Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-13
BOOMING THE FAIR.
A Systematic Scheme for Exciting
Public Interest.
THE BUREAU OF PROMOTION.
Moses p. Handy and the Organization Over
which He Presides in Chicago-A Small
Army of Pamphleteers and Newspaper Men
ss work-supplying Ready Msds Articles.
staa Correspondence Of the Evening Star.


swork-supplying Ready Mads Articles
staa Correspondents of the Evening Star.
CHICAGO, ILL, June 8, 1891.
lust NOW THE WORLDS FAIR PRO-
- iect il composed very largely Of commit
tees. Each of these committees il identified
with one or more subdivisions known as depart
menss Not unreasonably the several gentle
men who have charge Of these subdivisions
imagine their own departments to be Of more
importance than the department which Is
presided over by any one else. As component
parts Of what 10 now great and smoothly
working machine these subdivisions are inter
dependent and slsckness in any one Of them
must necessarily be felt throughout the entire
structure Admitting, then, that each
Of the men Of responsibility and promi-
nencs connected with the Columbian ex-
position il necessary to the success which
every one hopes will attend the great indus
trial celebration. want to write little about
the one department which at this time il
plainly Of greater value than any other-the
department Of publicity and promotion.
When Maj. Moses p. Handy was appointed
promoter general Q good many people who
knew nothing about the office and good many
others who did not care to know anything won
dered where the necessity existed for the crea-
ton Of such title and were Of opinion, some
times audibly expressed, that the major had
struck what 10 commonly called q snap.
Many people in Washington are on terms OF
greater or less intimacy with Maj. Handy.
His reputation as an after-breakfast orator
knows no geographical boundaries. Every
one who knows him believes in him, and even
the winds that bluster and roar around ordi-
nary mortals have been and are tenderly re-
spectful to the majors irreproachsble whisk-
ers
MAJOR HANDY AT WORK.
Ihave seen Major Handy at work. He said
business was Q little slow that day, but the
slsckness was not apparent even to the closest
observer. For half an hour the major talked
most interestingly of the labors Of himself and
his colleagues, then he let me see for myself.
what had been done and what was being &C.
complished.
The department OF publicity and promotion
10 . novelty. OF course there have been, in
connection with all exhibitions, such things as
press bureaus and press agencies, charged
with the duty Of booming county and state fairs,
national and international expositions. This
department.. though, has a wider scope than
any of its diminutive predecessors Promotion
through the press is not all, and yet great
affair could be promoted without newspaper
aid the press work calls for and receives the
larger share Of the departments endeavor.
When Maj. Handy assumed charge things
were IN . very DeOulOus COuultlOQ. Livery
body had an idea that his department ought to
do q great deal, but nobody seemed to know
Just what was wanted. A preliminary organi-
cation was arranged by dividing the work into
two parts: Publicity through the press and pro-
motion by the use Of every possible means,
these means including informal arguments be-
fore Legislative bodies and plain, practical talk
administered in interesting lectures Stereop-
ticon exhibitions have also been called in to
lend assistance The result has been most sur
priaing.
-Four months ago the department Of publicity
and promotion existed only in name, today it
is the great moving force which will eliminate
In the greatest exposition the world
TO the fair has been stimulated at
home and abroad; sympathy and interest in
the enterprise have been awakened and much
has been done to correct misleading reports
and foolish misconceptions and to allay malig-
nant opposition A great many Of those who
were disappointed when Chicago was selected
the site for the worlds fair sneered at the en-
terprise, and a few alleged humorists tickled
their shA'.ow mentality by referring to the Co
lumbar exposition 1.-THE Cook County Fair"
The public mind has been thoroughly disabused
Of any idea that the exposition would be
purely local affair. Then there was trouble
abroad; there the Mckinley bill was a great
bugaboo, and it was generally believed in this
country and abroad that the foreign manufac-
turer would stand aloof.
At this time the department found in the
American press virulent skepticism, and in for
eign newspapers a total ignorance both as to
what was being done and what was proposed.
There was an entire lack Of live interest any
where.
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE BUREAU.
Now as to the organization of this depart
ment, 30 that you mcy have some idea Of the
magnitude Of its work. On the apex il Maj.
Handy, and next to him stands Mr. R. E.
A. Dorr, his chief assistant. Both of
these gentlemen have temporarily forsaken the
journalistic field in order that their time might
be devoted to the great undertaking. Mr..
Dorr has an enviable reputation in his profess
sion and is well known in Baltimore Philadel-
phia and Nav YocE. Under him are numerous
sub-departme1:s or bureaus.
One OF tn PICTURES Of the department is the
editorial room. where there are several special
writers-good au-around newspaper men-men
who have the powers Of observation and
presentation. Every mail brings requests for
special articles about the progress and prospects
OF the fair, the requests coming from all parts
Of the world These men in the editorial room
write what is required, and that means q good
deal For instance, guide to the city of Chi
cago has Just been prepared, and in that is in
corporsted about fifteen pages of exposition
Information. whoever wants worlds fair news
for publication can get an almost unlimited
supply: ., ,,..-,.,,,..,o- -
race, sex or previous condition Of servitude
OlacEb luz Articles are quite IRE
quent- Newspapers in Germany have been
most eager for these, and the force has been
kept more than ordinarily busy gratifying the
requests Of the fatherland. One news
paper in India also called for an
Illustrated article and got ii, while several
Others published in PARKWAY lands are doubt
less awaiting with some eagerness the arrival Of
similar chapters sent them from the editorial
room in response to their plea. The Chicago
press, OF course, has an advantage over outside
newspapers.
A member Of Maj Handy's stat makes
daily tour through all the departments Of the
exposition and gathefJ nevs He has access to
the correspondence, talks freely to the chiefs
and officers Of tia departments, makes notes OF
everything he consid . Of interest, writes his
copy and turns 1t in TO be edited. In the ed
torial room there Is q hook for every newspa-
per IN the ci.y and others for the Associated
and United Press The newspapers are pro-
vidsd with good fresh news and at the same
time the exposition is served.
Then there Ii Q big force which deyotes its
time to the preparation Of pamphlets, in which
v great var ETY. Of information as to the fair.
Over l00. 600 copies Of these pamphlets. printed
In English, have been scattered where thew will
do the most good and nearly as many more
printed in several foreign languages are now
In active circulation. This work of news
gathering, to which reference has been made
10 o polyglot sort Of an affair All the m atter