Santa Rosa High School - Echo Yearbook (Santa Rosa, CA)

Page 92 text:

THE ECHO. event. Never before in the history of man- kind have so many representatives from the various countries of the world gathered in one place for the celebration of a common cause. The parade journeyed for several miles along the beautiful streets, which were lined with stately mansions, over which waved American flags. At Golden Gate Park, millions of specta- tors occupied the space beyond the confines of the parade grounds. Hundreds of autos and rigs, filled with handsomely dressed ladies an-] gentlemen, were lined up on all sides. As the parade approached, the mili- tary arm of the country rose in grateful sa- lute to the civil power. Infantry, cavalry and artillery with banners gleaming in the sunlight, stood in martial array, while bands crashed, and officers brilliantiy mounted dashed hither and thither. Guns were fired, flags were raised, and cheer after cheer pro- claimed the loyalty and enthusiasm of the defenders of the republic. When the parade passed, the crowd rush- ed to the entrances of a colossal lecture hall, which was soon packed to its utmost. A sea of human faces stretched far away on both sides. The great audience rose and cheered until the hollow dome thundered and roared in concord, as President Bryan stepped forward to give his introductory address. I remained in this building for several hours, listening to the lectures of various leading men, and the singing of national GALLEY TWO—.. hymns. After the last speaker had com- pleted his address, the great audience slowly arose as if loath to leave the scene of such an impressive ceremony. As the crowds filed slowly out of the great hall, the firing of guns and the blowing of whistles pro- claimed that the great advent had been con- cluded. The Panama-Pacific Exposition build- ings have recently been dedicated to the greatest exposition the world have ever wit- nessed since the beginning of time. But dedication day was not yet over, the mag- nificent display of firewarks at night was one of the most popular features of the day. Even before dusk several millions of people were gathering to witness the fiery siege. The skies were soon aflame with light and the air was filled with myriads of Roman candles, rockets, and all sorts of strange devices for making various colored lights. The scene continued late into the night, in fact it was almost dawn ere the streets were once more cleared of their throngs. On the following morning, I decided to return to the park and spend the day visit- ing the various exposition buildings. I took an early car from the city, thinking I might see the decorations and grounds be- fore the crowds gathered, but when I ar- rived at the park it was already thronged with thousands of people. After surveying the beautiful grounds, I decided to enter some of the buildings. As I had always heard so many stories in connection with the beauty and magnificence of buildings of art, it was my desire to first visit the Pal- ace of Arts. This building was well lo- cated near the center of the grounds and was set off to good advantage. It was an immense structure, covering more than thirty acres of ground. It was classic in style, bearing a strong resemblance to the Grecian-Ionic models. Its leading architec- tural feature was a huge dome, which meas- ured one hundred and fifty feet in diameter and one hundred and seventy-five feet in height. After having thoroughly surveyed the exterior of the building and its immed- iate neighborhood, which was ornamented with groups of statues, replica ornaments of classic art, Grecian art and the like, I as- cended the front steps and entered the beau- tiful arched doors. When I gained my first view of the interior of the “palace,” I was by no means disappointed with what I saw. Before me lay the grandest gallery I had ever seen. It was the main floor with a

Page 91 text:

THE ECHO. PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPOSITION---1915 Frances Ahl. URRAH! The year of Mm grace, 1915, has arrived, the time for the Panama- Pacific Exposition. Peo- ple from all over the uni- verse are traveling to San to witness the World’s Fair, which is about to be held in honor of the opening of the Panama Canal. On such a mission was I, as I entered a crowded train, and departed for the me- tropolis. As I gazed from the car window I thought of the passed days, how in the early part of 1911, Congress, by a large ma- jority, had decided in favor of the Western city, how the news was so quickly tele- graphed over the world, how the State of California rejoiced that day, and showed her appreciation by the blowing of whistles and the ringing of bells. Then, adding to all the joy of this January morning, Apollo drove his steeds across the sky and the sun shone down, after almost a week of contin- ual rainy weather. After having ridden on the train for about two and one-half hours, I stepped onto the ferry-boat, and enjoyed a most magnificent ride across the bay. It was a beautiful, calm morning, and as the sun was making its journey across the sky, it shed its beams down on the blue waters, presenting a scene more beautiful than tongue or pen can de- scribe. Francisco Before me were many war vessels from every nation, decorated with their bril- liant flags. Adding to the life and the beau- ty of this scene many small sailing boats were moving about, while overhead, airships of various designs were constantly passing on their way to the big celebration. Notice- able among these was the handsome new model of the Wiseman biplane. In a short time I was across the bay and soon had passed through the ferry building. Before me lay the glorious San Francisco; behind me the clear blue waters of the bay. The surrounding streets were crowded with clattering carriages and automobiles. Street cars were continually running thru the crowded streets. The cement sidewalks were thronged with people from every nation of the globe. The buildings were decorated with the ilags of the various countries, but above them all floated the proud red, white and blue. I gazed upon these lively scenes a few minutes, and then entered a touring car. Within the next few hours I enjoyed a most beautiful 1ide through the entire city. I saw all the sites of San Francisco, including the Cliff House, Golden Gate Park, the lead- ing exposition buildings, and many other places of interest. In general, the entire city was one scene of grandeur and mirth, all decorated and arranged for the opening of the fair on the following Monday. Monday dawned bright and clear, and as the hour of nine drew near, Market street was the scene of one of the largest gather- ings the world has ever witnessed. The President and Vice President of the United States, together with the President’s cabi- net, representatives of the mightiest republic on earth; ministers of kings; governors of States; statesmen, warriors, and ambassa- dors gathered here to be conveyed to the exposition grounds. A long line of hand- some carriages and automobiles, beautiful in their equipments, lined both sides of the street as far as the eye could see. This group of national celebrities entered the car- riages and autos, and started tor Golden Gate Park amid cheers from the vast multi- tude assembled for the occasion. Following these men were mauy other officials ; indeed it seemed as if all the world’s famous men were present to participate in this noted

Page 93 text:

THE ECHO. nave and transcept, where the collections of sculpture were displayed. Here were collected the masterpieces of all the world’s famous sculptors. The beautiful statues were placed in rows, extending from one end of the gallery to the other. As the rays of the sun shown down through the huge dome they rendered a scene which defies the power of the pen. Besides the main gallery, devoted entirely to sculpture, there were smaller galleries formed in each corner by the intersections of the building, and around the entire struc- ture were galleries forming one continuous promenade. These furnished ample areas for the display of paintings and sculptured panel reliefs. One of these rooms was graced by the portraits of the world’s fa- mous men and women. Here hung the pic- tures of Ina Colbrith, California’s nature- loving poet, and Joaquin Miller, another famous Californian. Pictures of many other noted people, including such famous writers as the English dramatist Shakespeare; Longfellow, the poet; Burns; and such statesmen as Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bona- parte, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington. But among all the portraits of the gallery, the one that attracted my at- tention the most was that of our distin- guished fellow-citizen, the greatest horticul- turist and scientist of all time, Luther Bur- bank. There was so much to be seen in the Palace of Arts that I spent the entire day visiting the various galleries. During the remainder of the week, I vis- ited the other important exposition build- ings, among which were the Machinery Hall and Electrical Building, and the Agricul- tural and Horticultural Buildings. Each one of these was of immense size and beau- tiful architectural design. They presented excellent displays of their respective ex- hibits. In general, these exposition build- ings with their magnificent displays fur- nished a comprehensive picture of the civ- ilization of the day. After having spent a week taking in all the sites of the Fair, I departed for home, but many pleasant memories were still in my mind. The Panama-Pacific Exposition had proved itself the grandest event of its character, and one that would be pre-emin nent in the world’s history. This “Festival of all Nations” was a perfect culmination of all the progress made by the various coun- tries of the globe during the centuries which had passed.