Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-07-05

CAPT. H. G. KANE, OF big show will not
H. NJ. S. CALLIoPE. be bad thing for
this ca sital, for most of the visitors tarry
for days or weeks.
AS to the exhibition I am under the
Impression there has been some mis-
management or rather lack OF manage
ment. The whole staff of the University
of Commerce and the immense number
of special agents appointed for the exhl-
bition devoted themselves to the erec-
ton and organization of this show for
months, or rather for years. Time,
money intelligence, ,zeal-nothlng seemed
to be wanting. Yet. when the opening
day came, lAe exhibition was not ready.
Every paper / ID letter relating to this
gigantic work was beyond doubt written,
sent. received, noted, answered, indorsed
and filed, but the object for which all
this ink and energy had been expended
was not attained. The ceremony of
opening had been worked out with equal
minuteness on paper, and with similar
result. The program broke down at
every point Rnere strain came. IL was
a simple ceremony, but it could not be
carried through. The organizers OF it
allowed for everything but human ma
ture. They dealt with human beings as
if they were SO many machines. The
DLt5luCuUb LID pbelAAB hlo AhAiloSOhSt SiiN
delegates of the senate and other great
bodies Of state were to walk In process
sion through the exhibition or part of it.
The public were to stand and look on.
The public declined to do anything Of the
sort. AS soon as they saw that the
paper program was Of paper only they
tore it to pieces, broke up the procession,
joined it and laughed in the Mortified
faces of the solemn ushers, whose silver
chains were the disregarded symbols of
public order.
That shows one weak side of the adj
ministrative system, as applied to this
single day of organized pageantry. Others
were not loss visible. 1t will be agreed
that an exhibition without exhibitors
would hardly be a greater success than
Theirs republic without Republicans.
But so great was the desire for symmetry
in the official mind that on the opening
day it was not found possible to distin-
guish between the exhibitors and the
general public. The doors of his own eX-
hibition were closed in his face. The
whole red-tape system was summed up
all unconsciously in the answer OF po-
liceman to an innocent exhibitor vainly
seeking admission to look after his own
goods. "On n expose pas aujourd hui.
These gentlemen were not thought en-
titled 10 any courtesy; they came within
no official category. The fact that their
property was left at the mercy of an eX-
cited multitude in no way concerned
the officials responsible for regulating
the details of the ceremony. Up to the
time of opening exhibitors had passes.
Then these passes ceased to be valid. In
the casapf American exhibitors, applica-
ton had been made by the American
commission to the proper authorities, and
it Is supposed that tickets for the open
ing of the exhibition will be sent before
the time comes to close it. Meantime,
the feeling among exhibitors is that they
have been treated with scant courtesy.
They have suffered in their feelings, and
suffered as they think, in their business
interests. 1t is not to be supposed that
the officials of the University of Com
merce or of the exhibition itself meant
them to suffer in either. The fault is not
in the men 1t is in the system they ad-
minister, which does not permit tn EN- to
turn to the right or left; which has no
AexibIlity, no power of adaptation; makes
no allowance for circumstances; expects
circumstances to make allowance for it,