— 8 — 
THK WORLd’s FAIRS 
being made, as to render a fresh oom- 
parative exhibition of thera of real ad- 
vantage. Within the last twelve years 
we have, however, had the four great ex- 
hibitious of Paris 1867, Vienna 1873, 
Philadelphia 1876, and now again Paris 
1878, and the series promises to continuo 
at the same rate. 
The organisers of tliese exhibitions have 
evidently other aims, hesides those truly 
cosmopolitan ones, whicli aniniated Prinee 
Albert in organising the first great ex- 
hibition of London in 1851. In short, the 
international pnrpose has become inore or 
less subservient to national interests, 
which are in part of the political, in part 
of the eeonomical order. The periodieal 
inspection of universal prodnction in view 
of deterinining an epoch, in the develop 
ment of human intelligence as a whole, is 
still outwardly maintained as the cha- 
racterising quality of the undertaking, but 
it is no longer the essential purpose. This 
has in reality become a national one. 
Thus the main object of the Vienna ex 
hibition was to give new iinpulse to Aus- 
tria’s trade with the East, and to increase 
Vienna’s importance as a centre of ex- 
change for the trade between the easteru 
and Western nations. In Philadelphia the 
leadingidea was to give theAmerican people