Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-30
A DISTRICT ORPHAN.
He Has No Home at the Great
Worlds Fair,
BIS FEELING OF COMPLETE LONELINESS
A Little Tailor Who is Making Big
Money Now.
MIDWAY PLAISANCE FAKES
Stan Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

CHICAGO, Sept. %. 1893
More that fifteen millions of people have
visited the worlds Columbian exposition
and the great majority Of that vast null.
titude found somewhere within the great
renee a building or place that was nearly
related to their homes. The states and ter
ritories are thoroughly represented and
there is no lack of shelter that belongs
specifically to very many foreign nations
Great Britain and her colonies, France
Denmark. Germany. Spain. Sweden, vene-
1ueia, Russia, Norway, Japan, Guatemala
Hayti, Costa RIGA, Austria, Brazil, China
Java and many other countries erected
more or less expensive structures, in which
the people of those nationalities should re-
spectiveiy have an opportunity to feel
at home. Barbarians from the far
away isles enjoyed sanctuary privileges
ana representatives of the most dis
tant subdivisions of the human family
were sheltered beneath roofs uplifted for
that very purpose. But there was no place
where the national orphan could Law his
mead. When the orphan is at home he (or
she. as the case may be- resides within the
limits of that constitutional reserva alton
known as the District Of Columbia, and SO
long as the orphan remains at home there
rs very little about which to grumble, for,
all things considered, 1t would be difficult
to md more desirable place of habita-
ton than the little patch Of territory over
Whch congress exercises exclusive juris-
dlct1on. But when the orphan visits Chi
cago and sees how the good folks from
every other section enjoy themselves in
their club houses in the fair grounds he
really feels as though he had grievance
the two states most closely associated
with the District of Columbia are Mary
land and Virginia. and in their buildings
the orphan might have looked for SYM
patty. but without finding it. for a strenu-
Gus effort Is made to keep the Virginia reg
lister purely Eirginian, while over the big
autograph album In the Maryland building
Is the easily visible warning for Mary
landers only" Except by false pretenses,
therefore, 1t is impossible for the orphan
TO even inscribe his name on record books
that are open to all the world besides. New
Workers and Pennsylvanians and Iowans
ana hanSanS Saunter around to their state
buildings as lunch time makes it's appear
ance and sit on the porches and the steps
and up and down the stairways and In the
rooms and eat sandwiches and pie and
great thick chunks of layer cake and red
apples and mellow peaches until the gath
ering seems like unto nothing else than a
big family picnic. The people from Menom-
inee meet their cousins from Oshkosh
whom they haven't seen for fourteen years.
ana rejoice exceedingly; the Saugatuck
folk shake hands with them people from
Paw Paw" and renew the acquaintance of
youth; white headed men who half a CEN
fury ago left their homes in search of fame
anu WISH the structure sacred to
the state in which they were born and
there times without number. find other
white headed men, companions of their
boyhood. who had been faithful to the old
homestead and oftentimes prosperous as
the wanderers. But the orphan moves
around in dignifed and uncomfortable soli-
tude, happy II he finds a vacant seat on a
hard bench when he Is tired. and feeling
when in the presence of some of the joyful
reunions. very much like the proverbial
poor boy at a froiic The absence of Dis
trict Of Columbia building is the subject of
frequent comment. but as the Districts
helplessness seems to be understood by
many of the commentators Congress is the
only authority that comes in for mild de-
nunciation. What sad thing it Is to be
an orphani
The Ffends That Scrnwl
All things considered. there are COMPARE
lively few Objectionable people at the fair,
but every member Of that class must have
been pe-niciously active or they could not
possibly have done so much damage in such
short space OF time Just why large
proportion OF presumably intelligent race
Is afflicted with the desire to scribble their
respective names and post office addresses
all over every available scrap of white sur
race Is one OF the things not easily under
stood, but every one of the fair buildings
daily presents evidence of the existence of
the craze Especially does this seem to be
true of Nirginia's building-a reproduction
vernon.
Those most deeply interested in that build
ing, assisted by active Columbian guards,
have been doing their utmost to save the
walls and doors from photographic profana-
that scrawl have succeeded in doing a great
deal of damage.
How II This, Kentucky.
1t will not be disputed that Kentucky is
a great state. and 1t will be admitted by
everyone who has seen Kentucky's contrf-
button to the exhibits that 1t has at least
done its share, but that gratifying fact can
not hide the other fact, which is not graft
Tying, that the states agents in charge of
the state mining exhibit have been and still
are conducting swindle. One of the al
legged attractions in connection with that
mining exhibit Is a SO called reproduction of
the Mammoth Cave, and of all the bare
faced frauds that have ever been imposed
upon the public this particular fraud is
about the worst. A woman who sits a a
desk in one corner of kentucky's subdivi-
sion of the mining building calls attention
to the show, and sells tickets at the rate of
ten cents each to every one who will buy
them. A gawky Kentuckian-selected for
this duty probably because he Is totally de-
void of all sense of shame-conducts the
victimized through trap door in the floor
down a short flight Of steps and through
narrow passage way that leads very speed
lily, but not too soon, back to the starting
point. There is no attempt made to give
the great cavern. In one Of the angles
solitary stalactite and a few imitation stall
agmites try to look as though they were
not wholly out Of place. but without sue
cess. The trip through this fraudulent
cave is made in about thirty seconds and
has not a single redeemng feature. 1t is
an earthly tunnel about three feet wide, and
beyond the imported stalactite and stalag-
mites is nothing more than an ordinary
hole in the ground. But the management
continues to rope in visitors and to be
responsible for the least excusable piece OF
thieyery perpetrated throughout the length
and breadth of the fair
"Tailoring While You Wait"
Many novel forms of industry have been
called into existence in the immediate vi
cinity of the fair grounds, but the one that
struck me as being more Interesting than
any other is being conducted by shrewd
Maine Yankee who migrated to Nebraska
some ten or twelve years ago and who has
already made enough money out or his lat
est venture TO pay off a burdensome mort
gage upon one of the prettiest farms IN
the Elkhorn valley. Tailoring while you
watt is the sign in his window, and over
his doorway and through that doorway
going in and coming QUITS a continuous
procession of men whose clothing either
needs attention or has been attended TO.
Awkward and disturbing slumps caused by
missing button are speedily removed:
ripped seams, torn elbows, split knees. and
otherwise damaged portions of garments
are repaired with the utmost rapidity. But
little of the work done could be character
lied as superfine, but 1t is strong and sat