Nebraska advertiser., 1869-09-16
About Agricultural and Me-
chanicaI Fairs.

chauAcal EalFSs
The arranging and conducting Of
Agricultural and Mechanical Fairs, I'm
many respects, closely resembles the
management of a newspaper. If you
undertake to please everybody, the
probabilities are, you will please very
JeU.
One man says "pn have nothing
more to do with the Fair. Ny hog
didn't get the first premium last year,
and I know it was the best on the
ground" We know it is very natural
after we have taken great pains to get
up good stock, OF an article for exhi-
Bftion, for US to think we have the
best, and think it very strange the
judges do not agree with us.
Another man says: "I didn't get
nypEemium last year, and Pm done"
swell, my friend, was a premium
awarded your" eyes" "Have you
called on the Secretary for your or
derTI sNo. IsuppOsed If the socie-
" intended me to have my money
they would send it to me-" 1.-THE
proper way for you to get your premi-
UNI Is to call on the Secretary who will
give you an order on the Treasurer
who viii pay you your premium"
"If I have to 60 TO all that trouble,
pH 60 without it j." and thus some
become dissatisfied, and often become
opponents Of Fairs.
Stn another man says: "Your COM
mittees are incompetent. What does
- know about a horse? I'll not
bring my stock to the Fair" The
officers Of the society, when they
make up the committees, often spend
days in doing so, and carefully look
all over the county or State, and select
this man for this committee because
Of his peculiar fitness for the position,
and he Is placed on the COMMITTEES and
the list thus published. Fair day
comes around, and there is not a mem
Der Of the committee present, or If per
chance some are, they will not serve,
because somebody last year abused
him for awarding a premium not in
keeping with the views of the owner
Of some animal or article. A new
committee has to be made up on the
ground, taken from by-standers as
best the managers can do. Under
these circumstances we confess that
committees often are not just such as
they should be. But what better can
be donel -
And still another objection. An
director says: taThere is nojns-
lice in the manner In which you offer
premiums. You offer $40 for this, and
but S. for that you omit to offer a
premium at all on this; this class
ought to be differently graded - and
many similar objections are made to
Ihe arrangement Of the premium list.
The Board does not claim perfection
for its premium list, or its arrange
ment. But it simply does the best it
Fan, or knows how. The society has
Itsremedy. When election day comes
around, elect a new and more compe-
lent set Of officers. That is one way
10 correct this evil. Another is TO at
lend the meeting when the list is be-
Ing made up, and there make your
suggestions as to how the list should +,
ee arranged. Weeks, and sometimes
months notice, is always given of this
meeting, and all members and friends
If the society are Interchangeable i,
De present and aid in making up the 4;
premium list. When the day comes,
perhaps, only two or three even of the !
'ficers and board are present. These =.
ew have the work to do, and every :
tenn may be attended to; some, very b,
viii be overlooked. On such i,
occasions, Sin a multitude Of counsel
ers there is wisdom" +,
We have been, for twenty years past,
some position that intimately con- /,
lected us with Agricultural Fairs, :
md these, and many other similar
objections are not new tous; we only +,
'efer TO them now toremindt those who
indulge in finding fault, that perhaps
" the faults do not rest in the officers
Il your society. 4
Would it not be much better for us
III to put u shoulders to the wheel,
md work with a determination TO
make these Fairs what they ought to
ga grand annual gathering of the
people, where old and young, rich
lndpoor, Democrats and Republicans,
dethodists, Presbyterian, Baptists,
md all other denominations, meet to-
for a few days on n common
platform; where this farmer and that
one meet and exchange views; the
Mechanic and artisan meet and COM
productions; neighbors meet
ZACH other, perhaps the only time in
he year they do; new acquaintance
ne made; new ideas obtained en-
arged and more liberal views are
produced; people made wiser; all are
and go home feeling that IT,
was good to be there"