Trophies Collected in the Victories of Mind over Matter
“Nobody, however, who has paid any attention to the features of our present era, will doubt for a moment that we are living at a period of most wonderful transition which tends rapidly to the accomplishment of that great end to which indeed, all history points — the realization of the unity of mankind.” – Prince Albert (Theodore Martin, The Life of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, Volume 2 (New York: D. Appleton & Co, 1880).
Prince Albert said this in 1851. Today, almost 160 years later, we still hear the echoes of these words in our international conversation.
Since we were talking about some healthy international competition in my last post, let’s knock off two cultural exchange birds with one proverbial nation branding stone.
While the Olympic tradition is an athletic exchange between nations, where they have the opportunity to present their countries’ best athletes on one international arena, world expos/exhibitions provide the same opportunity for business and technology.
The first of these great bazaars was held in 1851 in London. Long name: The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations….short name (simply and modestly put): The Great Exhibition. The exhibition was organized by Prince Albert, Henry Cole, Francis Henry, George Wallis, Charles Dilke and by the members of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
Prince Albert, who was the main proponent of the exhibition, introduced it, saying “Gentlemen, the Exhibition of 1851 is to give us a true test and a living picture of the point of development at which the whole of mankind has arrived in this great task, and a new starting point from which all nations will be able to direct their further exertions” (Theodore Martin, The Life of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, Volume 2 (New York: D. Appleton & Co, 1880).
Albert conceived of the exhibition as a unifying force internationally, at a time when political and social changes permeated the European continent (some empires dissolving and others growing in power). The 19th century had marked a period of new settlements and the expansion of the world vocabulary. Albert envisioned this world bazaar as a means of bridging these distances. He said, “The distances which separated the different nations and parts of the globe are gradually vanishing before the achievements of modern invention, and we can traverse them with incredible ease; the languages of all nations are known and their acquirements placed within the reach of everybody; thought is communicated with the rapidity and even by the power of lightning” (Theodore Martin, The Life of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, Volume 2 (New York: D. Appleton & Co, 1880).
While the noble goals of the exhibition were to promote progress and the exchange of ideas, every country was likely involved to show off, proving their superiority in all industries. Six million people visited the exhibition, which was a very large number at the time in terms of Britain’s population (about 1/3). Some of the visitors included notable literary and intellectual figures of the time.
William Whewell, English scientist, polymath and theologian, much like Albert, described the exhibition as a unique opportunity for the world. “For indeed it is obvious, at a glance, how great and unexampled is the opportunity thus given to us, of taking a survey of the existing state of art in every part of the world” (The General Bearing of the Great Exhibition on the Progress of Art and Science, vol. 1851 (London: D. Bogue, 1852)
Charlotte Bronte, another attendee, also translated her enthusiasm into words, saying “Its grandeur does not consist in one thing, but in the unique assemblage of all things. Whatever human industry has created you find there.” Bronte continued to praise the exhibition, writing “It may be called a bazaar or a fair, but it is such a bazaar or fair as Eastern genii might have created. It seems as if only magic could have gathered this mass of wealth from all the ends of the earth – as if none but supernatural hands could have arranged it this, with such a blaze and contrast of colours and marvellous power of effect.”
Dickens’ take on it was more overwhelmed than excited. He wrote, “there’s too much. I have only been twice; so many things bewildered me. I have a natural horror of sights, and the fusion of so many sights in one has not decreased it” (Butt, Tillotson, 181, Letters, II, 327).
On the other hand, in a piece written with Richard Horne in the English weekly magazine “Household Words,” Dickens made a pretty interesting statement that is important to note, especially because this year’s expo is in Shanghai and due to recent information scandals with China. The article text suggests a comparison between “those two countries which display (on the whole) the greatest degree of progress, and the least — say England and China.” Dickens and Horne continue to say that England’s display at the exhibit was “maintaining commercial intercourse with the whole world; China, shutting itself up, as far as possible, within itself.”
Another publication which covered the unprecedented event was The Times. The article writer described the Crystal Palace, which was designed by Joseph Paxton, as “an edifice as unexampled in its magnitude and materials as for the purposes to which it is applied and the collection it displays, will render yesterday for ever memorable as a great epoch in the progress of civilization.” The author of the piece continued to wonder at the comprehensive nature of the exhibition, “From the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, from the ardour of the tropics and the rigour of the poles, thousands have come to present their offerings at the common shrine — trophies collected in the victories of mind over matter — rich spoils carried away by man in his conquest over nature” (“The Great Exhibition,” The Times, May 2, 1851).
The exhibit amazed the six million visitors in London and also inspired the world into a tradition of exchange. Following this pioneer exhibit, the world has witnessed over 50 such expositions in nearly every part of the world. In 1928, an organization called The Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) was established for the sole purpose of overseeing such events. On the BIE website, the organization delineates its goals “Expos are unique events unparalleled for their scale, the innovation they encourage, and their power to attract large masses.The BIE’s mission is to ensure the integrity and quality of Expos so that they may continue to educate the public and promote innovation in the service of human progress.”
The one taking place this year is the Shanghai Expo 2010, which is already open and running till October 31. The theme is “Better City, Better Life” and Shanghai expects over 70 million visitors over the course of the six month exhibit. More than 190 countries and over 50 international organizations are a part of the exhibit, each having built unique and intricate pavilions to hold their exhibitions. While 1851 certainly called for a unifying world fair, today is no different. Our many advances in technology and industry have the power to bring us all closer together, if used correctly.
In 1851, Prince Albert said, “I conceive it to be the duty of every educated person closely to study and watch the time in which he lives; and as far as in him lies, to add his mite of individual exertion to further the accomplishment of what he believes Providence to have ordained.” These same words ring true in every generation and for every exhibit and even intellectual institution.
We may have gone from a Crystal Palace and six million visitors to numerous architecturally extravagant pavilions made of earth-friendly materials and an expected number of 70 million visitors, but the essential idea is still there. This wonderful world event is a celebration of innovation, creativity and the triumph of mind over matter on an international level and it is the healthiest and most interesting competition there is. It fosters an unparalleled exchange of ideas and provides the foundation for further discovery and progress everywhere.
Tags: 1851, Bureau of International Expositions, charles dickens, charlotte bronte, crystal palace, great exhibition, household words, prince albert, queen victoria, Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, shanghai expo 2010, the times, william whewell