The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-10-01
WORLDS FAIR EXHIBITS.
How to Achieve Best Results for the
State.
Things That Should Be Carefully Con
sidered by Those Having Charge
of Our Display.

We are to spend our half million at
Chicago mainly to attract immigration
and advertise our products.
In studying means 10 accomplish these
ends, it is well to draw the distinction
between displays as educational and spec
tacular.
You attend the theater one night and
see an hundred amazons in fanciful garb
rapidly passing through maze of COM
plicated movements. All are beautiful.
Movements are wonderful. Effects of
light and shade fairly take away your
breath, but all pass so rapidly before your
mind that you could not reproduce a
picture of one lady or one scene. The
next night you see portrayed, in simple,
natural way, some noble trait of
humanity, and you 60 home elevated by
deeper enthusiasm for the old flag or
generation for the constancy of the true
friend, whose devotion has stood the test
| OF time and trials.
The tendency of our displays has been
| growing more and more toward the
| spectacular and the prospects are that we
shall make the grandest effort of the age
in that direction at Chicago. Judging by
! effects OF our previous displays it seems
wise for us to consider the condition of
| the Eastern mind with reference to Cali
fornla and to what extent we should
mingle knowledge with show. They are
already sufficiently impressed with at
| fractions OF our climate and wonderful
productions, but are equally impressed
with danger of reproduction, eXorbi-
tant cost Of land and remotenesS from
market.
| On the first point our exhibit should
show the extent of our mineral and agri-
! cultural resources, and especially our
fruit crop, its probable increase and the
| consumers we are in position to reach.
Each consumers annual share of our
present output should be shown on one
| shelf and each ones share of our probable
| output on another.
| The exhibit should also show on what
basis we can meet the competition of
Italy, France and Spain on olives,
| pruneS and ralSlnS, and how little we
must be satisfied with, as the product of
an acre, when forced to undersell them
| IN consuming markets of Europe.
! The exhibit should show clearly the
prospects of European shipments of fresh
! fruit as atfording an outlet for our mar
kets. There should be evidence of its
condition on arrival, and after having
| been exposed in market, with an illustra-
ton showing numbers and purchasing
| power Of consumers. There should be
| object lessons to show how our best dried
| fruit compares with the ordinary, and
| how best styles of cooking compare with
! the customary.
| People should have chance to taste, if
they were enough interested to inquire.
The exhibit should show how econom-
| ical its use may become on basis of
legitimate profit on production, trans
pOrtation and distribution.
Let Modoc and Lassen County officials
| send us a list of Government lands open
for location in their county, and cost of
| irrigation, with average product when
| improved. Let them include some i'm
! proved. farms, and among them the 4SG-
acre wheat farm, with good buildings
and fences that the owner wants to sell for
| So an acre.
Let Amador County people tell of some
of their improved l60-acre farms that can
! be had all the way from 81 200 to S., 900
| each. Let there be enough other PROPOSE
tions made public to show that the real
condition of affairs in California is that
we lack people: sellers of land are COM
! petlng for buyers; and that land is
cheaper than elsewhere measured by the
true standard) net income.
| Cost, rather than distance, of trans
portation, is the element that counts. and
exhibit should show how many dollars
per ton, rather than how many miles we
are from market. The share Of the crop
taken for transportation would surprise
some of those who look upon US as the
ancients did upon the Ultima Thule It
| would be well to show probable effect of
| Nicaragua Canal upon our industries
and prospective values. 1t would be of
no use to attempt to spread this informa-
| ton by indiscriminate distribution of
circulars or pamphlets. Chicago will be
! showed under with them and each Wis
! itor will need to charter car if he carries
home everything that is offered him.
Still the information should be at hand
in suitable form and handed to such as
show an interest by attendants thor
oughly qualified to supply exactly the
| information sought regarding California
! conditions.
Another point. A minister writes from
Massachusetts seeking a call to California
on account of his wife's health, but
doubling if his children can be educated
here. We have call for him where it
Will be as easy to increase his flock
twenty-five per cent. annually as it has
been to keep the old one from falling off
| more than ten per cent, and in two years
he will be writing back to his old friends
in Massachusetts, that we have as good
| universities as Yale and Harvard, and
| that our common schools are better, be-
cause we take more interest in them.
Each of us has circle of friends there
/ who can influence other friends, and
| everyone who meets any of them at Chi
! cago wants to take them around to the
California building and show them in
what special way they can be located bet
! ter than they are at home. Chances are
very small in handing a circular, I'M
solicited, to stranger, but very good
when you state actual facts to friend,
especially if he is a thrifty farmer who
considers it prosperity when he is able to
| accumulate above expenses $500 per year
| for his labor and investment.
To arrange the exhibit so as to make it
| instructive in these directions would add
! little to its cost, and the effectiveness of
this feature will largely determine
whether our half million goes to stay or
comes back to us an hundredfold.
z . ~