above the entrances. Again
your architecture at the portals is changed to suit the style of the
palace opposite. The Fine Arts Palace is mainly old Roman.
These are called respectively "The Dome of Philosophy" and "The Dome of
Plenty." The female figures carrying the books "Ex libris," as well as
the male figures carrying cereal wreaths, are by Albert Weinert and Earl
Cummings, respectively.
"Out of books comes much knowledge," says the woman.
"If you wish to be as physically strong as I am, eat my food," says the
man. This figure then represents physical vigor.
The fountains of the vestibules are by W. B. Faville of San Francisco.
That in the vestibule of the Palace of Food Products is strongly
reminiscent of the fountain of Perugia.
The great Siena pedestals beside these palaces carry Ralph Stackpole's
"Thought."
The niches have alternate groups of "Abundance" and "Triumph of the
Fields," both by Chas. Harley of Philadelphia (studio in New York).
Abundance expresses to you the overflowing amount of all that we have
today. Her symbol, the cornucopia, is seen on either side. Her large
hands are spread out as if to say:
"I give you all that I have. Take. Choose what you will."
One certainly has a bountiful choice.
The eagle's head is on the prow of the vessel in which she sits. It
surely suggests that considering all we have put before us today, we
have reason for inspiration (the eagle being the symbol of inspiration).
The Triumph of the Fields shows man surrounded by the symbols of the
harvest festivals when the Celtic cross, to take one case, or the
standard with the bull atop, to take another, was carried through the
fields at the time of the bringing in of the harvests.
Man has been the guiding hand to the bull, but the bull has really
triumphed since it has actually done the work, while man receives the
credit. Man has surmounted the bull, as it were.
Above is the wheel of the wain of old.
The seed in the black earth appears almost to possess intelligence. You
get that idea by the head below. Has not the seed produced the bearded
barley head you see represented? Does not that power of production
appear to be intelligence in the seed?
Below the niches are facsimiles of old Roman baths such as one sees in
the Lateran Museum, in Rome. (See picture in Bannister Fletcher's
History of Architecture, page 170.)
Fronting the Esplanade are four great palaces:
The Palace of Food Products, which allows you to see how a number of our
dry groceries are made;
The Palace of Agriculture, dealing with the many interests of the farmer
and the orchardist, the fisheries, forestry, reclaimed land, etc.;
The Palace of Transportation, which enables one to see the remarkable
progress made in automobiles, aerial navigation, ocean liners, overland
trains, etc.;
The Palace of Mines, which has been spoken of before.
These four palaces have the same kind of doorway. The style is the
Spanish Plateresque, the same kind of work that was used on the fine
portals of the Palace of Varied Industries.
The Spanish Cavalier (by Allen Newman) is the type of man who came to
America in the 16th century, during the period following its discovery.
He is the type of Spanish conqueror (conquistador).
The Pirate (by Allen Newman) is the type of man who infested the shores
of Spanish-America and preyed upon the commerce.
The Palaces are intimately placed for several reasons.
From experiences at previous Expositions "tired feet" are strongly to be
considered, hence the nearness of the buildings.
San Francisco has a few (?) windy and foggy days in the Trade Wind
Season, so if the walls are high and near together, the courts on the
inside of those walls will be well protected from both winds and fogs.
The high walls lift the cool air so that it passes over the buildings of
the great block, thus sheltering the courts within.
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Now that you have walked around the façades of the palaces of this great
block system, you can start with your courts.
I would strongly suggest that you study all of your buildings of this
group first, before entering the courts for close work.
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The Aisles Between the Palaces
The aisle between the Educational Palace and the Palace of Food Products
is called The Aisle of Spring, tho the name will probably not be applied
very often, as the aisle is not important.
The flora seen here is eucalyptus, acacia, laurestinus with its white
bloom, and veronica decussata with its purple flowers.
The border is cistus.
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The Aisle of the Setting Sun is between the Court of the Universe and
the Court of the Four Seasons.
The Aisle of the Rising Sun is between the Court of the Universe and the
Court of the Ages.
These two aisles are very much alike, the great difference being in the
flora used.
The style is Italian Renaissance and should not be called Venetian, as
many have named it.
The walls are covered with a diaper design of ochre, pink and
travertine.
Blue rondels are used with telling effect. They give a delightful touch
of color and have a fine Italian feeling. These rondels have no special
meaning, being purely decorative.
The coupled columns with different decorations have their prototypes in
the columns of the churches of southern Italy.
The arched windows have interesting grotesque keystones.
Notice that the spirals of the great Siena marble columns turn in
opposite directions. Think how they would appear if they all turned the
same way!
Notice also the beautiful manipulation of color on the Triumphal Arches.
The latticed windows are strongly suggestive of Mohammedan work and are
a beautiful turquoise green. They are among the many Oriental touches at
this splendid Exposition. The area of deep pink and the burnt orange
medallions must be seen to realize their beauty.
No wonder Pegasus is seen in the spandrels! Who would not mount Pegasus
at such a glorious Exposition?
In these aisles are many remarkable conifers. Yews from many different
countries, junipers of various kinds, pines, firs, spruces, cypresses of
countless varieties, many thuyas, beside euonymus, holly, datura, India
rubber, aralias, the beautiful nandina domestica, a most lovely foliage
massed in the corners of the west side of the Aisle of the Rising Sun.
In March and April these courts receive glorious rich coloring from beds
of California poppies and anemones, bordered with creeping juniper.
The gay spring flowers will be followed by summer annuals, and later by
our autumn blossoms,
The Court of the Universe
This court, which strongly resembles the great area in front of St.
Peter's, Rome, with its sweep of colonnade to right and left, was
designed by the New York firm of McKim, Meade and White.
The architecture is Italian Renaissance and gives you the beautiful
spirit of the old-time work. It is a wonderful court in architecture,
ornamentation, color, arrangement, and above all in meaning.
In order to get the full joy of it you must pursue a regular plan and
you cannot hurry. Don't try to do it all in one day. First walk thru the
court to the Triumphal Arch on the right. Pass thru it and read the
quotation on the right at the top of the arch.
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The Cosmical Side of the Court of the Universe
"The universe - an infinite sphere. Its center everywhere, its
circumference, nowhere." This comes from Pascal, from his Pensées.
This splendid quotation gives you the infinite side of your subject.
Now pass back to the Court of the Universe and you will see ninety times
repeated against the sky, A. Stirling Calder's very decorative "Jeweled
Star." This will suggest the myriad of suns in our great universe (since
stars are suns).
The nearest star to us, our sun ("The Rising Sun," by A. A. Weinmann of
New York) then attracts the attention.
He is seen just before daybreak.
This fresh, strong young sun is just bout to start on his journey. Dawn
is soon to break upon the world and with muscles stretched, the heavenly
joy of the first move expressed upon his face, the wind blowing thru his
hair, the vigor of young life pulsating thru his body, he will start the
chest forward and move those outstretched wings.
Walk toward him and you will see him begin his journey thru space.
Now read the quotation an the Triumphal Arch of the Rising Sun:
"The moon sinks yonder in the west
While in the east the glorious sun
Behind the herald dawn appears
Thus rise and set in constant change those shining orbs
And regulate the very life of this our world."
- By Kalidasa (the Shakespeare of India).
The sun at setting is represented by a beautiful woman. The day is just
about to close and with muscles relaxed (knees bent, head drooping, arms
falling, wings folding) she is soon to sink to slumber, to pass from
view. This is what is suggested by calling the figure the Setting Sun.
In the Fine Arts Palace, Mr. A. A. Weinmann has called the same figure
"Descending Night," and that title is much more consistent and
satisfactory, for how are you going to account for the youthful sun's
appearing at the end of the day as a woman?
Then again the reliefs refer to "Descending Night," for they are called
"The Mysteries of Dusk."
Now raise your eyes to those beautiful cameo figures on the burnt orange
ground at the entrance to the colonnades, and you will be carried in
thought to the Zodiac, that great imaginary belt thru which the sun and
planets travel.
There you see the zodiacal figures, two and two, with their symbols,
gliding thru space.
The clouds or nebulous matter is suggested by the female figures with
swirling drapery, toward the end of the frieze.
In the center stands Atlas, mythologically the first astronomer. Your
fancy has carried you on the wings of the wind at this very suggestion.
These fourteen maids are Atlas' fourteen daughters.
Go close to the die of the fountain of the Rising Sun and look at the
reliefs.
The subject is Day Triumphant. The genius of Time with hour-glass is
followed by the genius of Light with flaming torch, and Energy sounds on
his trumpet the announcement of the break of day.
Truth follows with mirror and sword emerging triumphant from the
sinister powers of Darkness. Falsehood shrinks from its own image
reflected in the mirror of Truth. Vice cowers and struggles in the coils
of a serpent.
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Walk over to the corresponding die on the fountain of Descending Night.
On it are shown the Gentle Powers of the Night. Dusk envelops in her
cloak Labor, Love and Peace.
Following are Illusions carried upon the wings of Sleep. Then come the
Evening Mists, followed by the Star Dance and Luna, goddess of the
Silver crescent. (Let me acknowledge the kind help of Mr. A. A. Weinmann
in the interpretation of these reliefs.)
You have swept your mind over the cosmical side of the Court of the
Universe on objects at a great distance. Come closer now to view the
elements. These colossal figures of Earth, Air, Water, Fire assume a
certain majesty in this Court of the Universe.
They are in horizontal composition and add greatly to the decorative,
side of this inspiring court.
Earth - The sleeping Earth which yields to man wood (from the great
trees whose roots ramify below the surface of the ground), stone and
minerals - (man wrests thru great muscular strength these substances
from the earth).
Air - That holds to her ear the star. She is listening to the music of
the spheres. On her back are wings which man has fastened so that he can
overcome her - a fine suggestion to aerial navigation.
The bird, the symbol of the air, is twice repeated.
Fire - His very expression of face shows you the terrorizing effect of
fire. He holds his hand in the flame. The lightning plays on his right
arm. Across his figure passes the salamander, the fabled reptile of the
fire. (See the real salamander in the Japanese concession on the Zone.)
Water - The bellowing ocean with mouth agape lies on the tossing waves,
thru which sport the dolphins.
Ocean, the king of the waters, carries the trident.
On his head and in his hands the kelp is seen.
The elements are by Robert Aitken of New York, formerly of San
Francisco.
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The Human Side of the Court of the Universe
All is now ready for man.
In the center of the Court of the Universe was to have been Daniel
French's Genius of Creation, but if it is not there, we must not lose
the great dominant note of this Court, so pass thru the Triumphal Arch
of the Orient, thru the beautiful Aisle of the Rising Sun, across the
Court of the Ages, out thru the next aisle, to the plaza in front of
Machinery Palace in order to follow the story.
Here on the boulder sits the great Spirit (not a man you will notice).
The hood is drawn far over the face so that a certain idealism is
produced - a great spirit with wings and arms raised.
Wisdom (the serpent) encircles the throne.
The arms of the creating spirit have just been raised, the word has just
been spoken and splendid manhood ready to meet the world, with modest,
helpful woman, just come forth. The hands touch at the back of the
group, causing you to feel that man and woman are mutually dependent.
Return to the Court of the Universe.
Now, look up at the Triumphal arches and notice Leo Lentelli's Angel of
Peace with its downturned sword.
"Let there be peace throughout the world. Turn down the sword," it says.
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A night of illumination should follow your work and you can then read
under the searchlights the words on the right upper corner of the
Oriental Gateway -
"Our eyes and hearts uplifted
Seem to rest on heaven's radiance."
(From Hitomaro, the Japanese poet of the 8th century, A. D.)
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Your scene is shifted for a short time.
You have passed into the Court of the Ages for a retrospect (upon the
human side).
The primitive people are to be seen here on the Fountain of the
Psychology of Life. Don't try to see everything in detail now, for you
can come back later.
Just realize this, that the small group facing west in the fountain is
The Dawn of Life, then comes Natural Selection which develops into The
Survival of the Fittest, or The Development of the Militant Spirit.
This early period shows man working strongly under the power of impulse.
Vanity, lust and greed seem to dominate his actions. On these primitive
people pass thru life. You can see them if you look up on the Tower. On
they march, in that upward climb of civilization.
Marching along with primitive man, thru long periods of time, you next
meet him developed as the Crusader of the Mediaeval period. He has
mounted thru war and his religion and stands at the feet of the
Priestess of Religion, the last group at the upper part of the Tower.
On either side you will notice a man and a woman standing on the bodies
of primitive beings. These figures represent the man and the woman of
today - the man and the woman who have sprung from this primitive stock.
Don't stop in this beautiful Court of the Ages, for we shall return
later to finish our story.
You have gotten connection enough now to allow you to return to the
Court of the Universe.
Take a seat in the sunken garden and look up at the figures on the
Triumphal Arch of the Rising Sun. The Orientals are represented by many
types.
From left to right are seen:
1. The Arab sheik on his Arabian steed.
2. The Negro servitor with fruits on head.
3. The Egyptian on his camel, carrying a Mohammedan standard.
4. The Arab falconer with bird on wrist.
5. The splendid Indian prince on the back of the elephant.
6. Inside the howdah the Spirit of the East.
7. The lama from Thibet with his rod of authority.
8. The Mohammedan with his crescent standard.
9. Again a negro servitor.
10. The Mongolian on his horse.
On they come, these Orientals, to take part in the great celebration.
(They are the collaborated work of A. Stirling Calder, Leo Lentelli,
Frederick Roth.)
Next look up at your Occidentals on the Arch of the Setting Sun.
From left to right you see:
1. The French Canadian - the trapper.
2. The Alaskan with her totem poles on her back.
3. The Latin-American on horseback.
4. The German.
5. The Italian.
6. The Anglo-American.
7. The Squaw with her papoose basket.
8. The American Indian on his horse.
In the center is the old Prairie Schooner drawn by the great oxen.
Atop, pushing out, is Enterprise leading these men westward, on either
side a white boy and a colored boy, The Heroes of Tomorrow.
In front marches that stalwart Mother of Tomorrow. It has taken all
these Occidentals to produce the work that is coming in the future - the
achievements due to the completion of the Panama Canal - therefore, they
conjointly express "The Mother of Tomorrow."
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These nations are now marching into the Court of the Universe and are to
meet in front of the Tower of Jewels, the symbol of the Panama Canal.
Read now on the Occidental Gateway the magnificent lines by Walt
Whitman:
"Facing west from California's shores,
Inquiring, tireless, seeking what is yet unfound,
I, a child, very old, over waves
Toward the house of maternity, the land of migrations look afar,
Look off the shores of my western sea,
The circle almost circled."
Mr. Porter Garnett's excellent explanation you may be glad to read:
"In these transcendent lines we have the poet speaking as the
personification and representative of the Aryan race, the race, which,
having its origin in the plains of Kashmir, has by virtue of the spirit
of conquest, the desire to be seeking what is yet unfound, finally
reached the western edge of the American Continent, whence it 'faces
west from California's shores' and looks toward the House of Maternity,
the Land of Migrations from which it originally sprang."
"It seems hardly possible to conceive of an inscription that embodies
such a tremendous thought, and is, at the same time, so appropriate to
the purpose for which it is suggested. It comes, moreover, from the poet
who above all others represents the spirit of the American people and
the ideals of democracy."
You now feel the import of the Occidentals who, with that Aryan spirit,
have with mighty power, such as Hercules alone possessed (as Perham
Nahl's poster tells you) severed two continents and introduced the
Panama Canal.
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Next read the far-seeing words of Goethe in his letters to Eckermann (on
the west side of The Arch of the Setting Sun):
"It is absolutely indispensable for the United States to effect a
passage from the Mexican Gulf to the Pacific Ocean, and I am certain
that they will do it. Would that I could live to see it, but I shall
not."
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The Historical Side of the Court of the Universe
Begin with Mr. Edward Simmon's murals on either side of the Gateway of
the Rising Sun.
Facing east, the mural on the right represents The Nations That Have
Crossed the Atlantic (Greece, Italy, Spain, England, France, etc.) and
the special types are these:
1. The savage of the lost Atlantis.
2. The Graeco-Roman sharpening his blade.
3. Columbus, the type of adventurer.
4. Sir Walter Raleigh, the type of colonist.
5. The priest, representing the Jesuit missionaries.
6. The artist.
7. The workman.
8. The (veiled) Future listening to the Past.
The people of the old world, with all their traditions, cross the
Atlantic, led by the "Spirit of Adventure" (with his bugle calling them
to come).
The mural on the opposite side shows the aspirations, etc., of the group
just examined.
Reading from left to right we find the men had hopes (and some false
hopes - but bubbles), commerce, inspiration, truth, religion, wealth and
family in their minds.
Cross to the Gateway of the Setting Sun looking at the mural on the
right as you face west.
Time has moved on since those early colonists came to the Atlantic
shores and now the Spirit of Abundance (with her overflowing golden
cornucopia) is sounding the call for all to follow.
Many leave their homes to join the great throng that is moving westward.
The wagon is laden with the necessaries of life for the new home in the
western country. You see the feather bed, the old grandfather's clock
that stood on the stairs, the scythe, the pitchfork and the rake for
their agricultural interests, etc. On the right the young man who has
said goodbye to his wife now turns to his aged parents. The mother,
overcome with grief at parting, stands speechless, and the grey-haired
father shakes his boy's hands and wishes him "Godspeed."
All types of men are taking the journey and you are reminded that not
alone workmen and adventurers are leading the procession, but ministers,
women with their refining influence, children with their school books,
and college men with gown and mortar-board, with books under arms - all
moving on the long journey westward.
Occupying the same position on the southern side of the arch the
companion-piece, by Frank Vincent Du Mond, shows these men from the
Atlantic arriving at the shores of the Pacific.
The people of the west with outstretched arms welcome the travelers. The
children of the Pacific shores run with flowers and fruits to greet
them. You will notice the different types arriving from the Atlantic
shore - literary men (with pen and book), architects (with temple in
hand), scientists (with book under arm), Franciscan friars (with
crucifix and mission bells in hand), etc. These are followed by the Red
Coats, indicating those who preserved order. These men are all led by
the Spirit of Adventure. She is no longer in the foreground, but is
ready to fall behind as soon as she has fulfilled her mission.
The agricultural interests of the western countries are suggested by the
wheat and implements of the field. The heavily laden orange trees speak
of the fruit industries. Does the tapir stand for South America? Surely,
South America is coming into the foreground just now.
The people have now been brought to the shores of the Pacific.
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The Panama region is the one next to be visited and you rehearse its
story, standing under the Tower of Jewels, "The Panama Canal."
These are the murals of Frank DeLeftwich Dodge:
1. The Panama Isthmus is discovered.
2. It is purchased by the United States.
3. You are reminded that the great waters - the Atlantic and the Pacific
- play with titanic force on either side of the isthmus.
4. The Panama Canal is completed.
5. Labor is crowned.
6. The achievements which follow are shown: (The caduceus, the wand of
Mercury, the symbol of commerce, is prominent.)