The Panama Pacific International Exposition 1915

PANAMA-PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION SAN FRANCISCO 1915 XPOSITIONS justify themselves best upon ed- ucational grounds. According to their fitness, excellence and comprehensiveness, do they be- come effective. When made to cover the three great divi- sions—production, distribution and consumption—they be- come broad in character, and show forth the material indus- tries of man. When made international in structure, they disclose the resources of countries, wealth of nations and civilization of peoples. An exposition can be international when it involves the exhibits of two or more nations, but it is only universal when it reveals, through individual and national exhibits, by means of private enterprise and public revenue, the whole life of man upon the entire earth. When made educative in completeness of content, expo- sitions show, in addition to the ideas shining out of products, articles and objects, by congresses and conventions, those ideals of social, economic and political life which are em- bodied in institutions, and thus make more forcefully for the unity of mankind and peace among nations. Beginning centuries ago in religious festivals, expositions have passed through a long intermediate formative period as commercial fairs, and since about 1850, have come to be international in scope and plan, and educative in purpose. Comprising within its plan and purpose all the essentials, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition to be held in San Francisco in 1915, commemorating the completion of the Panama Canal, is to be the most beautiful, useful and educative of all the expositions that have ever been given to [ 3 ]