Middletown transcript., 1893-06-10
THE woRLD's FAIR OPENED ON
SUNDAY.
VISITORS co IN AND OUT
But the whirlwind of Fire, Predicted
by Boston Dfvines. Did Not Sweep
over the Grounds, Nor Did the
Anticipated Big Crowds Mater
ialize.
W. D. Borcr's CONSCIOUSNESS BgEnag, assg

gelistic extremists, did not materiallze
The fair has been opened Sunday and
although the day was perfect scarcely
third of the number expected by the
officials to visit the grounds appeared.
And there you are.
The Almighty did not show his dis
pleasure and on the other hand His family,
or that portion of it in Chicago, did not to
any extent show that they wanted to see
the fair on His day.
The readers of this paper are left to
draw their own inferences.
Decoration day at the Worlds Fair was
sumner; 10000 people paid to see the
big show. With .deadheads," of whom.
by the way. there are an immense army,
there must have been toward 90, 900 people
inside the gates of Jackson Park. And yet
there was room. A million people would
not be particularly crowded. People who
have not visited the lair can have no con-
eeption of the magnificent distances, the
grand roominess of everything. 1t must be
seen and even then complete comprehension
is impossible
Talking of interesting exhibits, the visi-
tor to Chicago, and especially the Yankee,
should not fail to see the French nations
display of histo rical relics and curios of the
revolutionary war, handed down to the
heirs of Lafayette There are chairs, desks.
and bureaus from Lafayett's library; cask
cts containing rings enclosing locks of hair
from the heads of George and Martha
Washington; the sword of honor presented
to Lafayette by congress in 1779; series of
historical paintings including the reunion
OF the French and American generals after
surrender at Yorktqan; busts OF Washing
ton and Lafayette; piece of tapestry
worked by Martha Washington at the age
of TO- pair of pistols worn by Washing
ton and bequeathed by him to his French
colleague; Washington's umbrella; plans
of battlefelds. tapestries, pictures, auto |
graph letters and many other things equally |
interesting. The general public is not ad-
mitted but on application. Commissioner
Krantz will issue cards by which admission |
may be obtained. Make an extra effort to
view this collection, if necessary for it is
worth it.
Speaking of the Columbian guard brings
up the question. what are they for, any
how? A good part of them do little but
draw sslary, against the sizo of which they
are continually kicking. The remainder
stand around and look pretty, varying the
monotony occasionally by arresting persons
who have had the audacity to be robbed or
who have allowed themselves to be amused
by the antics of the tin soldier brigade.
There's a screw loose somewhere. Judging
by the size of the police force which keeps
order in Chicago 800 Columbian police
would be plenty. Instead there are nearly
$500 and the question again arises what
are they for?
This query is not hard to anawer. Every
functionary connected with the exposition
has several to run his errands: every
restaurant has row at its front entrance
for the Lord knows what; several scores
proclaim in thunder tones that this is the
right way to the electric launches, where
can ride few rods fer 10 cents-amd so it
goes. Guards should be stationed behind
each guest at the restaurants to see that he
does not eat pie with his knife, other
should be placed at the peristyle to keep
the waves from Lake Michigan from run
ming into the lagoon corps should be
detailed to keep the flies off the statue of
the Republic and the farce would be COM
plete.
1t is not at all strange that the fisheries
building is most popular among visitors to
the exposition. The salt water aquariums
of course attract the greater share of atten-
ton; especially among inlanders. The dis
play is fine and has recently been improved
in several ways. Two sand sharks are
viewed with great curiosity and the three
foot catfish draw forth exclamations of
wonder from people who have been accus-
toned to catching nothing larger than three
inch bull-heads Curious people go into
ecstas:es of wonder over the crabs, sea
horses, sea plants that are half animal and
the like and crowd before the glass cases in
such numbers that the Columbian guards
stationed in the fisheries building sweat in
their tight fitting, pretty tin soldier uniforms
until they are ready to drop.
There is one thing at least that calls for
commendation this week. That is the
music, or rather. the outdoor portion of it.
1t is not denied that Thomas concert plays
harmoniously, in tune and all that, but
average visitor doesn't appreciate it, He
tweedls and turns and chrematic runs and
he makes a break out of musid hall straight
for the administration place, pays 10 cents
for chair if no bench is empty, and sits
down and drinks his fill of the melody roll
ing out from the pagoda which holds
Sousa's band. And such band! 1t is
simply magnificent and people who have
the least liking for music concede that its
concerts are worth the price of admission
to the whole show. There are other bands
of course, but sousa's is incompatible,
And best of all, it's American.
The doctors have been in congress at the
art institute the past week and pills and
physics have been thoroughly discussed.
council of this sort is just as good, per
haps, as that which assemblies about the
bedside of some unfortunate-and it's a
mighty sight cheaper.
The row in regard to management of the
fair is again TO the fore. The plain truth of
the matter is that there are too many
boosses. Exhibitors get no satisfaction
from protests. concessionaires are as far in
the woods as ever and there is a beautiful
warngle all around. The criticisms of the
newspapers have awakened some of the