The proceedings were, not to put too fine a point upon it, humdrum. The Minister of Commerce delivered a speech of strong socialistic tendencies, and the President replied with a correct official harangue which ho read in a plain, straightforward manner. The building was so big that I am convinced that nine-tenths of the audience could not catch more than a word here and there, but of course this made no difference. The bands and chorus struck up again, the President and his entourage left the platform and walked up the broad staircase opposite it, and the ceremony was over. M. Loubet's subsequent stroll through the Champ de Mars and steamer-trip as far as the Pont Alexandre III were equally free from incident. In the evening a gallant effort to illuminate the Exhibi-plant was, like everything else, incomtion building was made, but the electric plete. 7
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.