text: [Themes: Mystery, Historical, Travel, Museum, detective, chicago, mystery]
  
  > Look around
  Santa Maria in front of Agricultural Building. 
  
  The Court of Honor ends here at an inlet, which draws Lake Michigan waters into a pond further to the south. Docked at the inlet are scale reconstructions of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. It appears as though the Santa Maria can be boarded, if you wanted to get a closer look. To the east begins a long pier, along which runs a moveable sidewalk. Or at least, one hopes it will one day run; currently the moveable sidewalk appears to be closed for repairs. The Court of Honor is to the north, to the south a road cuts between the Agriculture Building and the narrow inlet, and directly to the west stands the Agriculture Building.
  
  > Go south
  Two great roads cross here, at the northwest shore of the South
  Pond. One road heads north, along the inlet toward the Court of Honor buildings, then bends gently southwest, following the curve of the pond. The second road runs west across the back of the Agriculture Building towards the White Horse Inn, and east, over the inlet on a narrow bridge. On the other side of the bridge, on a small peninsula of land, stands a replica of La Rabida convent, where Columbus gathered his strength before making his first transatlantic journey.
  
  Looking across South Pond, other points of interest take shape. On the west side of the pond, a vast tangle of windmills spin in the lake breeze. Further south, you can make out ruins of some kind. And on the south and east shores of the pond, another group of grand buildings rise, holding a court all their own.
  
  Windmills, Looking across South Pond.
  
  > go to the east
  You cross the canal over a narrow bridge.
  
  Before you stands a replica of the Convent of La Rabida, where Columbus rested, poor and hungry, before applying to Queen Isabella for his voyage to the Americas. The Convent sits on a promontory, with Lake Michigan to the east, the inlet and South Pond wrapping around from the north to the southwest. An entrance to the Convent is to the northeast. To the south is Krupp's mighty castle, positioned as if to protect this quiet building. Roads skirt the edges of the castle to the southeast and southwest.
  
  La Rabida Convent.
  
  > Go north
  You walk to the edge of the promontory, where the waters of Lake Michigan crash against the rocks.
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  The guide continues to describe the Columbus Quadriga. "Four noble war-horses are harnessed to the chariot. Every point of the finest blood is admirably brought out by Mr. Potter. Massive as they are, the small heads and ears betoken the Andalusian blood, which is hardly removed from the best Arab stock. They are led by female grooms, who look fully as spirited as the animals they restrain. They may be said to be perfect models of Grecian beauty, quite different from the 'Republic,' which has more of the Roman caste of beauty. Their beautifully moulded arms show to great advantage in the pose they assume, which throws out their finely modelled busts. There is an air of nobility about the whole group, and along with the 'Republic' and the Columbian Fountain, ranks as the very best sculpture this Exposition has to offer."
  
  "And now if you'll follow me, please," the guide says, and heads off to the north.
  
  > go north
  You stand before the great central Triumph Arch of the Peristyle, called The Water Gate. The Water Gate is adorned with sculpture, and topped by the Columbian Quadriga, a representation of Columbus in a Roman chariot, pulled by four powerful horses. Directly to the west is the Columbian Basin, and the sixty-five foot tall gilt statue of the Republic. The statue faces the administration building far to the west. You can see from this vantage that the Statue of the Republic has a small service door at its base, probably for cleaners and other workmen. Along the edges of the basin stand the glorious Court of Honor buildings; the White City. Basin waters flow under the walkway here and out the water gate, into Lake Michigan. You can walk along the Peristyle to the north and south.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  The Court of Honor, Looking West. 
  
  The guide gestures over the Basin to the west. "Could you ever have conceived that you would see such a magnificent view on the lakefront of Chicago? As we are a bit pressed for time, I will just make one observation. Note the waters of the Basin. At the far end, the Basin spreads off into two arms, the North and South canals. Does it not give the sheet of water the appearance of the plan of a church with nave and transepts? The grandest church in the world," the guide reflects. "And now, if you would be so kind as to accompany me further, we shall admire the wonders on the north side of the Grand Basin." He heads north.
  
  > go north
  complex: A long, double colonnade with a statue-lined roof, flanked by identical pavilions. In the center of the Peristyle is a large triumphal arch, called the Water Gate, under which basin waters flow into Lake Michigan. You are standing in an open plaza, just next to the Peristyle. To the south is the Water Gate, and to the north stands the northern pavilion, which has been dubbed "The Music Hall." The Music Hall is the Exposition's concert hall for classical music, and other fine entertainments. The Court of Honor extends back toward the west.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  Looking East towards the Peristyle. 
  
  "Behind us, another remarkable view of the Peristyle. But let it not stay us from our course," the guide says, heading west.
  
  > Go west
  You are standing at the southeast corner of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. The large corner pavilion is decorated by bas relief and paintings representing music and the arts. The plaza continues east toward the Peristyle, and west across the southern face of Manufactures. To the north a promenade winds along the lakefront past a number of smaller pavilions.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  Music Hall. 
  
  "Ahhh...The Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. The Grandest and most impressive on the grounds. It is not so stately and gorgeous as some of the others, but for grandeur of design, boldness of construction, faultless proportions, and amazing extent it must class as a wonder of the world," the guide says. "And to the northeast, stands the Music Hall, which connects to the Peristyle and across the Basin to its twin, the Casino Building. Neither of these buildings need concern us further, it is Manufactures that attracts the attention, now."
  
  "As we continue heading west," the guide continues, "we shall be passing along the front of Manufactures. Bear in mind as we walk that it is more than a third of a mile in length, a sixth of a mile wide, and covers thirty acres of ground. The whole building is a revelation of immensity. Follow me, please." The guide walks off to the west, the tour group right behind.
  
  > Go west
  Court of Honor, South Side of Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building The Manufactures and Liberal Arts building is advertised as being
  the largest in the world, and standing in front of its colossal entrance, you have no doubt. The entrance is designed as a great triumphal arch, ornamented by four Corinthian columns, at the top of each rests an Eagle with outstretched wings. In one side of the entrance are stairs leading up. The plaza continues east and west, to the south, two sculptures of horses face out toward the opposite shore, and between them, the blue waters of the basin lap against a boat landing.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  South Entrance of Manufactures and Liberal Arts. 
  
  "It would be difficult to describe the style of Architecture for the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building," the guide declares, "for it is a melange of the best in all. It stands like a great white mountain on the lake shore and can be seen from a great distance. Inside, the building is traversed from north to south by a great aisle fifty feet wide intersected midway by another running east and west. Where the two great aisles intersect in the center, a clock tower rises 135 feet above the floor. But you may enter the building and admire the exhibits on your own time. For us, we go not in, but up.
  
  The guide walks just inside the main entryway, where a stairway leads up. "Come now, let's not dawdle," he says, and heads up the stairs. The tour group, excited now, follow suit.
  
  > Up
  You are standing high above the Court of Honor, on the roof of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. Immediately below you is the Grand Basin and the Statue of the Republic. Opposite stands the Agriculture Building, the Casino Building next to that. Between those two buildings you can see another cluster of buildings around the South Pond. Stairs lead down to the Court of Honor, and a walkway follows the edge of the roof to the west.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  Looking South from Roof of Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. 
  
  "Among the many enjoyable experiences at the World's Fair none, perhaps, will make a more lasting impression than the time you spend here, on top of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, as we take in from all sides a panoramic view of the 'White City,' with all its accessories of art and architecture It is while standing here that one fully appreciates the wisdom of the selection of Jackson Park as the site of the fair; the extent of the scene, varied by landscape and waterscape, is one of which the eye never tires; the vast buildings looming up on every side never give the appearance of crowding or of rendering insignificant the less imposing structures, for there is always the consciousness that there is ample space for everything."
  
  > look
  Looking South from Roof of Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. 
  
  You are standing high above the Court of Honor, on the roof of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. Immediately below you is the Grand Basin and the Statue of the Republic. Opposite stands the Agriculture Building, the Casino Building next to that. Between those two buildings you can see another cluster of buildings around the South Pond. Stairs lead down to the Court of Honor, and a walkway follows the edge of the roof to the west.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  "Look below us!" the guide shouts. "A silvery sheet of water in which the white buildings and glistening statues are delicately miraged, and the towering statue of the 'Republic' seems to bathe in its cool embraces. From here we can even see beyond the Court of Honor, southward to the right, the great prairies stretch in an unbroken level, and to the left Lake Michigan spreads her quivering waters, gleaming and sparkling in sun and shadow, curving about the Park like the blade of a great silver scimitar."
  
  "And now, if you'll follow me, please. Do watch your step -- it's a long way down." The tour proceeds to the west.
  
  > Go west
  You are standing high above the Court of Honor, on the roof of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. From here you have an excellent view of the Administration Building and its golden dome. In front of it you see the Columbian Fountain, on either side the other buildings of the court. You can follow the roofline to the east or north for more magnificient views.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  Looking Southwest from Roof of Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. 
  
  "Look, my friends, is it a dream? Or are we cheated by some wonderful mirage such as sometimes haunts the gaze of mariners far out to sea? We rub our eyes," and here, for effect, the guide does so, "but the scene is still there. Golden and crystal domes, towers, spires, belfries, minarets, mighty buildings as massive as mountains yet delicate as goldsmith's finest work, peopled by a multitude of statues of men and animals, gods and goddesses. How has this wonder risen from the barren prairie and the swamp? I can only quote you these lines:
  
  "What is it, fashioned wondrously that, twin-born with the brain, Marks man from every meaner thing that bounds across the plain,
  Or gambols in the mighty deep, or sports in summer air?
  It is the hand, the human hand, interpreter of will.
  
  "What marvels the will's interpreter has wrought here!"
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  "Looking before us our attention is attracted to the Golden Dome of the Administration Building which stands in the center of the Court of Honor. We are instantly carried in thought to Paris, where under the Golden Dome of the Hotel des Invalides calmy reposes the bust of the great Napoleon, whose restless spirit so long dominated Europe. But we cannot linger. Follow me, please," the guide says, leading the tour along the roof to the north.
  
  > go to the north
  You are standing high above the Court of Honor, on the roof of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. From here you are overlooking the Electricity Building and its northern entrance. Beyond it rises the golden dome of the Administration Building. The lagoon is directly below you, spreading out to the north and west. You can follow the roofline to the north or south for more views.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  Looking West-Southwest from Roof of Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. 
  
  "Such visions of grandeur, have they ever passed thine eyes before?" the guide asks. "No matter, for more delights still await. Come," he beckons, and the tour continues along the roof to the north.
  
  > go to the north
  You are standing high above the Court of Honor, on the roof of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. You have an excellent view of the Wooded Island. From here, the trees seem quite sparse and you can easily see a small cabin on the southernmost point of the island and a Japanese temple on the northernmost point. Inbetween, a rose garden blooms and paths meander through the trees. Beyond the island is the Transportation Building and Horticulture Building. The rooftop promenade continues to the north and south.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  Looking West from Roof of Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. 
  
  "Look here!" the tour guide shouts. "Like a magnificent Turkish rug, rich with varied dyes, flung down upon a crystal floor, the Wooded Island appears, as we look westward over the parapet. A profusion of flowers of every shade and hue gems the sod; groves of trees and masses of shrubbery lend further charm by the dark green of their foilage. Winding walks curve among the parterres of glowing flowers, and here and there rustic summer houses, over which delicate vines train their dainty tendrils, invite to rest and quietude."
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  "At the south end of the island we can see a structure which stands in strange comparison with the buildings of the Court of Honor. It is a plain log-cabin of olden time, such as the western pioneers occupied in the dewy day-spring of this nation's history. It seems scarcely possible that the near descendants of these men are the architects and builders of the palaces around us. But such is the fact. The rough logs laid one on top of the other, with their rude hewn ends protruding, the wide log chimneys and the little holes for windows, are still familiar objects to many of our older men, and this rude structure will warm their hearts with old-time reminiscence."
  
  The guide turns back to the group. "It's time to come down from our lofty perch, and continue our tour on the ground. Follow me!" he says, and heads south.
  
  > Go south
  You are standing high above the Court of Honor, on the roof of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. From here you are overlooking the Electricity Building and its northern entrance. Beyond it rises the golden dome of the Administration Building. The lagoon is directly below you, spreading out to the north and west. You can follow the roofline to the north or south for more views.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  Looking West-Southwest from Roof of Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. 
  
  "Many of our presidents were born in log cabins, you know, and proved to be good, brave men. Such was the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln; even a rude dwelling was his home; and Benjamin Harrison, though of Illinois lineage, first saw the light in a residence very little better," the guide says, and continues to the south.
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  > Go south
  You are standing high above the Court of Honor, on the roof of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. From here you have an excellent view of the Administration Building and its golden dome. In front of it you see the Columbian Fountain, on either side the other buildings of the court. You can follow the roofline to the east or north for more magnificient views.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  Looking Southwest from Roof of Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. 
  
  "How many a fierce fight against savage Indians those cabins must have withstood! What privations our fathers and mothers underwent in their heroic efforts to lay the foundations of this great Republic strong and firm!" the guide says, hardly pausing for breath. "A very humble building, to be sure, but every log in it has a special eloquence. Follow me, please." The guide leads the tour east.
  
  > Go east
  You are standing high above the Court of Honor, on the roof of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. Immediately below you is the Grand Basin and the Statue of the Republic. Opposite stands the Agriculture Building, the Casino Building next to that. Between those two buildings you can see another cluster of buildings around the South Pond. Stairs lead down to the Court of Honor, and a walkway follows the edge of the roof to the west.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  Looking South from Roof of Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. 
  
  Andrew Jackson, Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and many eminent men were born in huts. The free life in the open air, the simple food and simple habits thus engendered made them strong in their country's need. Whittier says in one of his lovely poems,
  
  "We thank thee for the strength of the hills, our God, our fathers' God;
  Thou has made us great and mighty by the touch of the mountain sod.
  
  "And we may say by the life of the log-cabin, for from these rugged cradles have risen the great and mighty of our land, who have been our statesmen and rulers." The guide leads the tour group back down the stairs.
  
  > Down
  Court of Honor, South Side of Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building The Manufactures and Liberal Arts building is advertised as being
  the largest in the world, and standing in front of its colossal entrance, you have no doubt. The entrance is designed as a great triumphal arch, ornamented by four Corinthian columns, at the top of each rests an Eagle with outstretched wings. In one side of the entrance are stairs leading up. The plaza continues east and west, to the south, two sculptures of horses face out toward the opposite shore, and between them, the blue waters of the basin lap against a boat landing.
  A guide is here, leading a tour group through the grounds.
  
  South Entrance of Manufactures and Liberal Arts. 
  
  The sun beats down relentlessly from a cloudless sky.
  
  "If I could direct your attention now to the horse statues in front of this great building, titled 'Industry,' surely one of the most noticable of the many on the grounds." The guide gestures to the statues flanking the boat dock directly to the south.
  
  > look at horses
  'Industry.' 
  
  You take a moment to examine one of the sculptures. The sculpture consists of a gigantic horse, a work horse, and a young man, who holds in one hand a great shovel and the other leans against the horse's side. The man is certainly a farmer, and the horse used for pulling his plow.
  
  "The group consists of a sturdy son of toil, one hand clasping the long handle of an old-fashioned Celtic spade, the other resting on the collar of a gigantic horse, against which he leans," the guide explains. "The sculptor has been careful not to idealize his subject too highly. The impression the group leaves upon the mind is that of splendid reserved power. The horse is of the sturdy Flanders breed, noted for endurance. Every muscle is clearly brought out. The massive hoofs rest upon the pedestal as though conscious of the immense weight of the animal they support. The head shows a slight mixture of blood somewhat resembling those of the horses seen in the French Provinces. The harness is of the simple kind used by ploughmen, and the idea of a plough-horse is carried out by the skillful bobbing of the tail."
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  "The man leaning against the horse is a splendid specimen of the agricultural laborer," the guide continues, "long-limbed and stalwart; his bare arms show the corded muscles of practiced strength, and his long, powerful limbs seem well fitted to carry him over the rich furrows of the well-ploughed field. But it is the face that holds one's attention. This is no stolid boor, no slave of some callow lordling or country squire, but a man every inch of him, and an intelligent man at that. Full of independence, his eye looks out from beneath his broad-brimmed hat as though challenging equality with the countless thousands who come to gaze on him. Such a look must have been in the eyes of the men whom Wat Tyler led eighty thousand strong to the capture of London when Richard the Second was king. As they moved along they sang the quaint doggerel:
  
  "When Adam delved and Eve span
  Where was then the gentleman?
  
  "They could all understand that it had in it the germs of modern socialism, the death-knell of the classes, the morning song of the masses.