The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1871-09-02
About Fairs.

| MIR. EDIToR-Sluee our County Fair
is so near at hand, have been led to jot
down few stray thoughts, not on the
subject of fairs in general, but of Linn
County Fair in particular.
| Let me first call attention to the fol-
/ lowing, taken from the Premium List,
under the head of general remarks
s'The people in general, and especially
the ladies, are requested to furnish pic
lures aud other ornaments for the Payil-
| ion" This looks like kind invitation.
and it is also generous to allow the ladies
a free admission quite the thing in the
present day of ladies privileges, what
ever the coming "women's 5 rights may
| bring.
But it is not my purpose to discuss
''women's rights or privileges either,
except as connected with our agricultur-
al(?) Fair; and to get at the clearest un-
derstanding OF the thing, let us study
| figures, for unless they ''iie" (the figures
| mean), our Fair aforesaid is very much
of an agricultural sham. To begin then
/ with totals The total premium list, first
aud c'nd, including the five classes of
cattle, seven classes of sheep, aud FIVE
classes of swine, amounts to S4,443 IS !;
surely this is devising liberal things
Look little closer. 81 ,625, nearly two
fifths of the whole amount, is distributed
in two classes and divided into seven
premiums. These two classes are, one
/ x.tn
kno one could possibly condemn stranger
if he should judge of the tone of the
Fair from the two classes thus honored.
aud if the Linn County Agricultural
Association represents the sentiment of
the county, the spirit of the two classes
mentioned must be the animus of this,
the best agricultural county in Oregon.
What are the men most interested in
these two classes-in the noble p art of
orse-racing-they are commonly called
Nurse men, jockeys, gamblers, race. course
bummers. politely dubbed 1.-The sporting
fraternity" aud these, judging by the
premium list before me, are ..par excel
lence" the nobility of our county, the
true a.riculturists, for whose benefit the
Society exists.
4 Again, 1.-The people in general, and
especially the ladies are requested, &c.
|, A word to the ladies': your total prem
t iums amount TO about six hundred dol
! lars-in other words If you fill the pavil-
lion with articles useful and ornamental,
things to crafty the eye aud the palate,
if you get all the premiums on the list,
) you get for your butter, and cheese, aud
J preserves, and bread, and cake, and
flowers, together with sewing, and spin
nlng. aud weaving, aud knitting. not to
mention the numberless little arts which
adorn and make comfortable our houses
and the lSociefy's poUiiion, for these you
+ get a little more than-Class 4, No.
.sAliie heats, 8 in 8, free to all $500 I
Space and tune will allow but one OF
:. two more items. Let any sensible man
look over Class IA, Mechanical Depart
, ment, and see whether one first premium
in the whole class will pay mechanic foi
his ticket, his entry fec, the time and
expense Of taking any of the specified
articles to the grounds, returning the
, same, and the risk of possible damage tt
the article. Is there u cabinet maker ii
all Oregon who would let bureau worthy
of q premium go to the grounds and
buck for four dollars, or sofa for two
! Is there carriage maker who would
) send q FIRST class buggy there for thu
: premium? Is there blacksmith whit
would carry his four pieces of work ou
: there ard back for the amount Fe woule
Q have left, If he gained the first premium.
g or timer who would for two dollars
r take ten pieces Of ware, or founder 6v,
pieces Of casting? But perhaps some on,
thinks they should have public spri
Z enough to build up the Fair, and pa,
j. their own expenses. taking the homo
I for equivalent. My answer is. try tlf
!. same theory with the horse-jockeys.
Finally, when you go to the fair, com
pare notes, see how lew entries there ar
Q in Glasses I, 2, s, 81, 8, IS and II. an
= ron viii find that Il least half the amour
I paid for premiums will 60 TO tho races
HI b this an Agricultural Fair? Rea
aright the Premium List reads: Il