Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-28
FIRST DAY.
HEAVY RAINS SPOIL THE RACING.
A Large Crowd Present--Fine Racing
for Today.
FIRST DAY.

IL was gloomy anu cIOuuE iIOiu early
morning and as noon approached it looked
more like rain. Despite this fact shortly
afternoon the street cars for the ground
were loaded with people while hacks and
other conveYances were crowed and doing
a lively business. BY 1:30 o'clock over
thirteen hundred ladies were IL
the grand stand This was not
q surprise as it was ladies' day. There
were about fifteen hundred men on the
! grounds. At this moment secretary OF
the association Col Hartzel, in very
neat speech introduced Dean Adams, OF
st. Johns church who opened the fair
with speech that viii long be remember
ed by all present. A synopsis Of his
speech is as follows:
The Wichita Exposition and Interstate
| falr association. This is my theme: THE
| Wichita Exposition and Interstate Fair
association" 1t suggests many sub
themes, chief among these are Wichita
| agriculture and the speeding of horses.
The triangle having tapped, the horses
having appeared, bright-eyed, tip-toed ex-
! pectancy in our midst, the last Of these
| should be taken firtt. There is popular
| prejudice against horse racing" as the
! speeding of a horse against another,
! against the field or against time is popu-
J
| Purltanism IN the first place, which in its
| sourness Is made more sour by seeing any
| one enjoy himself. The Puritan condemns
| laugh and frOwns upon a smile. \ look
! OF enjoyment on human face, q CLEAN OF
| delight in human eye, a smile
| of pleasure on a human lip, or the
| raising of human handle in rapture is evil
| dence that the devil is in the immediate
neighborhood, and is the producer of the
| emotion so manifested. The Puritan
recognizes the devil SO Immediately that
they must have something III common.
But no, it is not the devil he recognizes: il
| IS the natural antypathY between extremes.
The negative and the portiye in electricity
meet and the fire flies. Ugiiness always
hates beauty unless it can devourit--make
1t crafty an appetite or passion. The
lover of nature, Of thd symetrical, of the
beautiful cannot understand why any one
should object TO the speeding of a horse.
See his anxiety to go! He is anxious for
the rush. Ais spirit pants for the fierce
joy Of emulation. He snuffs conflict from
atar. The rush is made. See him settle
to the long. hard strain. There is an en-
Joyment OF which weak people know no
thing in the firm grip OF the will. There
was the glow. no do not, a great
pleasure in the soul of Grant when he said:
I will fight it ont on this line if It takes
all summer" The great leader was then
settling to dc his part through a space of
time. The same settling appears in the
case of the courser. Though he expends
all of his energy. yet he husbands it. Then
comes the final rush. The head is stretch
ed out to the full length Of the beautiful
neck, the eyes are wide open, the pupil di-
lated, the nostrils show the full of their
red. The race is Won. Does anyone dare
to say that the horse does not enjoy this
Why, he Quivers all over with enjoyment.
He is so intent upon his object that he
would burst bloodyessel or sever ten
don If it would give him success He
knows the fullness Of the divinity of the
Joy OF absolute self conservation. Watch
of his eye, the piston rod like
working of his shoulders, the general play
or his muscles, and what have you seem
The consummation of the power and the
poetry of life manifesting Itself through
matter.
In the interest of the spectator it is said
that horse racing is demoralizing. 1t
brings together, it IS said, the worst kind
of people. Looking over this assemblage
would not say SO. But admit the truth
Of the statement, whose fault is this but
tnat Of those good people who would not
foL the world 90 to horse race9 The mis-
tax that Puritanism makes is in turning
all pleasant things over to the Evil One.
This gives him sych q dreadful advantage
that | have wondered that he has not COM
pletely conquered humanity. Religion
and morality, and long-facedness and the !
to0thache are too nearly synonymous |
terms in the middle Of this genera |
ton, though generally We come. |
believe, TO see that the father would have /
his children all edjoy all the beauties and !
blessings with which he has surrounded /
them. My friend cOnsults me rs TO I
he shall put billiard table in his .
house. He says that he does not play in /
billiard saloons because even il ne does not !
bet, other Will bet upon his shots | tell /
him | think the game, tie game of all
games, Though | can only make occasional
scratch" MYSELF much more innocent
than pins. because there is so much more
in it. Why give billiards. the speeding of
horses, and a thousand other enjoyable
things over to the evil one? Why not take
IS God intended, make the most of them
for ourselves and ours-remembering
that he who enjoys himself
best in his hours of recre-
alton viii do the most and the best work
during the hours of effort. The man who
takes this ground can hardly compel him
self TO believe that he is not wilfully mis-
by those who hold themselves
he holy ones" In what l say l do not
defend the pool boxes or gambling in any
other way. All that do say is that I. for
1ne, do not allow gambling or anything
else to keep me away from where God Is
Himself in the power and the
grace of the horse in the attempt 10 reduce
MS record, but especially IL mighty EMU
alton with his fellow.
There is no more beautiful, nor more
productive farming region under the
ian than this Kansas OF ours:
han this particular Arkansas
7alley in which we live |
Last spring when the corn was knee
Ugh and the oats and the wheat were
,reen l was repaid by the marvellous
)eauty and evidence fertility on every hand
or a ride in the cupaln of the caboose of z |
reight car from the point north as far as
he eye could reach on every hand the |
esp. rich, damp green evide2ced the
Healthy strength OF the Vegetable life
itself The promise OF a gold
n harvest was abundant. ! could believe .
ny friend when he said that before the dag
+ railroads he drove leading politician. (
gricUlturist and editor through this {
egion. when they We're on a considerable |
leYation he threw back the top of the {
uggy, saying: Now, stand up and look .
round" He did so. He was man of s
The present was 4 hlnJ of |
be future. He said: You have been ,
cling me great stories about this region
have never before believed one Of them.
now believe all Of them"
We may have universities. What coun-
~. what locality. what man does not
hid. There are almost unSeperaole from
outh in each case. The child must have
he measles, the mumps, the whooping '
OuGh- The new country must have its
iseases. The child comes Of its youthful
tfiictlOus one by one. So does the new | :
)untry. kadsas has had graSshoppers
ut she is over them She has mad her /