The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-02
FAIRS AND THEIR HISTORY.

tOinette) made him an extreme absolutist. He
died In 1885.
FAIRS AND THEIR HISTORY.
Fairs, In their origin, were continuance Of prim-
tive trade, the device Of ages when communication
between the peoples different countries, people
in distant parts OF the same country not known
as fact OF ordinary life when travel was not only
dangerous by The perils Of the way and difficult be-
cause of the rude contrivances in use, but utterly
impossible TO the mass 0fthe people because of the
necessarily great expenditure Of money for jour
ney In those days no vast fleets of merchantmen
filled every sea, bearing the products OF national
industry from one country to another, and no
heavily freighted trains OF railroad cars distributed
into every city and village, as now, the merchan-
disc and commodities OF great manufacturing
towns or districts; but where commodities
were made there they were sold. because
it was easier for the buyer to come and make his
purchases, each carrying home what his wants re-
CURED, than for the maker or seller to transport
to distant points the product Of years industry.
AS travelling was so difficult, however the journey
for purchases could not be made often, and thus
periods were fixed for It, generally twice year;
and the industries OF q whole city or district
commodated themselves to this necessity, and la
bored through six months in making the articles
that were to be sold In few weeks at the time Of
the great Spring or Autumn c0ncOurse OF buyers.
Thus the great fairs of all nations have been
SIMPLY sEMANNUAL MARKETS,
the result of the conditions Of life in former times
and the smaller fairs have been lesser or local
application Of the same systematic queer customs
and peculiar privileges, such rs suspension OF ar
rest except Tor offences committed at the fair &C.,
being simply contrved to encourage men to come,
In the choice of seasons for the fairs nature was
clearly consulted, for in Winter people were kept
at home by bad weather, and in Summer they
could not leave their labsr In the fields. Some re-
laton has been noticed between the time chosen
for fairs and that for great religious festivals in
most countries-a relationship DUE perhaps, to q
common cause, for the priesthood in all religions
has generally commended that their festivals should
be celebrated at seasons when the people have
most leisure. And the people in these cases have
generally not followed the priests in the choice Of
place for the fair but the priests have followed the
people and made their festivals where they found
the concourse.
From this view Of the origin and true character
OF fairs, 1t necessarily follows that they were first
known in Oriental countries-the first seats of the
ordinary civilization OF industry ana trade; and it
follows with equal force that they still flourish
there in almost their original splendor communica-
ton being scarcely better in many Eastern coun-
tries at the present day than 1t was thousand
years ago. Indeed, with few remarkable excep-
tons fairs in the ordinary sense have disappeared
far as they had any spendor, from civilized coun
tries, and nnger only in the remoter lands out Of
reach OF the influence OF the modern spirit.
Thus the only really great, regularly recurring fair
still known IN any European country is in Russia,
and even on the confines OF the Asatic portion OF
that vast Empire-the Fair OF st. Peter and St.
Paul, at Mini Novgorod.
THE RUSSIAN FAIR AT KIAcHTA.
Doubtless the greatest fair in Asia at the present
day is that OF klachta, in Southern Siberia. This
fair has, moreover, truly nterna tional character.
1t is not mere point at which the inhabitants OF
two or three neghboring towns or valleys come
together at certain seasons to supply the ordinary
wants OF common life, but neutral station where
the products OF two great nations are bartered
and where the people OF many races mingle for
mutually advantageous transactions 1t is near
the Chinese frontier, and thither the great cara
vans bring the precious first crop OF tea some.
times from distance OF 5000 miles, This tea
is bought by the Russian merchants who
exchange for it furs and the various manu-.
featured articles OF Europe, many from
Russian manufactures, and more, perhaps, from
the workshops OF Birmingham II is thus that this
tea only reaches the world outside through Russia
in which country, however, most ofit is consumed.
The great distance from which the caravan tea is
brought by that slow carriage is the important
element in its prce-the main reason why it is 50
dear. Perhaps when we get railroad through
China even newspaper writers will be able to in
dulge In the sublime beverage
GREAT FAIR IN INDIA.
Another Asiatlc fair OF great importance is held
In Western India, at Hurdwar on the River
Ganges. Here there is also great religious fes-
tival. This fair Is held in March and April every
year, while every twelfth year the concourse as
sumes an extraordinary character. Each year the
gathering Is little short of three hundred thousand
and at the last OF the twelfth yearly occasions
there were 1000, 900 visitors.
MINI NovGoRoD.
At Mini N0vg0rod, in Eastern Russia. is held
an annual fair that is the most important event
OF the year to all the Central and Eastern Pro-
vinces Of Russia and to many nations Of Asia that
trade with the Empire. The value of the goods ex-
changed In the year 1868 was eighty.ave million
dollars. 1t is opened on the 9th OF July and lasts
one month. Europeans, Bokharians, Khivans,
Khgise, Tartars, Americans, Persians and chinese
visit 1t.
GERMAN FAIRS.
The most important fairs OF Central Europc are
those OF Lcpsic and Frankfort The Leipsic Fair
proper Is semiannual, and Is held at Easter ana
Michaelmas; but there Is also Booksellers
Fair-a sort OF trade sale and settling day-in
January, which is often classcd as q third fair.
The Leipsic fairs are for twelve days each, and
were once OF great Importance, but modern life
has in this respect much changed their character.
They figure greatly In the history and romance Of
Germany In the Middle Ages. The Frankfort Fair
Is also semi-annual; that In the Spring beginning
the Sunday before Palm Sunday, and In the Fall
on the sunday before the sth OF September. Old
books are q great commodity here. This fair Is