The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1876-11-09
The Centennial.

The Centennial is a big thing-tno big a thing
to attempt to describe in detail
| If men still lived to the aye Of MethuseIah,
Noah, and those old coons-clnse on to a thou-
sand yeaTs-they could afford to devote year to
the Centennial. Then they could things to
some satisfaction. Bnt as it is Justice cannot oe
done it.
| Five days was time enough for any body to see
| the Centennial. He conld take general glance
at it ali in that time, and would have no desire
to inspect the different departments closely, un-
less he had year to spare
Baseball players talk abont ''hot balls" A
person visiting the Centennial was hot ball.
There was no halt rest for him; but as long
as he remained, he was compelled to move along.
Every alley in any department was jammetl,
and it constant push, from morning till
| night, to get along.
| 1t was also a push to get to and from the
grounds in the public conveyances. Vehicles
| built to carry twenty-fonr persons, managed to
squeeze in a hundred.
Everybody was in good hnmor, and no quar-
reling at being squeezed or trod upon.
1t was bad place for topers, unless they car
ried their bottles along. The only drinks sold
on the grounds were hot and cold soda, and
'aerated" cider.
Things, the prices of which were regulated by
law, were reasonable; but in everything else,
there was a speculation, and you were skinned
without mercy. The prices regulated by law,
were street car fare and admission to the Centen-
nial.
From the time you woke up in the morning
until you closed your eyes at night, somebody was
showing something under your nose to sell.
There was a speculation in getting to the top
of the main building, after being squeezed to
death in the elevator; aud once on top, you
found fellow hiring opera glasses at the rate of
ten cents an hour.
The restaurants were the biggest frauds in the
outfit. You could eat dirt or starve for any
price, from ole TO three dollars.
Real estate is said to be the highest in New
York of any city in the United States. But it
was good deal higher in the Centeslnial restan-
rants, if yon took it in the shape of victuals.
One advantage was you could eat your peck
of dirt at a sitting, and be done with it.
That French "Cafe," called Lafayette Restau-
rant, was the premium fraud. 1t was the nasti-
est place in Philadelphia. The dishes, knives
and spoons stuck to you with danb, and the vict-
uals tried to run away from you. They were
six months gone. 1t was pleasure to pay three
prices for this offal But it was expensive, for
they had to hire men 10 herd it.
We don't want any more French "Cafe" in
ours. We feel sick yet.
Those Turkish and Moorish Paviions we're in
teresting. Those turbaned Turks and Moors
stepped around talking with an Irish brosae!
There were some noticeable features in the
crowd.
One was, the immense number of old and mid
tered them everywhere in the jam, aud you al
ways had to give way for them. Might as well
have attempted to buck against a locomotive.
Another was the almost total absence of boys
from ten to fifteen years of age.
Another was that nearly every old codger you
met, was accompanied by about three yOung Ia
dies, from sixteen to twenty-one years of age.
If you wanted TO know anything, all yea mad
to do was to ask young LADY who wore specs.
able but willing to explain anything You wanted
to know-especially in the Art Gallery.
You could find any person there, with as much
you could find needle in a hay stack.
The only man we met whom We knew. was Ma
jor Morrill,, of Hiawatha. But we didn't find
him in hay stack.
Philadelphia is the best governed city in Amer
lea. The policemen all gentlemen. They
didn't arrest once.
The Centennial is a big thing. We are glad
We went to see it.