I’d hearn that it wuz some the shape of a fan and we had talked it over between us, whether it would look like my best paper fan I carry to meetin’ Sundays, or my big turkey feather fan.  But, good land! they dwindled down so in my mind while I stood there that I might be said to never have sot my eyes on a turkey’s feather, or a turkey or anything.  It is a spectacle that once seen is never forgot.

The central spot, or handle of the fan (in allegory), is occupied by Festival Hall and on either side stretches out the beautiful Collonnade of States with its lovely and heroic female wimmen settin’ up there as if sort o’ takin’ care of the hull concern.  I spoke to Blandina about it, how pleased I wuz to see my sect settin’ up so high in the place of honor, and she sez: 

“Oh, Aunt Samantha, I cannot rejoice with you, it rasps my very soul to see men slighted!  What would the world do without men?”

“Well,” sez I, wantin’ to please her, “men do come handy lots of times.  But,” sez I reasonably, “the world wouldn’t last long if it wuzn’t for wimmen.”  But to resoom.

At each end of the Collonnade, peakin’ up a little higher, is a sort of a round shaped buildin’, beautiful in structure, where food can be obtained.  And knowin’ the effect on men of good food I knowed this wuz a sensible idea, for no matter how festivious a man may be, and probably is in Festival Hall, yet his appetite stretches out on both sides on him jest as it wuz depicted here.  And female wimmen stand between him and starvation most of the time.  I considered the hull thing highly symbolical and loved to see it.

But jest think of a magnificent picture containin’ all that is most beautiful in land and water, extendin’ in a graceful, curvin’ way three thousand feet.  Why that’s as fur as from our house over the Ebenezer Bobbettses, and I d’no but furder, and every foot and inch of it perfectly beautiful.  How much land do you spoze is took up by this central spot of beauty?  Now if I should ask sister Sylvester Gowdey, who always thinks she knows everything worth knowin’, if I should say, “How much land do you spoze, sister Gowdey, is took up by jest this central beauty spot of the Fair?” I’ll bet she’d say, “Mebby half an acre.”

But I’d say, “Melissy, it occupies six hundred acres.”

I d’no as sister Gowdey would believe me, but it’s so, the livin’ truth.  Why, the three Cascades are three hundred feet long.  Beautiful in the daytime as a dream of Paradise! fancy it in the evening when thousands and thousands of colored lights lend their glowin’ charm to the seen.  Why you almost cover your eyes from the bewilderin’ glory on’t.  And as I said to Josiah, “We shall never see another seen so beautiful till we see Jerusalem the Golden descend before our rapt vision.”  And he bein’ kinder fraxious, sez: 

“I hain’t seen that yet, nor you nuther.”

“By the eye of Faith I have, Josiah.”