Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-13

This is the age Of fairs. The more we
have OF them the better for the city as
well as the country. Wherever they
are fostered and encouraged there is
prosperity and advancement. Mark the
cities Of Europe where great fairs are
held-such, for instance, az Leipsie,
famous for its book eair; and the great
fair Of Novgorod, in Russia, where
Europe and Asia meet in inter-conti-
mental rivalry. These are the fairs
which draw to the center OF their loca-
tioH tens Of thousands Of visitors, and
bring together the products Of farm and
workshop, factory and studio from i'm
mense sections Of country; which create
q rivalry in excellence. and tend more to
develop the resources Of a section and
lnstil energy into manufacturers and
producers than any or all other causes
put together" Fairs, though anything
bus a. modern institution, OF Of recent
growth, have eliminated in these latter
days in exhibitions such as the aneients
were strangers to. They bring the agri-
culturist face to face with the mechanic,
the manufacturer and the merchant; all
the arts and trades are represented and
an ambition to do better, TO increase
and advance Is born Of this close and
intimate competition. The effect upon
the agricultUrist IL the especially
notable result Of fairs as contradistin-
guished from exhibitions or expositions.
The man who sees his neighbor pro-
cucing a crop twice as large as his own,
on precisely the same quality Of land,
viii be apt 10 ask the reason why, and
If he cares to know it, he can find out.
If he sees a man no better of than him
self with cattle that weigh more, sheep
that shesr more, cows that give more
milk and make more butter, and horses
that are worth double his own, il he be
"a true farmer he viii find where the diff
hculty lies and obviate it. This missisn
Is successfully accomplished by the ag-
Eicuitural fairs Of the country. They COM
pare the good work with the bad, inferior
productions with the better, and by that
very comparison plant the seed Of reform
which viii bring forth some thirty, some
sixty and some an hundred fold. We
are led TO these remarks by the near ap-
Uroach Of the county fair, which VIII
De- opened on Monday Of next week,
and with such an exhibition as
will reflect credit upon the Agricultural
society aud the exhibitors, the names Of
many Of whom viii be found in a report
Of the proceedings had yesterday at the
Fair Ground. We hope and we expect
that the attendance viii be larger than
has ever been known, and that the
Board Of Directors Of this organization,
10 whom We owe the possibility not alone
Of county fair, but the grand Exposition
which, on Jefferson street, is 70 prove the
crgwning glory Of Memphis. We trust
the farmers, gardeners, and planters, as
vel as merchants and mechanics, viii
contribute what they can to make it
success commensurate with the efforts
oi the Society. The people Of the city
as vel as the country look upon the
fairs Of the Shelby County Agricultural
society as a great thing for them, and
so il Is, aside from the good time they
always manage 70 have at them and the
goodly amount Of dollars they manage to
pick up from them Their effects are not
for day, but for all time. They srenot |
tieeting shows, but affairs whose chief /
excellence lies in the after results, in the !
seeds they SOW, inducing progression /
and advancement in all departments Of 4
human effort and endesyor. We be /
speak for the fair next week the best |
wishes and the patronage Of all classes /
II our people.