New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-11-21


She country. In former days fairs We're merely
markets at which the products of limited locali-
| ties were gathered for sale; at which cattle or
horses, sheep or hogs, cheese or grain, produced
in small quantities by individuals, were massed
ana placed at the eommdnd of numerous or large
purchasers, who Otherwise could nothave reached
them without most embarrassing difficulties
while such thing as establishing an equita
BILE price ror them would have been impracticable
Here tlere were no such designs-the sale of the
2ttces on exhibition was secondary, if at all con
sideTed- any more than was the hiring of SER
wants. one of the staple features of some fairs of
the olden time. If thus distnctits object SO was
the manner of its Inauguration and conduct. To
imagine Donnybroob and Bartlemy opened with
divine service, solemn mass, an oratorio, a SER
mon, an archiepscopal procession and benedic-
tion, with addresses of feryent piety and flaming
energy by the clergy, aud of philosophical and po-
litical power and eloquence by some of the ablest
of the laity, iSto suggest comparison of the rid
culous with the sublime. Yet this was the con.
trast our New Orleans fair presented Yesterday
And to imagine the very best people ofthe whole
country-the wealthy, the learned, the polished
the beautiful, the true and the good forming the
great mass OF the visitors at the old time fairs
|
and absurd.
| And yet, our fair was but an Improvement on
the ancient idea With sparse populations, none
but difficult means of intercommunication. and
limited traffic, the old time fair was necessity
which was at first, without any of those conoomi.
tants of gRyety and amusemcnts which grew to
excess; to dissipation and debauchery; then to
be tile chief feature of such occasions,
| gn1a Fn,tt,r6. e-,lI,.
ruin; till Bartlamy and Donnybrool, and
many other such fairs exist now only in name and
memory. Our fair, too, has its sources Of enjoy.
Inent and amusement and So us hope, it al.
ways viii have, but ever restrained by It's loity
objects and its correctness Of conduct. These
who listened to the pious and liberal, the spirited
and chaste addresses ofthe venerable FatherPerchd
and others Of the cery, to the orations Of Judge
Burthe and Mr.. Burwell, aud to the Inauguration
speech Of Mr.. Marks, could not but observe that
they all showed it was impossible to separate the
idea Of our fair on the one hand, from the fairs OF
olden times, and, on the other, from the grand
axpositlons Of London and Paris And, in
truth, it is but grade between them
as are the great faiys Of Leipsic and Mini
NoEgorod, and Of kiachta. The first is one at
which all tile booksellers and publishers Of Ger
J
the world The second is one at Which all Rus
sian commerce centers. It lasts over month
The sales at it in 1868 amounted to some
thing like $4,000 600 The third is one of the
curiosities of the world. Kiaclta is in South
Siberia, on the very borders Of China conterm
nous town with 5iai-na-tchin, in China; simple
wall with gates alone separating them, and inter
communication after night fall and before sunrise
being as rigdly interdtcted as though they were
thousand miles apart; yet, through these two
places is a vast proportion Of the commerce Of
Russia and China transacted. True, our fair is
beyond these in the elevation of its object but
they are not unworthy patterns on which 10 have
based it. May it ultimately reach the grandeur
and glory and usefulness Of those Of the centsrs
Of the civilization of the old world
THE SPEECHES.
Appropriate and eloquent addresses were deli |
vered by Hon. VIM. NJ Burwell in English, and
Hon. Victor Burthe in French. The opening
speech, by I. N, Marks Esq, president of the
association. is herewith subjoined:
Fedoic- Citizens Thanks to an Overrulinr Proyi |
dence, the period, so long and anxiously looked
forward to by the board Of directors of the Me-
chanics' and Agricultural Fair Association of
Louisiana, has at length been reached and we
have assembled this day to inaugurate the first
grand fair held under its auspices.
Wien, in 1850, few citizens of New Orleans
initiated this enterprise, believing that or@4uiza-
tious like this ware valuable aduncts to the State
that, in their nature, they were emlnenty calPu-
lated to foster and promote agriculture, stimulate
mechanical genius improve the breed Of stock.
create more refined and elevated taste for the
arts ana sciences, and thus advance and give new
Lie to commerce; they felt that though pros
p2rity sailed upon Cur State, throughout its
!eHgia ana breadth, they were doing 4 work
witch Woald ada 10 the wealth aad happiucss
OF the people.
When in 1861, this association, then fuVy
organized, was, through its board of directors
ma&ing the necessary arrangements 10 huiIits
first fir, dark aud olinQus political clouds were
overs Efeading the country. The storm, so long
vt length broke FORTH and lis pont ug
fury raFidly transformed all the pursuits of peace
into tue desulatRg work of war. The bright
hopes Of the hoard Of directors were dashed TO
the GARTH and their designs necessarily suspended.
From 1861 until the present year nothing was j
done to Tesuseitate this great undertaking.
How stood the situation when again The hoard
of directors determined to renew their work. Per
nit me briefly to glance at the melancholy pic.
ture: have no desire to dwell upon it or to cali
back to your memories its painful reminiscenses. |
This is neither the time nor place to review the !
sad events of the past five years. nor if it was
have the ability to do justice 10 the great theme.
Let Other hands perform the duty. {
\ long and disastrous war had ceased leaving
in its desolated path ruin upon every side; agr- =
culture paralyzed commerce anguishinr the l
without employment; well regulated f
labor system grown venerable in its usefulness !
and its humane tendencies suddenly and violently
destroyed and the public mind weighed down by a ;
depression without precedent in the history Of f
this nation train of evils more mouInful and
il their nature han had ever fallen to
the lot Of civilized and christian people in a
modern history 4
Surveying this picture we saw at glance that
if this Institution was to have been advantageous G
to the State, when its projectors called it into y
being, it had become, under the changed aspect
Of the industrial interests Of the South one Of pu'
a3eo,9lt necessity. K@owing what similar organ +
23tiOns had effected for the public welfare in /
)ther sections of ourcountry, we determined that
ghat human energy had accomplished elsewhere b
t could do here. s
We were told that all attempts to perrna. =
leutly found in this State an institution like ours
lad failed. Bnt this declaration as discouragng f
IS it was, did not change our determination.
Previous failures, however signal, but inspired us
With the same spirit of perseverance that the Il
simple little spider aroused in the bosom OF q n
Bruce; and 0te necessities Of The Aolo' led US to I
esoVe that in This enterprise, there should be '
: no such word as fail" We proclaim this in no c
ooastfu spirit but purely to set FORTH in strong g
Ind pointed language, our firm convictions that
With people such as ours-wIth country SO q
1ouutitully blessed by ttovidence-with o geo n
gFapbica position without rival on this continent. !,
.hatneither desoation ordespajr, though lheymay "