Palaces and Courts of the Exposition Part 10

Fifty thousand jewels are used on the Tower alone, accenting in the main its architectural feature.

These jewels are of live colors - mostly canary and white gla.s.s, ruby, emerald, aquamarine.

Mathematical calculations have been made by expert physicists to show at just what angle the jewel must be cut.

These jewels were made in Austria.

Nearly every village in Austria has its gla.s.s workers - the finest workers in their line in the world.

Sand of a peculiar quality is most carefully prepared, mixed with other ingredients, the whole being brought to a molten state.

This gla.s.s is then poured into molds.

It is taken out of the molds, the casts being carefully trimmed by hand.

The princ.i.p.al tool used is a rotating sanded wheel.

The prism is polished by hand with tin, so as to make the facets perfectly smooth. This gla.s.s must be very hard in order to reflect sufficiently well.

The gla.s.s is called Sumatra Stone. It is tinted to counterfeit jewels.

These jewels are held in place by metallic bands from which extend small arms at the back of each jewel to hold tiny mirrors which a.s.sist in the reflection.

Each jewel is suspended from a hook so that it is in constant vibration, in order to catch the rays of light most advantageously.

As you have now rehea.r.s.ed your history and have in mind what has been done by the United States in regard to the Panama Ca.n.a.l (the Tower of Jewels), walk thru the Court of the Universe to the Esplanade where stands the Column of Progress.

The Column of Progress

The prototype of this column is seen in Trajan's Column in the Forum of Trajan or in the Column of Marcus Aurelius, in Rome.

Architect - Symmes Richardson, one of the junior partners of the firm of McKim, Meade and White of New York.

The bas-reliefs at the base are by Isadore Konti of New York.

The sum of all human effort is represented. Man's spiritual progress is seen on the four sides of the base.

Atlas rolling the heavens suggests the pa.s.sage of time.

Men with their different ideals in the long procession of progress are seen. Some go manfully on, some fearfully, some feel the need of the sword to win their way, others find companions necessary, but all of these men and women must have faith (represented by the two meaningful women at the door), the hope of the palm of victory, and hear the bugle call as they go on their upward climb.

They pa.s.s before us, these men and women of different aspirations, and disappear from view.

Up, up they climb.

At the top of the column is Hermon A. McNeil's Burden Bearers, supporting his Adventurous Bowman.

"All must toil to win" and some must bend their backs that others may rise. Has it not been so at the Panama Ca.n.a.l?

Have not many done the labor that the United States, the Adventurous Bowman, may win?

This purposeful type of manhood, with magnificent decision, has just drawn the bow, and on has sped the arrow of success.

The bowman looks to see it hit the mark.

The man on the right possibly is one of his aids.

The little woman at his side will know by his eyes if the arrow has gone home, and she will then bestow upon him the laurel wreath and the palm of victory which she holds in her hand. She stands ready to help him.

See the group from the sea-wall directly in front of the Column of Progress for the splendid purpose expressed in the figure and on the face of the "Adventurous Bowman."

Many San Franciscans would like to have this wonderful group duplicated in bronze to remain permanently with the city of the Exposition of 1915.

The Court of the Ages and not The Court of Abundance

Architect - Louis Christian Mullgardt of San Francisco.

Architecture - If one could call this beautiful architecture by name one might say Spanish Gothic, on account of the round-arched Gothic and also the Spanish finials used, but it is so thoroughly original that this is hardly the term to use. It is Romanesque in its vaulting of the corridor, and at first glance in its great square tower, and arches, and yet not Romanesque architecture.

It is suggestive of the last period of English Gothic in its rich parallelism of vertical line - and yet is not that.

It is suggestive of the flamboyant decoration of the French architecture such as one sees and feels at Rouen Cathedral - and yet, not that, for on looking closer one sees not wavy line suggesting flame, but the wave of the kelp of the sea - and then one realizes that the vertical lines represent falling water.

The kelp is turned, looped and suspended with all sorts of lobsters, crabs, sea-turtles, octopi, flounders, etc., wriggling thru it, not seen at first, then in strong evidence, making you wonder why you had not seen them before.

The whole cloister represents the magical power of water and fire worked out in travertine, fountains and illuminations.

This court certainly shows the most marked originality in the architectural line at the Exposition. It is the conception of a man of rare invention, imagination, and marked poetic feeling. It is surely the last word in stucco. Everybody loves this Court of the Ages, and everybody wishes that we could have something permanent like it somewhere - perhaps in San Francisco. We shall all be loath to part with in when the two hundred and eighty-eight days are gone.

The arches of perfect proportions are allowed two swinging fairy lanterns apiece - a soft glow coming from them.

In the corridors are globes which at night look like lambent moonstones, casting soft light.

Walk down the corridors (not noticing the glorious murals at the ends) to observe the fine manipulation of color.

Notice that the usual pink of the walls has here a deeper tone - a terra-cotta warmth added, making a most wonderful combination with the blue vault above. The arches are of smoked ivory. Your eye catches a line of cerulean blue at your side, and up you follow the blue, until it gains its fullest expression in the square area of the groined vaulting.

Notice how bands of smoked ivory play the part of transverse arches. It is so very beautiful here.

The murals in this corridor are more wonderful than words can tell. They are by Frank Brangwyn of London, and represent Earth, Air, Water, Fire.