Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1872-10-12
OUR FAIR AND IT'S FEATURES,

I'VE had designed writing an article
upon the Fair, but a friend has fur
nished us the following communication,
which embraces our views 10 we'll, that
we adopt it instead. We publish also
partial list Of the leading exhibitors
and the articles worthy of special men,
ton. 1t will he completed in our next
sue.--Ep.]
En-. STANDARD. is barely possible
that an outsider can Judge more fairly
and impartially of the merits of local
institution than one whose interests are
permanently identified with your city.
And being such an outsider, am frank
to confess myself the most agreeably
disappointed man in the Territory ut
display of industrial and agricultural
products exhibited at the present Fair
Of the Western Washington Associa-
ton. Certainly in the way of winter
fruits and vegetables no portion of the
Pacific Coast can equal Puget Sound,
for I have lived twenty years on the
Coast and seventeen in California, and
during that time, have visited all the
fairs held between Yreka and San Jose.
The apples are fully equal to the best
ever exhibited at any fair iii America,
while the pears arc far in advance of
any / have seen. The contribution of
Mr.. Esgers is alone IN exhibition in
itself. As for the potatoes from Fidel-
go Island, they border upon the mar
vellous and go to prove that Washing
ton Territory excels all other sections
of the Pacific Coast in the production
OF fine vegetables.
But what advantage is it to your
people if they can raise the best vege-
tables on the coast, unless they can
have way of shipping them to a mar
ket? If semi-monthly line of steam
ers be put upon the route between
Olympia and San Francisco, then we
could send off our surplus products to
the Bay City and rest assured of re-
munerative prices. Ten acres of land
would then be cultivated by market
gardeners, where one is cultivated now.
If there was direct communication with
Portland, that place would consume
much of your surplus garden truck,
but as the directors of the Northern
Pacific company have allowed that road
to begin at nothing and stop at no
place, the cost of rehandling freight
will entail loss upon the shipper.
The art gallery, small as it is, shows
more than one evidence of talent in
our midst. In the way of oil paint
ings Miss Patterson's Swiss landscape
shows not only admirable coloring but
deep study in the delineations of light.
As for Mr.. Petherick's contributions
they are of a school that seldom meets
with a just recognition. His view of
E'quimalt is as faithful as photo
graph, while his view of Fraser river
shows q great study of shadows. Mrs.
fuckers Head of Magdalena and Ro-
man matron are also very creditable
crayon sketches. But Mrs. Dickey
must be conceded rare excellence in
the imitation of the Old Masters. I
have seen nothing to surpass her Italian
Peasant Boy, or the head of St. Mark.
and can only express our establishment
at meeting such talent in so remote a
locality. The taxidermy of Mr.. Lane
Is very we'll done and Hastily arranged,
and his grouse family would have de-
lighted Audubon himself. -
One thing about this Fair contrasts
very favoreh!y with the Fairs at Salem
and Albany i'll Oregon; allnde to the
exclusion OF drink ana gaming. Both
OF these fairs are managed by Boards
who have printed rules against either
drinking OF spirituous liquors, or play
ing games Of chance on the fair grounds.
and yet whisky was sold in nearly every
refreshment tent on the State Fair
ground in 1870 at Salem, while at AL
bany, last year, there were no less than
q dozen booths where faro, roulette and
other games Of chance were dealt
Now while il is not denied that gam
bling is carried on in this city, yet it
is pleasing to note that it is not allowed
anywhere about the Associations rooms,
but restricted to localities where it can
only be found by those who seek for it.
On the whole, the Fair is in every