The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-09-12

Loose in the Womsn's Building-The
First Gold Nugget.
WORLDS FAIR, Sept. 8. -ESpeciaL] =
The blow has fallen. The fat of fate has
descended upon yours truly Wilkins
Micawber." Il is expedient that inform
you that the Midway plaisance is now
thoroughly reformed and the undersigned
is crushed. OF course I cannot specify
any particular pleasure that is gone, for
never have been able to see why any prop.
erly constituted and organically normal
man could take pleasure in seeing a lot of
fat Amazons wiggling over little plat
form IN alleged concord with some alleged
music, about as melodious as hog with
his nose fast under a gate, but not half so
expressive. Nevertheless, it is the fashion
to assume that this was the glory of the
plaisance, and as it is abolished please
think of the undersigned as crushed.
Nevertheless when I entered the plais-
ance at the west end this morning it
seemed as interesting as ever, and for the
life Of me cannot see what is lost. There
is still the california ostrich farm" and
a rare curiosity it is, of which more anon.
There is the Vienna cafe, and theater at
tached, which Germans of taste and cul-
ture tell me is really fair copy of good
ones in Vienna. There are also the Turk
isa, Moorish, Algerian, East Indian and
other bazaars, and they are well worth
looking at even if you don't buy. The
charming Oriental maids in charge
speak English fuently, or what passes for
such in Chicago, and other 1naidens there
are fluent in the local dialect of Halsted
street. All the regular thcaters, the Irish,
German and other villages, the special
race exhibits and the big injun powwows
are still open. So what is lost by the sup
preston of the danse du ventre and of the
exposition de la Logger
1t is just as well, perhaps, to give at
this point summary of the attractions of
the plaisance, for though they have often
been advertised final statement may in
terest It is first of all a place of rest
when one is weary of seeing wonderful
and thought-inspiring things. Itrequires
no exercise of brain power to be amused
on the plaisance; the street in Cairo. the
Javanese village and theater, the Daho-
mey dances, the childish antics of the
Polynesians and the solemn fooling of tho
Chinese can all be enjoyed without
thought. In fact, often go down there
the last thing at night to tranauilize nv
mind before going to bed. Of the things
which do really require some thought,
YET not enough TO weary one, l may men
ton the Irish village and Blarney castle,
the Swiss scenes and songs, the log cabin
of 1776 and the display Of the United
States Submarine Diving company. The
dances and village life of the Fijians and
Samoans serve for amusement or as food
for thought just as the spectator is in
clined, and SO do the gambols of the Be
douin Arabs. Lastly the Ferris wheel
takes one 260 feet high for SO cents, and it's
worth it to one whose heart is in the right
place and will stay there. O, there is still
very much to see on the plaisance, though
the fat female wigglers are gone.
have become very much interested in
the ostriches since / learned that the fe-
males do the counting and the males care
for the young. The former are of dull
gray color and rather coarse in plumage,
while the males, as the rule is among
birds, are much handsomer as we'll as
darker in color. Every ostrich in a do
mesticated herd has a name as the cattle
on small farm have, and the twenty
eight here are called "Blaine," Grant"
Gail Hamilton" Susan B. Anthony"
etc. Grover Cleveland" is a magnificent
bird, said to weigh 300 pounds, though he
does not look the half of it to me. The
keepers add that he yields $50 worth of
feathers at each plucking and is worth
$500, presumably in gold. 1t sounds odd
to American ears to have white men
speaking the English language call them
selves Africanders, but that is term the
white natives Of south Africa, especially
of the ostrich belt, have invented to dis
tlnguish themselves from black Africans.
The birds are said to be very hard kick
ers, breaking a mans leg occasionally
when excited. They haven't kicked any-
body here yet, but think they will when
they find out what their victua!s cost
They do swallow oyster shells and gravel
as alleged, but it is only to aid their diges
ton as other birds do. If they STAY here
long they will probably take to cobble
stones. When the female is four wears
old she leaves her own flock, goes to an
other and selects a mate and this union
continues till death doth them part. No
divorces are allowed, but in case of death
either party can mate again. In this con-
nection it may be well to state that the
average weight of an ostrich brain is but
one ounce. The eggs contain more meat
each than two dozen hen eggs, and one is
reckoned meal for seven men. In
Africa, l mean. In Chicago at present
one egg would lie restaurant service for
seventeen men anyhow and in the fair
grounds for twenty-seven.
So
From the grown up children of the plais.
ance to the real children of the creche and
is but a few steps in space.
but the circuit of world in other respects.
The Fitch Creche, of Buffalo, y. Y, hay
ing shown what it could do, has given
place to the model day nurseries exhibited
by New York city ladies, Mrs. A. N.
Dodge in chief charge A few ladies are
TO pass through, but the rest Of
Us can only look through glass at the ba-
bles They have had as many as ninety
babies day there, and either they are
frightened hy the unusual surroundings.
or don't look well under glass. or am
very poor hand to appreciate babies, Or
something else is the matter and l am not
sure which. A good many look red and
worried and good many more look
Inc managers saythat in reg
ular day nursery they would have nearly
the same children every day ard the chill
dren would be used TO the place. but here
each baby Is IL but for day or two and |
the novelty is worrying.
the horticultural building, free 10 the |
pa bic and classes are there instructed il, |
physical culture. There are also lessons |
given for tho sr-s.a laG t-i+rJ..- r-o,--.. -