Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-09-16
Worlds Fair Notes.
Special woEnD Correspondence.

gotten any satisfaction from going to tn
fair and going through the aisles as on
sees people doing every day, for l shoulC
have forgotten all that l had Learned
without my notes. There is so much t.
see, so many things crowded into ones
mind at once that you" do not GRASP
them all. Different ones would say tc
me: "Oh! you will soon leave off keep
ing notes, tried it awhile and it is toe
much bother, besides you can remember
it any way" But you cannot. left
off my note book one day to try and
find that, that was the least profitable
of all my days at the fair.
In looking at things friend insisted
that her husband and myself could not
look at an article without taking hold Of
it, that surely some of our sense of right
lay in our finger ends. Well, we came
near proving this, to her amusement one
day, although we had both declared at
the time that we were very careful not
to handle anything. 1t happened in
this way. We were looking at some
beautiful fur rugs in the Swedish pavil-
ion, and we did not know what kind of
skins they were made from. We felt of
the fur, turned the corner over, looked
at the lining trying to get some idea of
the dimensions of single skin that we
might guess at it. Presently in turning
over the rug reverse corner of a card
came to view. 1t was fastened on to the
rug with a card, but it was beyond
reach. "There now," said her husband,
"that card will probably tell us what we
want to know" After considerable
reaching managed to get hold of the
card and turned it over, we all leaned
forward to read-"Hands off; please. "
"There told you So" she said trium-
phantly, guess you folks will let things
alone now, or look at them as other folks
do"
Almost every day had occasion to
thank my lucky stars that I was not de-
pendent upon crowd of tourists to take
me around. l stopped one day at a rail-
ing in Transportation building to look
at model, when presently a party of
four came up and stopped close by.
Pretty soon two more joined the crowd
when there arose such clamor of voices
"Why where have you been2" "What
kept you" "Why we have waited
around here for two hours, ETC." Well,
l thought what good are they getting
from the show if all their exertions are
put forth to keep together. They were,
each always looking for the other five,
and not at the sights. Then you would
often hear, ooh! come on, that doesn't
amount to anything, let's 60 somewhere
else," till one would feel as if really the
only sensible way for grown up folks to
do was to separate and each 60 his way
happy in the hope that if they met no
more forever in the Worlds fair they
might meet in Chicago.
Then again if one wants to see an ex-
hibit thoroughly and understand it, one
must have some explanation of it, for so
many beautiful thoughts or historical
facts are wrought out in the arrangement
that no one but the exhibitor can ex-
plain to you. And do not believe that
any intelligent question ever went I'M
answered when addressed to any exhib-
itor or guard if the language was under
stood, and many times even rather i'm
pertinent questions are treated with
more courtesy great deal than they
deserve. A sample of the latter was
given in by the manager of the Mexican
railroad exhibit: A lady came into the
pavilion and, as the manager described
her, "She looked so nice, diamonds on
her fingers, and 1 thought this repre-
sents the Americans who have money,
leisure, knowledge, but she asked me
such strange questions: "What kind of
clothes do you wear at homer"
Manager-Pointing to his suit-which
was fine American business dress
''These. and why not?"
Lady-"Why! don't you dress in
feathers any more, thought you did,"
Think of this question being asked in
all seriousness of an educated Spanish
gentleman from the best society of the
City of Mexico, and do you think it de-
served courteous answer. And will
you be surprised when this same gentle
man made the criticism that he believed
that the average Mexican citizen knew
more of United States than did citizens
of the United States of Mexico. He
said that Mexicans of leisure read more
than the same class do in the United
States. think that may be just, for
surely one is surprised at the lack of in
formation that is often possessed by our
people who have nothing to do except
inform themselves.
wondered if many of our current
works were read in Mexico, and whether
they were acquainted with the author
who has written one novel at least
which ought to interest this people
above all American works, so I said to