The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-08-25
An APPALLING PROBLEM.
A Mother Wants to Show Her Triplets
at the Fair.
Secretary Smith Hesitates About En-
couraging Over-Production by
Offering Prizes.

The duties of public officials are be-
coming more and more arduous and
comprehensive, and the dignities of
office more and more burdensome. After
while it will be difficult to find men
with shoulders broad enough to stand up
under the responsibilities heaped upon
them, and government in which every
body is presumed to have something to
say will be found impracticable.
Edwin +. Smith, Secretary of the State
Agricultural Society, is equal to most
emergencies, and he has never faltered,
but occasionally something crops up un-
expectedly that overwhelms him with
the responsibility of his Office. Yester-
day, IN an unguarded moment he opened
the following letter:
ALAMEDA, Aug. %, 1892.
Edu1tn f. Smith, Secretary State A9ricuLt-
urdt Society, Sacramento, Cdi.-DEAR SIR:
Is would Ike place Tor my 1l-months-old
triplet daughters. Please answer at your
earliest convenience. Respectfully, ETC.,
MRS. ROBERT Shells.
After the first and immediate effects of
the epistle had passed away, Mr.. Smith
recovered his accustomed fortitude and
seized his pen to dash off tiattering and
favorable reply to Mrs. Shiels. Before he
could frame his letter to the lady, how
ever, and contrary TO his usual custom,
perhaps, he tried to think. Then his
enterprise of great pith and moment
was sicklied DER with the pale cast of
thought" and almost lost the name of
action.
1t suddenly dawned upon him that to
concede the lady's application would be
to depart from all recorded or established
precedent, and one proposition after an
| other arose in appalling aspect before his
minds eye.
Was the State Fair to be utilized as a
baby show and assume all the response
bllties of such an enterprise?
II one product of this nature was adj
| mitted. what was to prohibit a general
uprising throughout the State?
Although everybody might not apply
for space for the exhibition Of triplets,
yet there was haze of uncertainty oyer
the enterprise, through which the ultimate
end and final effect of such departure
could not be traced.
Then it occurred to the Secretary that
he is wise man who knows the worst,
and he remembered that if there were
three OF kind eXtant, someone else
might have tours, a full hand, a sequent
flush, or some other combination that
| might prove invincible and be too much
for even the Board of Directors of the
State Agricultural Society.
The plot began to thicken, when he
considered that his authority in such
| matters was limited-the board had
| adopted rule relative to the distribution
of space.
Under this rule the products of each
| locality are limited to a prescribed area,
and monopolization of space by indi-
vidual exhibits is prohibited.
Then, another startling shadow bobbed
up, like Banquo's ghost, on the vista of
the Secretary's speculations, as he
thought of the responsibility attached to
putting premium on such productions
as triplets. Where would such a scheme
end?
Certain phases of human endeavor and
contention are bad enough under ordi-
nary circumstances, and if the State
should venture to commend and reward
those who are seemingly most successful
those who are favored by natural en-
dowments, or those favored, perhaps, by
climatic conditions not enjoyed by ordi-
nary mortals would not such action be
partial, and perhaps unconstitutional
Trlplets, the Secretary was positive
only meant three; but three, are two more
than the regular endowment allotted to
most folks, and the distribution of pro-
ducts, the Board of Directors had decided,
should be impartially arranged at the
State exhibition, regardless of such I'M
usual emergencies as the one under con-
Sideratiou.
At a late hour yesterday Mrs. Shiels'
letter had not been answered. Over
whelmed with the possibilities with
which he is confronted in the images con-
jured up, Mr.. Smith believes that triplets
should be recognized, and under our
equal sky, have a show. He believes
they should have an allotment of space at
the State Fair, and yet-ah, there's the
rub-''oh, what will the harvest be? 20
He was somewhat relieved at a later
hour by the suggestion Of newspaper
reporter, who fell by accident into the
middle of the Secretary's trouble, that the
triplets could be TUNED over to the his
torial section. 1t was a brilliant idea,
and may be adopted. If triplets are not
historic, what are they?