France, unfortunately, does not rise above the commonplace, in an
extensive building hastily constructed. And Portugal is shining in all
the glory of wedding-cake ornamentation that the plaster of Paris artist
could produce.

South America appears in a very typical building representing Bolivia.
It is evident that it was not a costly building, but its dignified
Spanish façade and the court effect inside are far more agreeable than
the pretentious palace erected by the Argentine Republic.

The Orient, with the oldest art traditions in the world, can justly be
expected to outdo the rest of the world. We find Japan again, as on
previous occasions, excelling in its typical arrangement of a number of
small pavilions in an irregular garden. The entire Japanese display,
architectural and all, is so perfect a unit that one cannot speak of the
buildings alone without thinking of the gardens. The Japanese sense of
detail and love of the picturesque are disclosed at every turn. We still
have with us in San Francisco, as a memento of the Midwinter Fair of
1894, the Japanese Garden in Golden Gate Park, and while this new
creation at the Exposition is not so extensive, it is none the less
charming.

In contrast to the Japanese wonderland near the Inside Inn, the new
Republic of China seems to be very unhappily represented, not very far
away. The whole Chinese ensemble seems a riot of terrible colors, devoid
of all the mellow qualities of Oriental art. If China's art was retired
with the Manchu dynasty, then I hope the new Republic will soon die a
natural death.