Smyrna times., 1876-11-29


DID 1T PAY Us?-That's the question now
about the Centennial; that is, did it pay
us? OF course, no one who witnessed that
grand display of art, ingenuity and novelty
but felt that he got an overwhelming equi-
valent for fifty cents; but are we not out of
pocket little in a community sense2
Before the great exhibition opened the
widest predictions were INDUCED in about
its financial benefits to the Peninsula. The
most of us farely became inspired as we
read the outgivings of the Philadelphia
papers as to what would be expected of the
adjacent country around that city in the
way of feeding the millions who were ex-
pected to visit it. Indeed it was feared by
some that the demand would bring a
heavy task upon the outlying country to
keep up the supply. Big prices loomed up
before our farmers about their crops, like
big expectations came to their minds about
the exhibition. Itwas confidently asserted
that from ten TO fifteen millions of people
would witness the grand spectacle, and it
was a question of considerable magnitude
as to how so many mouths could be fed.
But no such numbers came to see the
"big show" True, the "offcial count y
shows the attendance to have been very
nearly ten millions, but that is no indica
tion of the number of visitors. 1t must be
borne in mind that about $4,000 person;
daily passed through the gates of the ex
hibition who were not visitors, but employ
ees. They passed in for l59 days, making
total count of nearly 100000 for the turr
stiles. In addition to this, very larg'
majority of those who paid went more thar
one day, and when we add to this the othe
fact that half the daily attendance wa
made up from the resident population il
and around Philadelphia (say so miles) W
may we'll believe the statement that tn
visitors to the city were not more than
third of the number that attended the e1
hibition. Hence it was never a task
feed the additional influx of strangers ths
the Centennial brought.
But now to the question. Our farne
all know the result. They felt no pract
cal advantage to trade from the Centennia
just when they had the most to sell w
when the Centennial needed the least, vi
during the summer months, when Il
attendance upon the exhibition was less tn:
10000 per day. Our peach shippers we
not long in learning that the Philadelph
market was not perceptably better tn
in previous years, and hence fruit resum
its old market routes and kept to the
So with everything else of market vall
The income from the exhibition, thereto
was very trifing, while the outgo caused
it was immense. About 1900 persons FRI
this section attended the Centennial, il
supposed. 1t cost these persons, on
average, at least S. apiece to make the II
or a total of $500. But this does
approximate the outlay. Some put
figures at $4,000, $4,000, and even 5
000. At this rate it wouldn't take mi
Centennials to bankrupt us. Our trac
men say they never had as poor a seas
simply because the people had to within
their means to 60 to the Centennial, an
they withheld anything over and ali
what it cest them to see the exhibit
they spent it in Philadelphia instead {
home. 1t is evident, therefore, that
Centennial, grand though it was, was n
paving enterprise for Delaware.