San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-09-23
THE MIDWAY PLAIsANCE.
What is Seen in the Variety Show"
of the Worlds Fair.
CHICAGO, Sept. Il, 1893

the Midway Plaisance or the "Mid-
way" as our rushing abbreviated
American calls it, tits well to short
en- the name as that is about all
that can be lessened here for don't
venture within it's walls without
time, money and goodwill. The
confusion of the famous Tower of
Babel once more reigns but amidst
far different surroundings but, old
Lake Michigan lashes its shores in
the same grandeur as of yOre and
will roll its pillows when this
generation of man and all it's
works have departed. Man has
done much-civilized man will
here have the opportunity to study
his evolution from savagery, but if
he feels his immensely and if his
heart swells with pride as he looks
backward at the beautiful white
walls of the Fair thinking "of all
that my time dopth so WELL"
let him not be over weighted
with pride, for history can carry
him back to great buildings and
greater scenes and yet the glory of
Rome and Greece has departed, but
if he will let his mind travel
farther back he will find a time
when there was rest on the Sab
bath day because great work had
been accomplished, and these land
marks still stand. You will feel
superior to the EsquimauX or the
polished "EbOnics" of darkest
Africa. Yet Lake Michigan a few
rods off would carry you both to
eternity with the grains of sand
along its shores. How strange
that eternity will be-how the rel
ative positions of mankind will be
shifted. 'Tis we'll the summons
and the judgment comes from
above or beyond our view. We
will realize how the balance of the
world lives, the "all sorts and con-
ditions of men" 1t is a great OBJ
iect lesson to carry away from this
midway to that midway we travel
our station in life, where
we ought to do much to avoid
another confusion of tongues. \
confusion Of spite, envy or mere
idleness that causes hearts to ache
along Life's plaisance. Food for
reflection, but now it is lost in this
wild din Of savage instruments
the drum, the bones, the whistle
and many unnameable inStrU-
ments vie with each other to at
tract the crowd while the criers
clap their hands. "This way ladies
and gentlemen, see the dancing of
the East this way, fine, much
fine" calls Turkish George from
the balcony of the Turkish thea
tire. He looks so jolly and so
pleased over his limited English.
We go up a fight of narrow stairs
and enter small oriental looking
room. The small stage has no cur
tains and the actors and actresses
are waiting for the crewd. Turkish
George pokes his head in the door
way with the announcements:
"Blay be in five minutes" We
study the oriental costumes while
we wait. These of the women are
bright and of fine soft material,
the style has become familiar in
these days of picture making and
you will remember the abundance
of cheap bangles for neck, arms
and waist. They begin wild,weird
song, and after this comes the
dancing you have read so much
about. Its not pretty nor graceful,
it can best be compared to the rig
giles and contOrtions of a snake, it
makes you feel creepy and yet it
fascinates, for you wonder what
they will do next, it is really a
dance of muscles" and as a del
sarte lesson showing how supple
the human body can be made by
time and patience, it is really won
derful. For twenty minutes they
whirl and jerk the body into many
incOnCeivable positions, but using
the feet scarcely at all. 1t is warm
and hard work. No wonder our
eastern cousins don't do their own
dancing. Poor slaves of dancers,
yet that black-eyed girl whirls her
tambOrine as if her whole heart
We're init may be, but we pass
out with heart full of sympathy.
The Algerian theatre shows the
same style of singing and dancing
with a larger theatre, more players
and more music. The Java village
looks like a quiet, cool retreat,
so we rest under it's beautifully
braided huts and watch its native |
women decorating a piece of mat
ting with paint and poker. Every
thing is light and clean and quite