Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-16
+ AkiRS AND THE FAIR.
They Cluster Like Bees Around All che
Entrances
Prepared 20 Sell Anything From q
House aud Lot TO n Shoe String
Typical Case.
respondence Of The Evening Star.

Correspondence Of The Evening Star
CHICAGO. August L. 1850
The correspondent OF The Star met
visitor to the worlds fair the other day
who had just got inside the gates. ge
looked tired and warm.
What" said the correspondent, -srs
you tired already"
Tired" he replied. Il assure you q thou
sand hackmen struggling to take posses
sion OF a man when he arrives at n dsfot
is not circumstance 20 what he has TO
endure walking from the train TO the szfes
of this fair"
who molested your he was asked
Fakirs." he replied.
The whole population Immediately around
the great show is composed IT these gentry.
They have everything for sale that 80 likely
10 catch the penny Of the traveller before
he gets to the gates and after he leaves
them to go home.
Lemonade. lemonade, only five cents q
glassi Ice cola lemonade here for half o
dime! Here you are. here you aref' Jhe
vender Is crying this out with a voice that
r1ses high above the roar Of tho railroad
trains and mingles with other loud voices
crying out 10 the same effect. Tho lemon
ade Is in big bowl or -ows of el,ssAs
with white powdered sugar In hem stnnd
before you. and the lemonade can be maze
In a second while you wait.
protection
TO the eyes," another man is shouting lie
carries them in a tray and bess YOU not 40
voluntarily incur the danger OF bl.ndnes4
when you can be safe by spending a modest
twenty-five cents for q pair OF smoked siass-
es.
MIXED Lot
mere Is hasty enumeration OF the prih-
eipai Things that the fakirs sell: Popcorn
ana sausages. sandwiches and toy tops
euioe DOCKS and hat guards, fruit and ursa-
oiehas' time savers" and orange cider
sooa pop and cheap oriental rugs. souvenir
tlne1ais and walking canes, hats made ~
and c Sau bags OF candy. East Indian curios
- enSMHls gum There a thousand
S 1 things. too. All these are DISPENSED
shons oa I Trays stands and the front %
SS-aoPs- ihey cost from tive cents TO fiye DOL
Ltars; some Of the fakirs are little boYs
nfLloiy yet In their teens; others are venef-
1 rb'e, oio Llen, with white hair ana peardsL
inere are yellow Japanese among thera.
olve-coiored Jews from Chatham stree
| New york, coffee-colored men from Ear
t hnu.a, Dlack men from America and smoke
NC iheu white men from Chicago.
jackson Park is entered by land from tn.
| nortn SIDE ana the west side; the south side
h s,rS gu. o upon a waste. where the streets
Dy the lake. The chief entrances as
| known as those OF 57th street 5sth street
| eOth street cd street, e4th street and S7th
street. At the north entrances there are NJ
| iaklrs. Here row Of hotels is inmediatelr
IN 'front.' OF the gates. Next 70 the cath
I
| ton. and II you come IN by that route yoii
| escape the vendors. You will find them
thickest about 18th. seth. Goth and SO streets.
| On the two first they have full sway at the
people who get OF the cable cars and the
| Illinois Central local trains, and at the last
two they advance upon the passengers %
| the express trains well as the local
| trains. They do not confine their operations
| to the streets leading into the Park but the
Whole neighboring territory is utilized b.
| them. Here. however. they have restali-
| rants and side shows. You are solicited 20
partake Of "a good square meal for -
cents. and to come in and see the calf with
| three heads. or the woman without any
| legs. II that does not allure you, a littis
| further on a sign informs you that ''siS
of VARIETY perforrnance Tser 20 4. s ,bs ns so
| big tent. in which a lot OF prancing wooden
horses go around and around 10 the tune Of
| a huge music box. and an enterprising citiS
| zen has a small-sized Ferris wheel, which
| revolves ten times as RAPIDLY as the bis
wheel in the Midway Plaisance and IL prob
| ably ten times as dangerous.
| Not All Fakfr..
1t must not be supposed that the whole
region around jackson Park is given I'D TO
fakirs and side shows for Il is not There
are many fine hotels. many railroad sta.
TONS sc, and near by are some quiet
shady streets with modest. comfortable
houses where people actually live. II 10
strange at first, and hard TO believe, that
everybody near the worlds fair Is NOT 4
|
| there before the fair came near them. and
| who continue TO live there now. under GER
tain disadvantages. 1T is true. II any one
supposes that hotels ana boarding houses
are the only means Of lodging provided for
| worlds fair visitors he is mistaken, for
| there are several encampments for those
who like to live in tents. and there is even
| a lodging house on schooner anchored
| out in the lake q stones throw from the
| shore
To return to the fakirs outside Of the
fair grounds. Here is pen picture of one
He is gray and red in the face: his voice
| is husky but vigorous: he is slightly lame;
| he wears shabby dark clothes and an old
| derby hat; he never smiles: he never seems
| to grow tired or 20 abandon the hope that
| purchasers of the guide books he has for
| sale will become so numerous that he Will
not be able 20 accommodate them all. When
| some one buys a book he makes the change
| quickly. as though he expected another
customer instantly. whereas customers d
not average o half dozen In an hour.