not live in houses as much as they now do.
We suppose it is because they cannot all live in California, where
out-of-doors is nearly always nice.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
[Illustration]
MURAL PAINTINGS
DEAR COUSINS:
Father said today that he was afraid we had not learned much about the
murals, and we said that we would like to study them more, but they were
so high up that we got a dreadfully achy neck every time we tried to do
much with them.
He laughed a little at that, but said that it was an affliction which
had to be borne, as he was anxious that we should study them. He wishes
us to be able to read pictures as well as we do print, or music, because
they always have some story to tell which helps in life.
We are glad now that he insisted, because otherwise we should have
missed seeing Mr. Robert Reid’s pictures in the dome of the Palace of
Fine Arts.
We liked very much the panels which symbolize the four golds of
California, the poppies, the oranges, the gold, and the wheat. We have
secured some photographs of all the murals in the Exposition, and shall
study them when we are at home, and we shall send you some pictures with
these letters.
We are of course not quite sure why we like some things better than
others, but we do like very much the picture entitled “Victorious
Spirit” in the Court of the Palms.
It has the most beautiful blue in it, and we love blue, though of course
we know that that is not an adequate reason for liking a picture. There
is something fine about being a Victorious Spirit, which we admire,
especially if it is a good spirit, and this one seems to be.
In the Court of Abundance we saw Mr. Frank Brangwyn’s “Earth,” “Air,”
“Water,” and “Fire.” The “Earth” picture shows in a harvesting scene all
the things which the earth has given to us. In “Fire” we are shown how
fire was first found, and how much more comfortable people were after
that.
Next, men were learning how to use the fire, and when they had
discovered that cooked food was better than the old way, they needed
pots to cook their food in, and so had to make the pots.
In the “Water” picture, you will notice that the people are using the
pots now for carrying the water to their homes, and the clouds show you
by their heavy grayness that it will soon rain.
The “Air” picture shows that the storm has come, and the children are
hurrying home to shelter. We did enjoy these pictures so much, and we
wish that all pictures were as easy to read and as interesting as these.
It is a bit hard to understand that there has ever been a time when
people did not have fire and such things, but father says we should not
say such things when we are in the Fifth Grade.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
WHAT WE DID IN ITALY
DEAR COUSINS:
Father said today that it was time to improve our minds by some foreign
travel. So we stepped into our imaginary aeroplane and flew right over.
Italy’s palace is very stately with great high ceilings and elaborate
entrances. It represents both Mediaeval and Renaissance styles of
architecture.
A very nice Italian gentleman showed us over the palace and explained
the things to us as well as he could without knowing our language, and
of course we knew nothing of his. We shall study languages, and we like
Italian. It sounds so polite!
If Christopher Columbus could come to the Fair, he would find himself on
a pedestal in the throne room, along with his king and queen. Dante also
is there, and stern-looking Garibaldi, and Alexander Volte, who
discovered how to apply electric energy, and many other famous Italian
persons.
In another part of the palace wonderful laces were displayed, and some
carved corals which we know would have pleased mama.
In one case were some old velvet cloaks, which we have seen worn by
pirates and buccaneers in our story books--those who wear big droopy
hats with big plumes on them,--you remember?
There are copies of famous painters, among them several by Titian, who
always painted red-haired people, and isn’t it funny how one thing you
hear fits in with something you have heard! We know now why big sister
is called Titian-haired.
Michael Angelo’s “Virgin” we shall always remember, the face was so pale
and pure looking, and so young, though she has been made so long. There
were some carved alabaster vases, real ones, though almost everything is
copied, and some modern paintings which my nice gentleman did not care
about. He liked the old masters, he said. There were some musical
instruments which had been dug up from Pompeii, just green with age.
Nobody knows what their names are.
Some copies of Lucca della Robbia were very beautiful, especially an
altar piece of Virgin and Child.
The furniture is beautiful, and is all in keeping with the big rooms
and high ceilings. They use fireplaces mostly in Italy, but have modern
heating now. Our nice gentleman said that Italy is a good deal like
California, “only little bit nicer.”
We enjoyed our Italian trip, and shall always remember it.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
OUR VISIT IN TEHUAN-TEPEC
DEAR COUSINS:
Mexico, who is our near neighbor--she lives just across the Rio Grande
River from us,--has always before this time sent a good representation
to Madame World’s fairs.
But this year she could not arrange to leave home, and some of her
children were much disappointed, just as one would naturally expect,
when they had their minds all made up to come. We can quite understand
it.
So one little village said, “Oh, Mother Mexico, please let us go to our
Cousin America’s party?”
Mothers always enjoy making their children happy, we are glad to have
observed, so Senora Mexico told the little village if it would be good
and keep its face and hands clean, and not ask for more than one helping
of cake and ice-cream that it might go to the party. So it came, and one
evening we went up to call. It lives on a very noisy street called “The
Zone,” but after we were inside the gates we did not even hear the
noise.
It is quite the quaintest little village we have ever been in. They have
a dear little theatre, not a movie, but a real play theatre, which
pleased us because we like regular plays much better than pictures. It
seems more like really doing things, and we miss the voices so much in a
movie.
They gave a play for us, in their own language, and it was very funny.
We did not, of course, understand the words, but they laughed so much at
it that we knew.
After the play we went to supper, which was cooked on a ’dobe stove, and
served in a real kitchen in a real hacienda.
There is a real river of real water running through the village, and on
it is a tiny barge full of green vegetables, showing how the gardener
takes his produce to market. There were two big catfish in the river. We
stood on the puente, which is Mexican for “bridge,” and watched the good
ship Anita as it steamed into the harbor. We feared the catfish would
capsize it.
Some of the people of the village have brought along their work, and we
were much interested in the basket-making, and the weaving of the
brilliant colored serapes, which the people wear instead of coats.
A Mexican grandmother gave us each a dear little vase of red pottery,
and a feather picture of a blue jay. We hoped the picture was not made
of a real blue jay’s feathers, because we are fond of him.
We found the village interesting. They bade us adios, and asked us to
come again. Thank you, Mexico, we shall.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
[Illustration: OUR VISIT TO JAPAN.]
DEAR COUSINS:
We do not know where we have been more beautifully entertained than we
were in Japan. A lovely little Japanese maiden with an embroidered robe
told us a good many interesting things. One of them was about “Boy Day.”
It seems that in Japan all the boys have one birthday, that is, May
fifth is set aside for a universal boys’ birthday. They have then a
celebration, all over the nation, and it is what with us would be a bank
holiday like Thanksgiving, or Decoration Day.
The carp is chosen for the emblem, because he is the Samurai, or warrior
fish, because he is so full of courage, and figures of him are made of
crepe and floated from bamboo poles, along with their flag.
On that day the boys are instructed in the standards of manhood as they
are expected to live, and shown their ancestors’ great deeds as recorded
in the family records.
We think we should not exactly care about a wholesale birthday, but the
maiden said that the girls also have one, which is March third. A doll
made like the small girl child is presented to her, and she is supposed
to keep it until she grows up, so that her children may have it.
Japanese people care a very great deal about their ancestors, and we
suppose they feel about them as we do about our great-grandfathers who
fought with George Washington.
We had Ceremonial Tea, in a lovely tea-garden, which was very beautiful,
but of course we are not allowed to drink tea, but the cakes were
interesting, and father said that budding authoresses should always
absorb local color.
We think that we did that because we studied the flowers and shrubs very
intently, and while father talked with the artist who was making lovely
postal cards by painting scenes from the gardens we went out and traced
to its source the laughing brook which was rushing through the grounds.
It did not spoil it a bit for us to discover that the brook came from a
water pipe sunk in the ground, because we understand of course that the
gardens did not grow there of their own accord.
The Japanese people love beauty and always
[Illustration: A lovely little Japanese maiden with an embroidered robe
told us a good many interesting things.]
create it wherever they may be living, and their gardens at the Fair are
very wonderful. They have a dwarf evergreen tree which is said to be
over one thousand years old. It is about as large as our Christmas tree
is when we have a large one for both families.
In Japan, the silk culture occupies an important place. We saw some
exhibits of it, and it seems to us that if we did not care so much about
our native land that we might like to go and raise silkworms in Japan.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
[Illustration: Section Court of the Ages, showing Tower of Jewels and
Arch of the Rising Sun in distance. The Fountain of Earth in the
foreground.]
CANADA THE BEAUTIFUL
DEAR COUSINS:
Canada, who is our very nearest neighbor on the North, has built a
mansion at the Fair, which seems to us the very most beautiful of all.
The pictures shown give one a perfectly correct idea of the country, and
what it produces, and can produce in the future.
As we entered we were asked by a polite attendant to “keep to the left,
please,” which rather surprised us until we remembered that in England
and all colonies belonging to her all traffic passes from left to right,
and not the opposite, as with us.
The pictures of the forests and the birds and animals which live in them
kept us a long while, and we were never tired of looking at them. We
were glad that father brought us, because we could look as long as we
liked, instead of hurrying through as so many children are obliged to
do.
The pictures are made by placing real animals or other objects in the
foreground, and painting a back drop continuation of the scene, in the
manner of a stage drop in a theatre.
One beautiful scene represents a farmhouse with cattle grazing in the
distance, and green gardens and fruit trees around the house. It is
meant to show what a farmer can do in five years of work on a new piece
of ground.
Another picture shows the rolling prairies with fields of ripe, yellow
wheat, with snow-capped mountains in the far distance, and still another
takes one to the extreme north of Canada, and shows how the Aurora
Borealis lights up the world during the time of the midnight sun.
There is also a wonderful apple-harvesting scene, where real apples are
used in the foreground, and in the background men on ladders are
gathering the apples from the trees.
Canada has also immense mines of iron, coal, gold and silver, as well as
great quarries of marble, asbestos and copper, and many other minerals.
The decorations in the main building are made from seeds, and you would
be surprised, we are sure, to see the pictures which can be produced
with the natural seeds and grasses.
We liked Canada very much and brought away some new ideas.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
OUR CHINESE VISIT
DEAR COUSINS:
We went one day to the Chinese pavilions, and wandered around there to
our hearts’ content. It was so fascinating that we could hardly come
away. The embroideries are wonderful, especially the scenes and birds,
and we had no ambition to try to do them. The carved teakwood furniture
is lovely, especially that combined with porcelain. Unless one could
travel to China they could never see such treasures as are here
displayed.
A very polite little Chinese gentleman noticed that we were interested
in an old coin collection, and explained to us that “these ancient cash
were unearthed by a farmer while plowing near Canton.” The coins bear
dates all the way from 618 B. C. to 1265 A. D. We decided that we would
keep our “cash” in a different sort of bank.
The polite gentleman told us something about the dwarf trees which are
used for decorative purposes, and showed us an elm tree which was over
a hundred years old, and is only three feet in height, and is growing,
or, as we said we thought, just living, in a flower-pot. The Chinese
dragon on the flower-pot would have scared us so that we never could
grow any more if we had to live with it, and perhaps that is what
happened to the tree.
The gentleman was feeling very sad over the loss of some similar trees
which had been ruined by the voyage from China, by the carelessness of
some one who took care of them, in watering them with sea water. We took
note of the fact that salt water will kill trees and plants.
There were some reproductions of ancient temples and shrines, and a
queer picture made of postage stamps of all nations, and we had a lot of
fun finding our own stamps. It has a picture of George Washington, and
as far as we can remember it was the third one from the end, starting at
the right.
After we had seen all the pictures in the pavilion, and all the other
treasures, we went to the tea-house to have lunch.
Dear little almond-eyed Chinese girls waited on us, and surprised us by
speaking excellent English. We were a little disappointed that they wore
American-made shoes with their pretty native costumes, but father said,
“Why not? They are going to be American girls now. That is why Madame
World was anxious to have the Canal.”
We are glad we brought father, he always remembers what we do not want
to forget.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
[Illustration]
MORE FOREIGN TRAVEL
DEAR COUSINS:
If there is one place that we do adore it is Hawaii. We have been there
so many times since we came to the Fair, that now when we stop to look
at the gorgeous fishes they seem to show signs of recognition.
We spent a very pleasant hour in the motion picture theatre in Hawaii,
and got a very good idea of the country. We have resolved that we shall
go there the very first trip we take really abroad.
The day before our last at the Fair we stopped in Hawaii to get a glass
of pineapple juice, and to listen to the singing. The choir sang
“Aloha,” the Hawaiian song of farewell which ex-Queen Liliuokalani
wrote, and it made us feel a sort of sad happiness.
So, to get cheered up we went over to Holland, and looked at the
beautiful picture of the land of Queen Wilhelmina, whom every one loves.
Holland’s mansion is tastefully decorated in blue and brown, and looks
very inviting. Java, one of Holland’s colonies, has some interesting
colored prints called Battik cloth, which are made by covering the
surface of the cotton with clay, or wax, and then cracking the covering
so that the dye stuffs may penetrate to the cloth.
In Norway there was no one at home except some singers who were giving a
concert, which we enjoyed. Their things had not yet been unpacked.
Australia was at home and showed us her treasures. We liked her birds
and brilliant butterflies, but father was more interested in her
articles of commerce, such as woods, wools and fruits.
It is hard to remember that these countries are really so far away from
our own country, it is so easy to get to them in the Fair.
New Zealand showed us some motion pictures of interesting water sports,
and how they catch the big kingfishes; we saw, also, some mounted
specimens of the kiwi, the wingless bird of New Zealand. It has
absolutely no wings, and is about the size of a guinea hen.
From there we went over to Siam for a few minutes, to see their lovely
lacquered wood, and other treasures, and then went to Turkey to admire
the rugs and Benares brasses. We are sorry that so many of the
countries which we are anxious to see have not as yet arrived, but we
must hope to come back to the Fair before it closes.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
P. S.--Have you ever noticed how sad it is to do things for the last
time?
OUR DAY IN SWEDEN
DEAR COUSINS:
We have always wanted to see how skis are really worn, and we were very
glad to go to Sweden and see them. The Swedish mansion is directly
across from the Canadian building, so our foreign travel is being made
very easy for us.
We went into a blue room, after we had seen all the ships, and steel
things, and the beet sugar cones, which made your mouth water just to
look at them.
The walls of the blue room are covered with a cloth made from wool, and
colored blue, the very bluest blue you could imagine. Then we saw the
nice deep hand-painted chests which we thought would be perfectly
fascinating to have in our attic, to put all our brocaded satin dresses
in, so that our children could dress up in them as we do in our
grandmother’s things. There are old-fashioned wool rugs made with a hook
which pulls wool through a foundation. We have seen Tillie Nelson’s
mater make them in Minnesota.
Their furniture is black oak, with wool tapestry for covering, and there
are some beautiful bookcases, and hand-carved book-ends, and some
beautiful book-bindings.
We looked a long time at the wonderful pictures of snowstorms painted by
A. Schultzberg, 1914. We both like them better than any paintings we
have ever seen. We almost expected to see little Mrs. Cottontail hop out
from under the snow-laden spruce trees, or to hear a chickadee bird sing
his winter song from one of the branches. We have resolved to study art.
A beautiful statue, carved by Alice Nordin, entitled “The Goddess of
Love,” is in that room, and seemed to us very beautiful.
There were some bronze chandeliers which we know would interest big
brother, they were what he calls decorative, and some china which sister
would rave over.
We came away feeling that Sweden is a very large and useful nation, and
a homey and comfortable sort of people. We said so to father, but he
said, “Yes, yes, children, I am glad you felt that, because they are
that and more.”
We knew by his tone that he was thinking, so we were careful not to
chatter and disturb him.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: The Fireworks and Illuminations]
DEAR COUSINS:
Fairy-land was never more beautiful than the Fair is when the lights are
on in the evening, with all the big searchlights and the colored lights
going at once. Then the Tower looks like the queen that it is, with its
thousands of sparkling jewels. There is something majestic and silently
mystical about it, as it stands with its head among the stars. There has
never been anything like it, and there will never be anything like it,
and while, like other great things, it may have faults, it will live
forever in the hearts of the little children who have seen it.
Once in a while, as a special treat, Madame World has an evening of
fireworks, in addition to the illuminations which she provides for her
guests every evening. We went out late one afternoon, and stayed out for
them.
Out on the Marina, or water-front, there is a big machine which
controls the searchlights, and from there the whole Fair is illuminated.
When the lights are turned on, and stream far up in the sky, it looks as
though the Goddess of Light and all her subjects were holding high
carnival in the heavens. Sometimes the lights are all colors of the
rainbow, and when they are turned on Golden Gate it looks as though all
the color sprites from the coral caves were sailing in from tropical
seas to dance at the carnival.
A most beautiful color effect was arrived at by puffing great white
clouds of steam from engines, and turning on them the colored
searchlights.
The fireworks were, however, the crowning surprise. First they were the
ordinary Fourth of July kind, just skyrockets, which, bursting with a
loud report, fling stars and bouquets of flowers in the air.
We liked them very much, as all children like fireworks, and were quite
satisfied that we were having a lovely time, when Boom! a big rocket
exploded, sending balls of fire high up in the air, and do you know, out
flew Old Mother Hubbard and her dog Tray, Mary and her little lamb,
Little Boy Blue and his flock of sheep, the old woman who went up in a
basket, the pig which flew so high, and the cow which jumped over the
moon, not to mention a ballet dancer, and whole flocks of geese, and
strings of flags, all the old story-book folks, not little things which
you would have to guess about, but real large-as-life characters whom
you would at once recognize. Now if some one will explain to us how they
could pack them all into a skyrocket, we shall be satisfied.
To complete the entertainment, the aviator then went up in his aeroplane
and gave an imitation of a comet tearing through space.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
THE PANAMA CANAL CONCESSION
DEAR COUSINS:
In spite of the fact that it may be called advertising, which, father
says, we are not being paid to do, we wish very much to tell you about
the Panama Canal representation which we saw at the Fair.
It is far and away the most educational and interesting thing at the
Fair, and helped us to understand really why Madame World was so anxious
to have the Canal cut, and why there is so much rejoicing over it.
They have a moving platform with chairs upon which we were seated, and
given a telephone, through which we heard the lecture, and as the
platform moved around the circle, carrying us from the Pacific to the
Atlantic, we were informed as to each step in the great work of making
the Canal, and shown exactly how it is now operated.
Of course we had to keep constantly in mind that if we were really to
travel over the country which we were being shown that we could by no
means do it in the twenty-three minutes which are used in seeing the
show. But it gives a really correct idea of the country, and the work
which has been and is being done, how the locks are opened and closed,
and how the ships go through the locks, the location of the lighthouses,
and of the various rivers and mountains, also how the cities are placed,
and what cities are now submerged.
We had always wondered how it was possible for a ship to go higher than
the level of the ocean, and no amount of explanation which father could
give us was able to make it clear to us. But the actual passing through
of the tiny vessel showed us at once. Whenever a vessel has gone through
the Canal the fact is communicated to the world by the wireless which is
stationed at each Canal entrance.
We are very glad that we saw the real working, splendid Canal spread out
before us, and only wish that you might also have seen it.
Your loving cousins,
JANE AND ELLEN.
[Illustration: Western Section of the “Joy Zone.”]
OUR DAY ON THE ZONE
DEAR COUSINS:
Father said that on our last day at the Fair we might be as frivolous as
we pleased. So we went in at the Van Ness Avenue entrance, and did
everything we wanted to do. Father did not seem a bit bored, though we
had been afraid that he would.
We went to Toyland, and saw the circus, and the dog show, and the funny
little men and women, who are really grown up although they are scarcely
bigger than little brother, who is only five. There was one little
father and mother there with a baby nearly as big as they were.