EDITOR'S TABLE. 



107 



aftbrd to pay, each a million dollars, to 

 secure the gold medal that would place 

 their articles in advance of all com- 

 petitors. Nor is there anything in re- 

 cent American experiences that would 

 justify us in expecting an incorruptible 

 administration of the duties of jurymen. 

 Even where the distribution of medals 

 is supplemented and corrected by writ- 

 ten reports the results must be unsatis- 

 factory, for it is of small moment to the 

 public that the award has been qualified 

 or contradicted in a printed document. 

 The verdict of the medal itself will 

 be held as the important and decisive 

 thing. Mr. Beckwith, who has not only 

 had experience of the old practice, 

 but has carefully studied its general 

 workings, points out in his report the 

 inadequacy of the European jury sys- 

 tem and the defectiveness of its results. 

 Profiting by these failures, the Phila- 

 delphia plan has been organized to 

 avoid them, and give us more valuable 

 and trustworthy work. 



The first purpose of such a collec- 

 tion of the products of art, science, and 

 industry, as will be displayed in Phila- 

 delphia, undoubtedly is, that its objects 

 may be seen and inspected by the pub- 

 lic ; yet the mere gratification of curi- 

 osity by staring at new and strange 

 things is certainly its lowest advantage. 

 Such exhibitions are only put to their 

 best and proper use as means of public 

 education, in which observers become 

 inquirers, and get a knowledge of the 

 true qualities and characters of the 

 things exhibited. The value of the dis- 

 play will be in proportion to its intelli- 

 gent appreciation, and the management 

 of the affair must be judged by the effi- 

 ciency and completeness of the means 

 adopted to instruct the public in re- 

 gard to it. To this end, the first step 

 was to get rid of the misguiding and 

 vicious system of medals, and then to 

 secure capable men to furnish discrim- 

 inating and responsible reports. It is 

 well for the national honor and for 

 wholesome public influence that the 

 most efficient measures have been taken 



to put things for once upon their naked 

 and sterling merits. The selection of a 

 hundred able experts from abroad, with 

 a hundred more to be furnished by this 

 country as judges, who are to be paid 

 their personal expenses, and who are 

 committed by their reputations to give 

 honest and competent verdicts on the 

 intrinsic and comparative merits of ob- 

 jects exhibited the reports to be pub- 

 lished for the use of visitors at the ear- 

 liest practicable moment is a measure 

 on the part of the commissioners at 

 once so sensible and so just that it 

 raises some perplexity as to how it has 

 been brought about. The old method 

 of proceeding is so rooted in universal 

 usage, and so congenial with the fierce 

 competitive spirit of American business, 

 that we cannot for a moment suppose 

 it has failed to make its best fight 

 against this innovation. That it should 

 have been beaten, and a greatly supe- 

 rior method adopted by the commis- 

 sioners, is alike unexpected and a cause 

 of devout gratitude. 



But the policy initiated at Philadel- 

 phia has a still further significance. It 

 is not merely a transient expedient in 

 the tactics of a great show, but it de- 

 clares a principle of wide and perma- 

 nent application in society. Its adop- 

 tion strikes a blow at the all -prevailing 

 habit of offering prizes as artificial 

 stimulants to effort, instead of making 

 the intrinsic excellence of work and its 

 intelligent appreciation the true im- 

 pulse of exertion and enterprise. Com- 

 petitions are inflamed in all directions 

 by sordid and selfish temptations, but 

 it is in education that the system of ex- 

 trinsic rewards and factitious provoca- 

 tions is carried to the greatest extent, 

 and leads to the most mischievous re- 

 sults. The practice of giving prizes in 

 schools is vicious as substituting spu- 

 rious and unworthy motives to exertion, 

 where the very object is to form the 

 character by bringing generous and en- 

 nobling incitements into habitual and 

 controlling exercise. To beat an an- 

 tagonist, and win a medal or a purse, 



