Smyrna times., 1893-09-06
For the Smyrna Times
The Coming Dover Fair.

i 1u6 OOn1uS OOfOA 4 oAA'
As a taking supplement to the vari-
GUS attractions of bicycle races, feats of
female hOrsemanship and horse races,
which are to mark the approaching
State Fair at Dover, is an offer by GER
tain gentlemen to the ladies of the
public schools of the State. Chas. e.
Hires, of root beer notoriety, offers the
lady teacher of the State receiving the
most votes an all-expenses ticket to
the Worlds Fair and return; while,
through their local agent, the New
York Mutual Life Insurance Company
offers the successful competitor an ac-
cident policy on her life for $4,000 and
an additional policy of 81 900 to cover
the expenses of the return and decent
interment of her body in the dust of
her native State, in the event of an ac-
cident which may result in her death.
Only two acquisitions must be com
piled with the voters must be twelve
years old and over and the voting
must be inside the Fair grounds. No
vote will be counted until an entrance
fee has been paid to the grounds.
Now to the casual observer, all this
looks like generous and sincere trib-
ute to indiferently-appreoiated worth,
and only a lack of dEe appreciation
will prevent generous response on
the part of the teachers and their
friends But, at the same time, there
are cOrrelative facts which should not
be overlooked. The cost of a trip to
Chicago and return has been so greatly
reduced by the various lines of com
peting railroads that very small
amount will now cover the necessary
expenses, and hence Mr. Hires can
well afford so trifing an outlay from
the millions he has already pocketed
from the sales of his popular beer. and
the hundreds more he is likely to
pocket out of his sales at the Dover
Fair.
Then we should not forget that an
accident policy costs but trihe and
that the New York Mutual is not
likely to be out more than the mere
cost of the policy. Then Mr.. Hires is
supposed to know that his offer to the
lady teachers Of the State will be more
than likely TO beget in the hearts of
the teachers and their friends some
sense of obligation to augment the
sales of his beer at the Fair. to the
extent of their various Capacities. and
II may not be amiss to further presume
that, whether this offer be a dodge or
no to get patronage for the Fair. the
management would more than Gkelv
experience some degree of disappoinf.
ment should the patronage not thereby
be augmented. They want crowd.
and TINS Is one Of the taking cards to
get 1t. Every vote for the Hires Drize
must count fee for the Dover Fair.
But II 1t Is not IA dodge to Get pat
ronage and so understood between the
three parties to the deal, then why did
not Mr.. Hires and the insurance AGENT
who all of a sudden became so much
interested in Delaware's oyer.worked
and under paid teachers. make that
ouer Ior the best essay on some speci-
ned line OF school work, or the most
popular teacher, the voting to be bv
ballot through the mails? Consider
ing that many Of these teachers and
their friends live IN distant parts of the
State, and can i'll afford the expense Of
car fare and entrance fee, this would
nave the advantage of greater seeming
interest for the teachers than the Fair
Then many of these teachers and
their friends are sincere Christians and
have scrupies about attending modern
so-called agricultural fairs, or allowing
their dependents TO do so. While they
may feel IA lively interest in their IA.
vorites they dare not violate their
conscienccs by going inside of fair
grounds 4 manifest that interest.
Thousands of these would transmit
their ballots by mail who will not 90
inside OF fair grounds to do so. Nor
should such public beuefactors as MANY
affect Mr.. Hires to be, consent to be a
party to any scheme which tempts the
scrupulous into what they believe is Of
questional moral tendency, to say the
least.
Our divine Lord exhorts us in His
word to abstain from the appearance
OF evil" And the modern fair in its
most taking attractions and general
management and tendencies, and in
the character of the crowds that daily
passs through their gates at least has
the appearance of evil, and hence.
rather than visit the fair grounds to
cast ballot, the christians of Delaware
and contiguous territory had better
allow the Hires prize to 20 bv default.
Aug. 81, 1898. r