Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-10-05

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Exposition - North Dakota wonders.
Minnesota's Thirty-ffth Anniversary
EA~A. I-ia~s a. Msasos Days.
WORLDS FAIR, Oct. Especial. =
Of all the clubs here none have excited
more enthusiasm than the Old Fiddlers'
club of Indiana, and now that il is gonethe
state building seems a melancholy place.
The clubs so thoroughly Hoosier that it is
a subject of state pride. When the new or
scientific school of music began to crowd
out the old, and all the fiddlers who played
by ear and didn't know one note from an
other,'' especially those who played for
''hoedowns'' dance parties where no num-
beers were arranged and no exact style OBJ
served, began to be spoken of as "low," q
few men resolved that the old tunes should
be preserved. The wild enthusiasm which
greeted their rendition here proved that for
nine-tenths OF the people there is still more
music in the old fiddle tunes than in all
that science can produce.
Popular Old Tunes.
So far as I know, most of the tunes so
popular in my boyhood have never been
put i'm sheet music, and eren the few so ar
ranged are not as the old fiddlers played
them. Among them / recall "Possum Up
a Gum Stump" "Natchez Under the HILL
1.-THE Rye Straw Fishers Hornpipe,"
sally Good'n," 'Forked Deer. . ''Chicken
Pie and a few others Many a time and
oft / nave heard these tuneful airs resound-
ing from the rafters and wooden walls of
the old cabins. If it was at a party" the
rattle of heavy boots and of slightly more
delicate woman's shoes sounded from the
floors ms stalwart men whirled scarcely less
stalwart partners in the dance. If it was
only n family party on a few friends met
together, stiA the feet would go tapping,
tapping in unison with the music, and ev-
cry dancer would thrill with longing to be
on the floor with his best girl"
AS the fun at a regular ''hoedownr grew
fast and furious and the fiddler warmed { o
his work he sometimes threw himself com
pletely away and became mashed on his
own music" He laid back and played; he
leaned forward; he beat time with his foot;
he threw himself into every possible posi-
tionof musicafabandon, never once missing
a note. And as the club played in the In
diana building all the old enthusiasm re-
yived, The hearers laughed, they almost
cried, they beat time with their feet, a few
enthusiastic ones joined in an impromptu
dance, and on all sides were heard such
expressions as "Ah, that brings back the
old times!' ''Ihat's the kind for mer' mo
music like the old fiddle tunes.'' etc. The
club has restored and mastered over 100
old tunes, and those who have made a
study of the subject say that many of these
are as old as music. The plain truth is,
very few of our people really like scientific
music. The old jolly. rollicking tunes are
what stir their blood.
Renewed Activity For the Future.
Indiana, the Odd Fellows and the Irish
did so well that all those arranging for fu-
ture days nave been stirred to increased
activity despite the many cold days of
late. Mexico is having quite an interest
ing series of official and social affairs at this
time. Mexico isnot extensively represented
here either by officials or structures, but
some of her exhibits in the main buildings
are surprising, especially in the Palace of
Arts. She has ID fine pieces of sculpture,
So oil paintings and Is minor pictures, and
has appropriately selected her finest pic
lures on American historical subjects to
send here. There are busts and statues of
her principal presidents and generals, paint
fngs of noted scenes and incidents of the
conquest n settlement of the country, and
some remarkably fine views of old cities.
forts prominent natural objects. Two
pointsI observed with some surprise-there
are only five distinctively~ religious pictures,
while there are many which illustrate DO
litical, clemency and many more giving hou-
orto the Aztecs. Her celebration is almost
entirely of a social character.
On the 9Th Rhode Island will celebrate.
All citizens of the state who are here-and
Commissions Wyman tells me with much
regret that he thinks they will not be
many-will march from the state building
to Music hall escorted by the Newport ar
tillery and q band. There will be an adj
dress of welcome by Governor Brown, an
Grafton by Professor Alonzo Williams,
short addresses by DIR. T.. b. Andrews.
president of Brown university, and some OF
the commissioners, and a card reception at
the state building in the evening. On the
9th the carriage makers will have a display,
and on the eth the Poles will celebrate in a
small way, but 10 programmes are made
out. The 9th Is of course the great day,
Chicago's, and Oh the 10th North Dakota
will undoubtedly make a very fine display.
Very Interesting State.
i regard North Dakota as in manyr re-
spects the most remarkable state in the
Union-not the least SO in politics, for aft
er being almost unanimously Republican
she suddenly distinguished herself last
year by dividing her electoral vote equally
among three candidates. 1t seems but
a little while ago-though it was in 1859
that | stood at the northwest corner of
settled Minnesota and was told / could
&c no farther, as for 1000 miles westward
all was Indian land, and even in 1872 /
went 100 miles west of jamestown without
seeing a cultivated farm. Yet in one
year recently she sold $40, OO0,O 900 worth
Of wheat, being over 500 for every white
person in the state. She now has 4,000,-
600 acres under cultivation, 100. 600 head
of live stock and a wheat crop i'm the
neighborhood of 100000, COO bushels, and
when the foreign commissioners, represent
ing 20 nations, made their recent tour to
the northwest they saw 43 self biuders at
work in one wheatfield near Larimore i'm
Grand Forks county. In winter she cuts
clean ice 4 feet thick and in summer har-
vests two o of hay per acre and other
things in proportion. Verify. my fellow
citizens, we live in a great country.
On her day there will be an address by
Governor T.. c. ID. Shortridge, a spo
by ey-(SOyernor Apirey ~ Rurka and n