Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-07
CONCERNING THE STATE FAIR,

season suggests the thought that every
citizen can do something towards the sue
cess of the States annual exposition.
The Fair is State institution, and where
ever it might be located there would be,
and should be, lively local interest in
its promotion. This is expected, and SO
much SO that if there is lack of local in
terest it is cause, and justly so, for re-
proach. The Fair is, to certain extent,
repetitive; that is, its general features
are from year to year much the same, and
this is to be expected. There cannot be
constant novelty in such expositions of
industry and production. But there is
newness of the profoundest interest in the
comparison of the Fairs and in the OBJ
servation of the advances of the State, as
exemplifed by the exhibits of production,
invention and discovery. There is also
positive interest taken in observing the
spirit of the commercial class toward the
Fair. Our rival cities look sharply for
the demonstrations made by the business
men of Sacramento at these expositions,
and by the concern of the Sacramento
merchant in them largely judges whether
he is stimulated by the spirit of the age
or is content to move in old-time grooves
We are assured by judgments that have
weight, that the manifestations of interest
In the State Fairs by the merchant class
enters in no small degree into the esti-
mate whether the city is actuated by
progressive spirit, and is alive to the
necessity of making the States annual ex-
hibitions matters of pride and local con-
Germ. We have lately been made aware
that there is great deal more of scrutiny
and criticism of this order than is gener-
ally supposed; and that it is not so much
the question of the number who exhibit
or concern themselves in the success and
the attractions of the Fair, as it is in the
manner of the manifestation, the charac-
ter OF the displays that are made. The
commercial exhibitor had better not at
tempt display than to make one that
will not command respect inspire adj
miration, and excite even the commenda-
ton of his rival in other cities.
The agricultural, horticultural, the
viticultural and the stock growing interests
must always remain the overshadowing
objects of attention in the State Fairs. To-
wards the enlargement and betterment of
the exhibitions in these classes, every citi-
zen locally related to the Fair can contrib
ute, and should feel it his privilege to do
so, by communicating with the people of
the State generally upon the subject for
interest in such matters is responsive to in
terest shown. The capital city is the local
ity fifty chosen by the State for her annual
expositions, and manifestations of concern
on our part that such expositions shall be
made valuable to the State are always re-
ceived with satisfaction by the people
only the few, and these the shortsighted
and unrepresentative, construe such mani
festations to be meanly selfish. The mass
of the people, we repeat, are gratifed when
the citizens of the capital city are notably
active in promoting the concerns of the
State Agricultural Society, and are cores
pondingly displeased and repulsed when
our people are inactive and manifest but
Indifferent concern in the matter. The
more the people OF this city do, therefore,
stirring up interest in the Fair abroad,
the better pleased will be the people of
the State.
All Fairs now have some element of
amusement in their programmes of daily
exercises. The public taste demands it.
and properly SO. The people leave their
homes and come to the State Fair not only
to exchange views upon questions of State
growth and soil production, and to witness
contests Of speed aud endurance. and OBJ
serve the advance made 10 production and
in stock-breeding, but they wish to make
their visit holiday occasion. They NAV
reasonably expect, therefore, to have some
appeal made to the fancy and the imagina-
ton, and some address TO their love of the
beautiful, their sense of humor and the
taste for harmony. There should, there
fore, be made a strong endeavor to add
amusement features to the Fairs. Every
year there should be deci led adj
vancement and Improvement in this
direction. Indeed, there has been pro-
gression of that order steadily for the past
three years, but it has not engaged the at
tention of the local community 50 much
as it should have done There is one other
duty devolving upon any citizen of a town
where State institution is located, to
which the people of all the State are in
vited, and that is provision for their en-
tertainment at reasonable cost. A great
deal of unjust reproach has been visited
upon this city concerning charges on occa-
sions OF great gatherings. precisely as we
know that there has been injustice visited