In spite of the
spectacularly overtaxing of the Parisian water, sewage, and transportation
systems, reports from the fair indicate a remarkable degree of financial
success. A 1900 Chicago tribute report indicates that funding for the fair was
secured by a combination of state contribution, donations from the city of
Paris, and private investment. In a novel system, donations from individuals
were secured in the form of non-reimbursable bonds costing four dollars. More
than three million and a half of these bonds were issued, and they promised the
purchaser twenty entries to the fair, a reduction in price of the railroad, and
entry into a quarterly lottery drawing. As entrances to the fair cost nothing
for the fair, this approach of soliciting public interest was an effective
means of gathering “a great many millions” for the fair planning committee.
The Octroi tax repaid the
city of Paris for its investment in the exposition by a factor of three. Levied
on food and wines brought into the city, this tax charged businesses for a
third again the cost of food and drink in the city. While the report is unclear
whether the fee was transferred to urban businesses or primarily to guests, it
is likely that this approach relied heavily on the large crowds of foreign
tourists visiting for the fair.
In addition to the business
of the fair itself, many countries made contributions to exhibitions of recent
scientific research. While it is difficult to point out a thematic contest of
national specialties, the eagerness of the United States, for example, to
contribute its discoveries made in Experiment Stations recently established in
1890 indicate that such representation was crucial for international prestige
and possibly private investment. The 1900 report on US exhibits at the
Exposition Universelle shows a strong focus on agricultural research. The
report conveys news of new testing systems for the saline content, acidity, and
moisture of soil. Likewise, the United States displayed numerous crops that
pushed the boundaries of climatic extremes.
Meanwhile,
however, the French competitors of the United States pushed the boundaries of scientific
understanding through the Professor Curie’s demonstration of the “purely
physical influence” of isolated radium on natural surroundings. In this
experiment, a tube of radium next to a tube of zinc sulphide. The radiation
from the radium causes the zinc sulphide to shine without any direct chemical
reaction, indicating an invisible, heretofore unknown physical process.
Simultaneously, Professor Pellat proved the existence of another invisible
force, that of magnetic fields, through an independent demonstration.
 |
| A dramatization of the Curie experiment |
Thus,
the demonstrations of scientific advances at the fair show a new approach by
French scientists. While other displays, such as that of the United States,
were focused on practical technology to improve agricultural yield, the French
displays condensed laboratory procedures for public presentation as “devices”
and remained focused on research that, while utterly groundbreaking, as yet had
no immediate commercial implication.
 |
| The Curie experiment in its most common form: combined radium and zinc sulphide, or glow-in-the-dark paint. |
Exhibition
of Scientific Devices in Paris. Scientific American (1845-1908); Jul 19, 1902; Vol.
LXXXVII., No. 3.; American Periodicals pg. 34
American Experiment Stations at the
Paris Exposition. Scientific American (1845-1908); Mar 24, 1900; Vol.
LXXXII., No. 12.; American Periodicals. pg. 178
Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1922); Mar 11, 1900;
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune. pg. 49
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