INTERNATIONAL HYGIENE EXHIBITION m 



sium shows the usual development instruments well stocked with ma- 

 terial. The great oval is for out-of-door meets and is almost daily 

 in use. 



In thus decentralizing the interesting points of the exhibition, the 

 administration was parting company with the principles of housing 

 everything under one roof and thus made a new and very attractive 

 innovation. It avoided overcrowding of the visitors and divided them 

 by a variety of interests located in different halls ; it reduced the danger 

 of a large fire, hoping, in case there should be one, to limit it to one or 

 a part of one building by a system of hydrants most generously distrib- 

 uted through the grounds. Through this division of subjects among 

 a large number of buildings it was possible for the visitor to pursue his 

 studies on the subject he was interested in especially, without being dis- 

 turbed and crowded out by visitors interested in other pursuits. 



The Exposition Buildings 



One of the most noteworthy features of the exposition was the archi- 

 tectural beauty of the buildings, including their interior decorations. 

 While the designs of the various buildings differed from each other 

 individually, their structural execution showed that they belonged to 

 the same genu^, while all were artistically adapted to the more practical 

 purposes which they were intended to serve. Made principally of wood, 

 all exposed surfaces were provided with a fireproof, coarse-grained 

 covering. Gay, but superfluous, bunting, likely to catch fire and calcu- 

 lated to detract the visitor's eye from the main objects of the exposition, 

 was carefully avoided, while a fine sense of artistic finish, calculated to 

 invite the visitor to concentrate his attentions on the chief objects of 

 the exposition, was everywhere apparent. The quiet, serious character 

 of the buildings, their generous dimensions, large door-ways, wide 

 passage-ways, an abundant provision of light and air, were features 

 without attracting special attention to themselves, that were neverthe- 

 less in the most perfect harmony with the serious purposes and the 

 hygienic characters of the exhibition and aided materially in sustain- 

 ing instead of fatiguing the attention of the visitors. 



The Exposition 



It could never have been our purpose to attempt giving a full de- 

 scription of this exhibition. Such an undertaking would require a whole 

 corps of editors and end in the publication of a long series of illustrated 

 books. The intention here is to give only a very brief review of a few 

 chapters in the greatest living handbook of hygiene ever put together 

 and for which the exposition stood from the beginning and to which 

 high purpose, in reality, it remained true to the end. 



Steinpalast 

 Historical Division. — How deep, wide and far-reaching were the 

 conceptions dominating the minds of those that were called upon to 



