The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-09-26
The ANIMAL IFaiIure

Compared with what the state fair of
Indiana ought to be, the exhibition that
has just ended in this city was u rank fail
ure. 1t was failure as an exhibition it
was failure in point of attendance; it
was failure in its management. 1t re-
Elected no credit on the state of Indiana,
or on the city of indianapolis. There are
hundreds of county fairs held in this
country every year which are infinitely
its superior in all that goes to make up an
attractive and interesting display.
There were a good many people in town
on Thursday last, but they came mostly
from neighboring towns, and did not rep
sent the state at large. They were mostly
town people, too. Thursdays attendance
ought to have been thrice as large as it was
The farmers were in small minority
For some reason they took very little in
terest. as a class, in the fair, although it is
supposed to be distinctively an agricultural
institution.
Speaking for the city of indianapolis and
the state of Indiana, THE SENTINEL can say
it is heartily ashamed of our state fair
There were some creditable features to
be sure, but taken as a whole it was
anything but a creditable exhibition.
All who have attended the fairs of other
Western states-of Ohio, Illinois, Michi-
gan, Wisconsin and Kansas-and such ex-
hibitions as the st. Louis fair, will testify
that the Indiana fair is every small pot :
toes" compared with any of them.
The cause? Well, it is not a mystery.
1t is as plain as day to everybody who
knows anything about the matter. The
niggardliness and old fogyism of the man
agement is the principal cause. The
whole institution is run on two-cent prin
ciples. The inducements offered to ex-
hibitors are inadequate to begin with.
Then the fair is not properly advertised
1t is folly to suppose that the people OF
Indiana will come in great numbers TO see
cheap show, especially when theya are not
invited, when frst-class exhibitions are in
progress or at hand in Chicago, Cincinnati,
Columbus, st. Louis and other cities to
which their attention is invited by liberal
advertising. If our state board of agricul-
ture would drop the narrow-guage policy
which it has so long pursued and adopt
modern methods of booming our annual
fair, it could be made the equal OF the best
in the country, both as an exhibition and
financially. Indiana is one of the greatest
states in the Union. Her agricultural re-
sources are abundant and varied. Her in
dustries are extensive and diversified. Her
people are thrifty, enterprising and com
paratively prosperous. If properly stimu-
lated and encouraged they could make
such an exhibition in Indian
apolis every year of their agricultural
and manufactured products as would make
every HOLSTERS bosom swell with pride,
and attract attention to the state from all
over the country. With liberal use OF
printers ink, not only in Indiana but in
other states, crowd five times as great as
visited this city last week could be at
tracted 10 every fair and a crowd that
would leave five times as much money
with our merchants and business men
generally as was disbursed by our visitors
OF last week. The managers of the Indi-
ana fair should 60 to Minneapolis, or Kan
sas City, or st. Louis, or Atlanta and take
some lessons in the science OF getting
up a frst-class fair and getting n
big attendance. Our fair ought to be held
later than 1t has been during the last two
or three years, by fortnight; it ought to
be widely advertised, and efforts should
be made to secure a better class of ex-
hibts. Indeed, ii the fair was properly
advertised the exhibitors would be sure
to flock in, because they always go where
they expect a large crowd. But if the
same methods that are now employed arc
persisted in, the Indiana state fair will
never be anything for Hoosier TO be
proud Of.