Of all the great Expositions held in the United States to celebrate some
distinct occurrence or achievement in the history of the country, none
has assumed the importance or splendour of the World's Fair at San
Francisco, created to commemorate America's immeasurable service to the
cause of humanity by the construction of the Panama Canal to link up the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Conceived and decided upon in times of
general peace, most of the nations of the earth were invited to
participate; and though laboring at the time under certain difficulties
induced by universally disturbed economic conditions, many of the
countries subordinated these considerations to the higher purpose of
cementing the bonds of international friendship by accepting the
invitation of the United States to take part in the great Exposition of
San Francisco, formed to crown the colossal work initiated by Ferdinand
de Lesseps and carried into execution by American skill, labor and
courage. Not least amongst the countries willing to make sacrifices to
share in this noble work was the Argentine Republic which, in the face
of many obstacles to adequate representation, at once entered into the
spirit of the undertaking and after assembling its leading authorities
in all the branches of national arts and industries, decided to assume
its appropriate part in the glorification of the American Continent by
the effort to show that the nations of the south were advancing step by
step with the great Republic of the north. Preliminary action was at
once taken to organize influential committees representing all the
States and Territories of the Republic, an immense sum of money was
voted by Congress and full preparations were set on foot to secure a
practical and eloquent manifestation of the phenomenal progress and of
the social and political economy of the Argentine Republic. No sooner
had these measures been adopted than a series of perturbations,
culminating in the outbreak of the war in Europe, occurred to create an
unfavorable ambient and to sow doubts and mistrust forshadowing failure
for the great enterprise. In spite, however, of the fears and even of
the opposition thus created, the Argentine Government through its
organized Committees proceeded uninterruptedly with the completion of
its plans and has been able to organize the most important
representation it has yet had in any foreign Exposition.
The Argentine section of the International Exposition of San Francisco
admittedly holds high rank in every aspect of its participation, not
excluding the magnificence of its Pavilion and the area of space
allotted to Argentine exhibits, which reflect the indisputable
importance and advance of the Republic. The spaces occupied in the
various Palaces of the Exposition embrace an area of 3,000 square meters
which, added to the 4,000 meters occupied by the Pavilion and Garden,
gives a total area of 7,000 square meters and constitutes a space record
over all previous exhibitions in which the Argentine Republic has so far
assisted. The areas excluding the Pavilion and Garden are divided as
follows:
(1) Agriculture 1,140 square meters
(2) Various Products 550 " "
(3) Food Products 385 " "
(4) Education and Social Economy 320 " "
(5) Liberal Arts 230 " "
(6) Mining and Metallurgy 215 " "
(7) Fine Arts 160 " "
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Total 3,000 " "
The Argentine Pavilion, which has been accorded a prominent position
amongst other palatial constructions of the Exposition, conveys an
expressive idea of the higher standard of national art, both from the
architectural and decorative standpoints. In the centre portion of the
Pavilion there is a beautiful Conference Hall and a spacious gallery in
which there will be kinetoscopic and dioramic exhibitions of
characteristic views of national life and activity and of some of the
natural beauty spots of the country, such as the Iguazu Falls, the
Nahuel Huapi and others. There is a Buffet for the testing and tasting
of exclusively Argentine products, whilst other surrounding
installations include a Library of national authors, a Reading Room, an
Information Bureau, a Reception Hall and the various offices of the
Commission. The principal frontage of the Pavilion is composed of two
high laterals which coil on a central figure crowned by a handsome dome
reaching to a height of 50 meters. Approach is obtained by a wide
"stoop" which gives access to a porch adorned with caryatides forming a
vestibule, the porch being decorated with a symbolic "vitrail" and
enclosed in an imposing arch 21 meters high. On the right and left of
this entrance there are two sculptured plaques, respectively,
representing the profiles of San Martin and Washington, and throughout
the graceful halls and buildings, all designed by Argentine architects
and constructed by Argentine workmen, there are beautiful and graphic
pictorial representations of the Port and City of Buenos Aires, of the
Campo de Mayo, of the Puerto Militar, of the Immigrant Hotel and the
natural fields and forests of Quebracho.
[Illustration: MARBLE AND ONYX ENTRANCE AND STAIRCASE OF THE JOCKEY
CLUB, BUENOS AIRES]
[Illustration: THE MAY AVENUE (AVENIDA DE MAYO), BUENOS AIRES]
The main divisions of Argentine exhibits have been sub-divided into so
many departments and classifications as to render it difficult within
the necessarily brief limits of this work to describe in detail the
character of each of the sub-divisions and of the respective exhibits
they contain. It will, therefore, suffice for the object in view to
furnish merely an outline of the plans adopted by the Argentine
Commission to demonstrate the high grade of excellence and perfection of
the national products and industries. The most important of the
buildings comprising the Argentine section is the Palace of Agriculture,
which covers an area of about 1,400 square meters and embraces a
collection of about 2,000 samples of classified products covering the
entire field of agriculture, including those of the crops of 1913-1914
and 1914-1915. In each sample of the collection there is specified the
name of the product, the weight and measure in kilos and hectolitres,
the weight in pounds per bushel, the output in pounds per acre, the zone
of production, the name of the exhibitor and, in many cases, indications
of the nature of the soil and other physical conditions. The arrangement
of the exhibition of the various products has been moreover much
simplified by the adoption of the plan of enclosing them in boxes with
glass covers, giving to each product a unit of measure in a square of 15
centimeters, thus permitting the sample, once placed in its original
packing, to remain unchanged and to be easily removed and classified,
whilst by this arrangement space has been economized and facilities
given for the addition of photographs and explanatory notes which serve
the double purpose of giving useful information and decorative effect.
Other features of interest in this section comprise a collection of
tobaccos cultivated in Argentina and on a wall of about 3 square meters
in dimension there is exhibited a large illustration of a national
tobacco manufactory in full operation. Considerable attention has been
devoted to this particular department, one cabinet alone having cost
$6,000 to construct. In the section set apart for textile products,
there is an artistically arranged exhibition of samples of wool
consisting of about 300 separate collections contributed in more, or
less, equal proportion by public bodies and individual producers. The
beautiful cabinet containing these samples also has a number of
photographic views relating to the products shown as well as pictorial
reproductions of sheep-shearing and other mechanical operations as
carried out on the larger farms of the Republic. There are likewise
shown here many classified samples of cotton and a variety of vegetable
fibres.
The collection of woods and other forestal products is another centre of
attraction for visitors and gives a clear idea of the riches enclosed
in Argentine forests. The collection consists of upwards of a thousand
samples representing, in their varied forms, a hundred classes of
different woods. In addition to the great variety of this exhibit, its
interest has been added to by the contribution of a number of maps and
photographic views by the Forest Department of the Ministry of
Agriculture. To make the Agricultural Section of the Argentine Republic
more attractive and of added practical value, a number of the official
Departments of the Republic have contributed statistics, plans and
graphic illustrations pertaining to the methods and progress of this
branch of industry. The drawings, paintings and statistics shown by the
Board of Rural Economy demonstrate the enormous growth and progress made
in this direction, whilst the exhibits of the Argentine Meteorological
Office and the National Board of Agriculture furnish every necessary
detail in regard to climatic and meteorological conditions and the
provision made against agricultural plagues. Added to all this, there
is a collection of photographic views relating to pastoral and
agricultural production which may be considered to excel both in detail
and variety.
The development of other Argentine national industries is to be seen in
the Palace of Industry, which occupies a rectangular space of 30 meters
frontage by 18 deep, on the Central Avenue. In this section are shown
samples of a great variety of articles produced in the numerous
factories devoted to the production of cloth, shoes, hats, decorative
ornaments, electric light fittings, crockery, construction material,
tools, implements, mechanical products, glassware, matches, tannery,
saddlery and many others. As in all the other Argentine sections, the
exhibition is made more complete by the display of splendid photographs
which assist in demonstrating the rapid advance in the number and
character of Argentine manufactures.
The justification of the description of the Argentine Republic as the
"universal provider" of foodstuffs is to be found in the section
assigned to such products, notwithstanding the absence of an exhibition
of chilled and frozen meats, together with some of their by-products, as
a result of circumstances which have temporarily impeded the operations
of the great packing houses. The vast proportions of this branch of
industry may be gathered from the admirable collection of photographs
displayed. The regrettable fact that the Argentine Republic is unable to
offer any practical demonstration of its meat-producing capacity through
circumstances over which neither the country nor the producers had any
control is, to some extent, however, compensated for by the large and
interesting exhibition of many of its other leading food products. The
milling industry is amply represented by samples of excellent quality
from the raw material down to such by-products as biscuits, nutritious
pastes, sweets, candies and all the other articles made from it. Here
important space is also given to such articles of general consumption,
as preserved fruits, condensed milk, sterilized and antiseptic, lard,
cheese, conserved vegetables, etc. Beverages, wines, beer and liqueurs
are abundantly represented, whilst there are numerous exhibits of other
alcoholic products, oils and vinegars. A prominent feature of this
section is the diorama illustrating field sports and fishing and an
interesting collection of embalmed animals, particularly birds and
fishes, of many different species and dimensions.
In the Mineral and Metallurgy Department of the Exposition, the
Argentine Republic has an effective display of a general collection of
minerals and three special exhibits of petroleum and combustibles,
borates, salts and materials for construction. In regard to these, more
attention has been given to the object of securing typical samples which
demonstrate the character of the various ore deposits, than to the
consideration of the actual number of samples. In the collection of
petroleum and combustibles, there are samples from the following
deposits: Commodore Rivadavia, Laguna de la Brea, Cerro Buitres, San
Rafael, Cacheta, Covunco (Neuquen), Cerro Sotena, Challaco, Mina
Carmelo (Salta), Yacuiba, Garrapatal (Jujuy). This collection contains
39 different samples, with specific details and statistics especially
tabulated in every case. The exhibition of marbles and stones for
purposes of construction is most complete. Here are to be seen the
famous marble onyx of San Luis and of San Rafael, the marbles from the
Sierras of Cordoba (represented by 15 varieties), and specimens of the
large granites of Sierras Bajas, Olavarria, etc. There is also a
collection of mineral waters in which are included those mostly used in
the thermal establishments of Rosario de la Frontera; whilst, as a
decorative contribution to the exhibition there is a plastic
representation of the Sierras of Famatina, showing a part of its
wonderful aerial railway, together with an admirable series of
photographs, maps, and diagrams embracing practically every branch of
the mineral and metallurgical industries.
The designation of "Palace of Liberal Arts" is a somewhat inadequate
description of the Argentine exhibits of Liberal Arts in the generic
sense of the words, as, in addition to the branches of study usually
embodied in that classification, there are included under that head many
exhibits of a scientific and technical character which, for the
demonstration they afford of national progress in the direction referred
to, might well have formed a separate collection. Here are to be seen a
complete series of drawings, maps, statistics and plans of works
graphically depicting, with full details, the principal river systems
and general workings of the rivers and ports of the Republic, all
prepared by the Department of Public Works. Nearly every technical
division of the Government Departments is represented in this section,
many of the exhibits having been sent by the General Board of Railways,
the Board of Bridges and Roads, the Board of Architecture, the Board of
Health, the Board of the Capital and various Divisions of the War
Cabinet, each unit containing photographs, plans and diagrams indicating
the advance that has been made in all these important public works.
Amongst other features of interest contained in this section, special
mention should be made of the representation of the National and Foreign
Press, which furnishes unquestionable evidence of the high state of
efficiency and general excellence as well as the enterprise of Argentine
journalism. Here also are the exhibits of the literary, scientific and
educational works produced in the Republic and the contributions of the
National Centre of Engineers, of the Argentine Graphic Institute, of the
Central Society of Architecture, of the Society of Architects and
Construction of Works, etc., etc., all combining to illustrate the high
degree of Argentine progress in the field of Liberal Arts.
In an earlier chapter reference is made to the great advance made by the
Argentine Republic, in recent years, in the development of education, to
which cause successive Governments have given ever-increasing thought
and attention, whilst Congress has, year by year, sympathetically
supported the Government policy by augmented money votes for the
addition to the number and the improvement of educational institutions.
In the Palace of Education and Social Economy which was voluntarily
accorded a place of honor by the Exposition Commission amongst the
principal Palaces of the Fair, there has been formed a collection of
detailed exhibits pertaining to Argentine national education which
points to the very great importance given to this subject by the
authorities of the Republic. The efforts of every official element in
educational matters have been brought into play with a result that
leaves no doubt, either as to the desire for, or the standard of culture
in the Argentine Republic. This exhibition, moreover, is not only an
effective exponent of national progress but will also serve to remove an
easily understood, though generally prevailing ignorance in many foreign
countries of true conditions in Argentina. In order to add perfect
completeness to the educational exhibits, a new departure has been made
to show full details of every branch of teaching, official and private,
primary, secondary, university, commercial, industrial, agricultural,
professional, etc., etc., for all classes and ages, by means of plans,
statistics and some 6,000 photographs representing 150 leading
institutions and upwards of 100,000 students and pupils whose physical
characteristics at once reveal the predomination of the higher European
types. As may be imagined, these illustrations represent the scholarly
activities of the country in their widest aspect and are not merely
photographs of special groups of children such as are frequently shown
in educational exhibitions. The statistics, which form an instructive
addition to the pictorial matter, have been so compiled and tabulated as
to make their full value and significance easy of comprehension and
there is every reason to believe that those which accompany the
illustrations of the agricultural sections and experimental stations
will be of special interest to the majority of American visitors to the
Exposition.
In regard to the group of exhibits corresponding to the section of
Social Economy contained in the same artistically arranged building,
much detail is furnished concerning many of the social and charitable
institutions of the Republic, in reference to which there is an absence
of information abroad. The co-operation of the Argentine Social Museum
and other important public bodies has enabled the Commission to present
a comprehensive exhibition of views and of the methods of operation of
the various national Associations established, as asylums, refuges,
hospitals, poor-houses and other organizations for the protection of
women and children and for the prevention of crime, as well as
demonstrations of the work performed by these bodies, some of which also
have for their purpose the extension of social improvement, of public
order, economy, hygiene, labor, the construction of dwellings and other
objects of public advantage. In this section there is also an exhibition
of works of arts produced by Argentine artists embracing a careful
selection of paintings and examples of sculpture representative and
characteristic, in every sense, of national art; and with a view to
demonstrating the artistic progress of the country, this collection is
made up of only recent works, not one of which has previously been
shown in any foreign Exposition.
[Illustration: SARMIENTO SCHOOL, BUENOS AIRES]
[Illustration: THE CENTURY SCHOOL (ESCUELA DEL CENTENARIO)]
This shadowy outline of the nature and quality of the Argentine exhibits
at the San Francisco Exposition, though utterly incomplete as a
description of their importance and value, will convey a general idea of
the position attained by the Argentine Republic in all those moral and
material factors which go to make up a great nation; and if to these
elements are added the initiative and beneficial labors of Argentina in
the international sphere, a sense of pride should be awakened in the
hearts of all Americans that in the arts of peace, the widely separated,
though great, countries of the American Continent, stand out as shining
examples, worthy of emulation even by many countries of the old world.