Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-31
USES OF WORLDS FAIRS.
They Are Profitable Movements for the
Whole Human Race.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence.l
New YORK, Aug 19-Apart from com
mercial considerations, worlds fairs are very
profitable movements Tor the race. They
bring together greater gathering Of people
from all countries than can be accomplished
in any other way, and very good thing it is
for these people to meet, mIngle, see each
other live for time near each other, thereby
rubbing off old prejudices and getting some
real truth concerning each other.
The centennial Of 1876 was grand edr-
Gator for this country 1t was a big book,
easy and pleasant to study, and from which
knowledge was absorbed without the drudg-
cry of memorizing-because q man or wom-
an learns most when there is least trying to
learn When you are amused and interested
in anything you will go home and tell Tor try
to telD the whole story; and whether you can
tell it or not, you do recollect a great deal
more of the scene which took place before
your eyes, or the exhibit in a glass case or
tie machine, or anything else, than if you
had studied it out of a book.
The centennial of "'16' took thousands of
people for little time out of their ruts 1t
brought out through its attractions and
cheaper facilities for travel thousands and
fore in their lives 1t made bic hole in
many Of those lives, and through this hole
they saw more daylight than ever before 1t
dragged out valises nearly century old and
linen busters and great many antiquated
stovepipe hats, and it put some new and use
ful ideas in the heads inside Of those hats.
We NAV not see the result Of those ideas
immediately As a six months dweller at
the centennial l saw many men and wo-
men who seemed in a daze from the begin
ming to the end of their visit But all the
time they were taking in something, though
hardly conscious of it. That something took
root, and months and years afterward it
turned up in the farmers mind, whether on
the stony hills of Vermont, the Illinois prai-
RE or the Michigan forest and the result of
this turning up was for him or her a little
more breadth of view, little variation in
their previous monotouy of thought-in fact,
a little more mind than before, and a little
more willingness than before to entertain
new idea when it came TO him.
There is a necessity and destiny in the
whole race that it should come more togeth-
er, and worlds fairs are the chief agencies
for bringing it together. 1t is q necessity that
cannot be prevented It is In the eternal
order of things, and beyond the power OF man
TO prevent
Worlds fairs, eras Of political excitement,
great wars, and little ones too, have one
common use in stirring up the public mind
and giving it something outside of a narrow
round to think about. Whatever agitates
and interests great many minds, most as
suredly grants every one of those minds
larger horizon TO look over and think over
than before A worlds fair may prevent
foolish war, in diverting to itself a current of
thought which, once started by few de-
signing minds might expend itself in blood
shed.
Wars. you know, arc generally gotten up
and carried on by a very few people-ten or
twenty, say-who first start the rub-a-dub,
to which the mass in time catches on when
the rub-a-dub is heard to drum the words:
The country Is in danger' Patriotism :"
Foreign conquerorm and Never viii be
slaves!n which loyal Britons sung so many
years when, as impressed sailors and lands
men, they were slaves in their own kings
ships. The world is travelling rapidly out of
this nonsense, and IL seems TO me that moth
ing has more aided the race in its gradual
liberation from such nonsense as the peaceful
coming together of the nations in the worlds
fair movement, inaugurated about forty
years ago in London.
The worlds fair IS big plow II brings
leading minds together from all parts of the
planet, gratis the idea of each on the other,
tears up and breaks up underlying roots Of
prejudice, error and dislike, and forces men
Of different races through commercial neceS-
sitv TO meet and know each other When
these minds return after the fair to their own
race they return more or less imbued with
new idea-often more than they realize
They have absorbed this. They can't help
absorbing it. They will spread such idea
among their own race, whether they talk it
or not, for idee is infectious or catching
healthfully 50 If healthy isself-unhealIhful
if the reverse.
The greater mas of mind on this planet is
as soil which needs good deal Of blowing
and breaking up, ag!tsting, puiverizing and
mixing before il Is III TO cultivate finer
crop than any hitherto raised By the
crop" | mean plans, movements. measures
and institutions Vet 10 come better than any
in the past, beneficial in their results and
peaoe;ul in their methods which are 20 make
life for the whole far easier. happier and
healthier yuan any life yet realized
PRENTICE MILFORD