tin' top m a queue. They wcartight leggins and 
open sleeves, showing their arms to the elbow. 
Like their young countrywoman, they amuse 
themselves constantly with a fan. Tlie enter¬ 
prise oi t ho Japanese just at this moment, quite 
eclipse* ihiit of all other countries. The d. r~ 
maul energies of centuries seem suddenly to 
nuvfi *t wh kern'd fif thotouch of a now clvUJzji- 
turn which is fraternizing the world. Tim em¬ 
bassy sent out from Japan two years ago, and 
a part of which h now titling" the, Exposition, 
makes the circuit of till) world with marked 
Intelligence. Everywhere you meet some mem¬ 
ber or members of it—always dressed with ex¬ 
quisite neatness, very polite, and being able to 
converse in three or four different languages, 
so that the amount of information they gather 
is enormous. 
The Turkish Department 
is hung With carpets, with tufts at, frequent In¬ 
tervals of palm branches. It abounds in models 
pie—save my own— among whom I should be 
more content to live and die. For their contri¬ 
butions to art alone, thoy deserve, t he reverence 
and sympathy ol‘ all the world : and as for their 
reputational treachery and dishonesty, (quali¬ 
ties I do not remember to have proved,) it 
would take ton Italians (p equal one Austrian. 
The Italians send many statues to the Expo¬ 
sition statue* Interesting In their variety and 
excellence of execution, but for the must part 
insignificant, in thought. Nothing is tooim-lg- 
riitlciint, for canvass, hut to be worthy of mar¬ 
ble, a sub,lent should Jm above the common¬ 
place. 
There are a number of statues id child life. 
I he Boyhood of Raphael,” “Michael An¬ 
gelo curving the liead or a. faun in I lie garden 
ol the Medlcls at (he age of 10 years," "A 
Blind Girl Reading,” “A Boy Reading," “ A 
Girl Knitting," “A Boy Saying His Prayers 
' .^willingly, (very amusing,) “ La Surprise," (a 
girl with a toV box which, by touching a spring. 
Roman mosaic, the tablos of Florentine ; there 
won hi be baskets of corah picturo easels of 
Genoese silver, and none tmt great sinners 
should bn allowed to enter therein, Tt would 
be such a shrine <»r beauty as to lift the most 
debused soul to the bight of the divinity within 
him—Imparting to that dlvluo spark of good 
that lingers with Cmum-llko patience in the 
tbrlUo’r lif 0V ° n " f fcho most depraved, a new 
Swedish Women 
wend specimens of women's work. Extraordi¬ 
nary samples of needlework, embracing every 
conceivable article of wearing apparel and 
household fixtures, from tidies anti-Macassars 
-to bed quilts. I heard an American deploring 
the fact that American women had not sent 
some of their patchwork quilts, as she was sure 
she had seen none In the Exposition so remark- 
aide as some she knew of in the United States I 
I was quite willing to have Europeans behove 
OUR EUROPEAN LETTER, 
Vicnwa, August, 1873. 
Exposition Snunterings. 
Ttte Exposition ! s of such immensity, (bat 
to become familiar with all renin roe Of it would 
require the entire timoallotted to its existence. 
Everybody, however, who visits it with a defi¬ 
nite purpose, devotes Ins. time to the special¬ 
ties in which he is interested. Next to the peo¬ 
ple who interest me the most of all Exposition 
things, my interest is too general to he special. 
To note the differences between the products 
mJSBm 
of different countries, their respective arrange¬ 
ments, and in that way form some sort of an 
acquaintance with the people of tlioso lands, 
affords inc much diversion. America is so far 
away from all the rest of the world, that we are 
prono to believe that lhe lands and peoples 
lying on the opposite to us differ from ours and 
from us In proportion to the distance. If they 
only did, the Interest of travel or even of a 
World's Fair would he proportionately on- 
n-inrcfl. But that, of one blood (tOI> mado all 
nations of t he earth, is as true now ns ti.OOn 
years ago; the age of newspapers and tele¬ 
graphs render a similarity . t Intellectual devel¬ 
opment, whilo the Invention of the Fashion 
Journal, costumes nations In the same style 
wnloh Is a pity. One ol the attractions of the 
Japanese Department 
arc three Japanese in national costume- one 
woman and two men. -re is always a crowd 
ot curious visitors gazing at them; but they 
laugh and chat among Incmsftlves, although 
evidently not entirely oblivious of their sur¬ 
roundings. The woman is young, not pretty, 
but coquettish, graceful, and very interesting, 
ohe ha: beautiful, shining black nair, which is 
coined about the back of her head like strands 
woven in and out , with a pale-bine bead work 
scarf drawn through one or two loops and a 
coral shaft shot through at one side. She has 
ji clear, dark complexion, Intelligent, sparkling 
black eyes, white, even I reth, and her whole | 
nice beams wilb vivacity and good humor. Her 
dress, finmc sort of dark stuff, is scanty as scan¬ 
ty can be, except that. the sleeves are flowing, 
, -kirt being only wide enough to step in, 
and as she hardly steps, hut slides along on 
wooden blocks on which her stockinged feet 
rest, and,which serve for shoes, it is really I 
more like a cylinder than a skirt. About the I 
saint she wears a belt, and at ibo back is a sort. 
dressed in national costumes, which consist 
principally of tlio short skirt, full Turkish trott¬ 
ers, and a groat deal of gold embroidery. The 
“Bloomer" costume, which was but an imita¬ 
tion of the Turkish, proved a fail lire from Its 
severity. Tt lacked in details and elegance. 
Then, too, women educated to walk in long 
skirts move awkwardly in short ones; their 
natural grace has been sacrificed to the de¬ 
mands or form. The full, (lowing petticoat 
adds to the mysterious charm of a woma n ; hut 
I never saw a woman in crinoline and train, 
hair so pretty, fascinating, graceful, arid with 
a certain piquancy of style that is always so 
attractive as Soul hern European women in tho 
shori-skirted costume. The Italian costume is 
a tropical picture, Tho Turkish is more graee- 
u man pops out.) “Mary with Her Lamb," 
" I ho I list. Sorrow," (Girlwith dead bird,) " Mi¬ 
riam, with Moses In a Basket," “Hen and 
Chickens,” “Roosters Fighting," “ A Boy with 
Rattle Box,” which ho hay broken to find out. 
the secret of tho Inside—a capitally-expressed 
face, and a dozen other common, evorv-duv 
topics in marble. 
In the Industrial Department 
there are many pictures wrought of stuff arid 
s lk, and so cleverly done as to almost deceive 
the eye. Instead of giving a woman a dress or 
paint, the actual silk or velvet is introduced, 
and the whole picture is carried out in this ac¬ 
tual fashion—ami beautiful when done. This 
style of picture-making properly comes under 
the list of embroideries- all of which are ex¬ 
quisitely executed. # 
In the Scientific Department 
the models of petrilleution, mummification, 
etc., from the Genoese Museum, J think, de¬ 
servedly attract much attention. The Italian 
professor, whose name I forgot, scorns to have 
perfected the art, and sends hands and feet and 
other portions of t he hwmnd hody, pel rifled and 
mummified. A litfclo distance removed, is a 
model of the process for reducing the human 
that American 
fl lA ' vo t m,!, ‘ could better employ 
their 1 i ue, although some do not. Needlework 
is a One art in which American women are far 
behind their European sisters, especially in 
embroidery and that very essential accomplish¬ 
ment, vcUcliinu. Some of the specimens of 
patched clothes here are so Unely executed as 
to place unworn garments quite in the back¬ 
ground. I have not much admiration for the 
woman who needleworked a whole piece of 
mush; on white silken leaves for the Exposi¬ 
tion; but I have the profoundcst respect for 
Hie Ungers that can patch a coat well. I’ve 
tried it Miiiny & time* and nlthou^h ro^fiivintr 
| great praise for my cleverness, um conscious 
now, as 1 review tho-e bygone experiences, that 
the trowsers and coats that passed forth from 
{">‘ renovating lingers, were too many lined for 
harmony, and too bungling for symphony. And 
the reminds mo of what I saw done fn Italy 
and never any where else. Walking on the piazza 
vL&ni'iJ2 Du i e ’ ' m r 1 ''"countered an 
KngllRJi Colonel whom I Knew very well. II 
*®“ lt <’ f “P<TP<i*-"'"1 -alt," so essentially 
fiosh and new, that I could not refrain from 
2. , .W9SK ,t K o' S kuudeomo new traveling 
suit. Oh, but Its not nov! he exclaimed 
laughingly. " It is the same suit I’ve worn for 
S. onth * : ‘ nn<1 the " he explained 
that a hen in F toronce he was about to dispose 
of the suit on account of its faded appearance • 
> )ut , "P nM . learning that one of his acquaint-’ 
aiiccs hail had a suit tinted, he concluded to 
try it also, and sendinghis suit to the estahllsh- 
n ot'In'o fir h > K "J ne,d coats, pants and vests,” 
had the felhuty of seeing his come back look- 
ing better (ban new." Ho declared ho should 
hereafter select cloth fluished on both sides, 
and so on gas liis wife practiced the economy 
or turning her dresses, he should have his coats 
turned. And why not? It opens a new field of 
enjoyment to men, for 1 think one never enjoys 
t,hc wearing of a garment so much as when 
af ter it lias received the condemnation of being 
utterly unlit for further wear, it receives bv the 
transformation of turning in every direction, a 
tufllo added here and a rosette there, to conceal 
defects, a new lease of life and usefulness. 
Mary A. E. Wager. 
