St Ignatius College - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

Page 19 text:

THE WAR AND THE EXPOSITION 15 classed as a comparative failure. Where was the foreign attendance then? So we see that the war which at iirst cast a doubtful outlook on the Fair's future has turned out to be one of its greatest advantages and benefits. The construction of the Exposition was the only possible feature which could have been endangered by the European war, but fortunately the buildings were 90 per cent. completed at the outbreak of hostilities, and hence we must all agree that the Exposition owes a great part of its success to the benefits derived from the European war. But now there is an altogether different phase of this question, namely, the non-participation of Germany and Eng- land. This is a question which has caused many unthinking people to believe that the war has affected the Exposition in this way, but this is an unjustifiable mistake. As to Germany, her diplomats and newspapers made no secret of the fact that she was playing for tariff concessions from our Government, just as England and France did at the St. Louis Exposition, and when she failed to get them it was too late to officially exhibit, and, consequently, her non-participation is due to a mistake in diplomacy and not the war, as many people think. Regarding England, it is a well-known fact that she re- fused to participate because of the attitude of the United States on the tolls question, although Sir Edward Grey, Min- ister of Foreign Affairs, stated that England's non-participa- tion was owing to financial conditions. Furthermore, the Exposition did not include these nations among the partici- pants, even before the declaration of the war in Europe. At any rate, both England and Germany are well represented by individual exhibitors, and as the ultimate end of the Ex- position is educational, these business-like exhibits are the kind We need. It will be seen from the foregoing arguments how im- possible it is for a war in Europe to affect an undertaking

Page 18 text:

14 IGNATIAN occupied the foremost places of dignity and honor, and the present success and enthusiasm of the Southern nations would have been impossible. The attitude taken by Argentine Re- public, for instance, bears out this statement. Before the war Argentine's appropriation was one million, but one week after the news had reached her of the war conditions in Europe it was increased to one million seven hundred thou- sand, and every other country not only in Central and South America but even the nations of japan and Holland fol- lowed her example. Another important point to be noted, however, is this: History shows that the nation in which a fair is held is the main factor in its support. The hundred million people of the United States are the people who are expected to make this Exposition a success, and we can see by our wonderful attendance figures that they are certainly sufficient. Conse- quently, foreign attendance has always been regarded as a mere accident, and it is acknowledged by experts that it comprises such a very small percentage of the total attend- ance that it should be entirely disregarded. But some, although they grant and admit that the Expo- sition has been an undreamed-of success in every particular, claim that it would be still more successful if Europe were now at peace. They contend that the foreign visitors would help to swell the attendance figures and that it would widen the racial scope of the Exposition. To this contention there is but one final and convincing answer: If the Exposition would be more successful if it were not for the war, why is it that the great Chicago and St. Louis expositions did not even approach the records set up by our Fair? Were there any wars or disturbances during these fairs? There was perfect peace and even better times then, You will notice, nevertheless, that the Chicago Exposition just cleared her debt and delinquent dividends about two years ago, and the St. Louis Exposition, though not quite as bad, may be

Page 20 text:

16 IGNATIAN like the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and if the wonderful figures of 350,000 visitors in a single day can convince us, it shows how much a war can benefit such an undertaking, and we may be sure that the year 1915 will loom up with epochal greatness in the long roll-call of cen- turies, for while the demon of war swept over the battle- fields of Europe, plundering every evidence of human achievement in its bloody path, a staggering blow was being dealt in behalf of civilization by an Exposition held on the western shores of a nation over which the Dove of Peace still lingered-a proclamation to the world that happiness and peaceful pursuits still swayed the hearts of men. W iiliam T. Szefeigert. 377 ww -hw! 1 -1 'E ak .AF-QF-2,-,f . ,. jf'Q4-i55ELQiEfQs-rvqi ' 3-55, - . f-' -.f t -. F5 f :e'l.'a.-v fi1,Haf:i. f . fs'-F ' if V: ss- ' '-F- 5 bib:--','..ui-:I-. ... 'rss - - .-a -if':-vfshef 5,,..,Ef.-zivl:-C -v .'-mm-,A .f ,,,--. V -f qi.--ss..-,.,+-41.1- 111 5+-4, - 1 . ' 'Tryp 1 fig.--..-i 3 . w..,.:-mf-,I,..f--,rt?-ver'-..'5-:vw ' - - ,