Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-07-24

1
the benefit of the innumerable objeet-les-
sons here displayed, is hard work. 1t is
| trying upon the eye, the mind, the physi.
| cal strength. II requires concentration,
and in passing from one thing to another.
| In the unconscious effort to estimate the
| true value of each Of the Kaleidoscope pre-
| sentatious, the brain grows weary. There
COMES to every visitor time of the day in
which he feels that he must have some
rest. He wants recreation. just as the
children in school study all the better and
| learn the more for the recess or noon hOur
that awaits them, with its sports and
games, so the visitors to the exposition
| love to steal away from the more serious
| part of the show and pass few p leasant
| hours in the playground of the plaisance.
| Some of these SIDE shows are eiuinenIy
worthy visit, while others are just as
| well left unseen.
| The managers of the fair have discovered
thar the pu' ic needs something besides
the exposition itself Great rs the fair is,
| comprehensive and wonderful as one finds
| it in all its departments, the people want
| to be amust they want something that
| is light and ,stful to be mixed with their
studies Hence the introduction of fire
works AS regular feature Of certain expo
sitiun nights. Twice each week fireworks
| displays are given on the lake front near
| the Manufactures building, and though
| they are not wonderful exhibits of the py-
rotechnic art they have a splendid setting
and are enjoyed by large throngs of peo-
| pie. One of the best places from which to
| see them is the surface of the big pier, and
| there. luckily, is the novel method OF
| transportation, known as the moving side
| walk, ON which one may sit and see tile
| iire-show in the heavens and on the sur
| face of the waters of the lake. 1t is rather
odd that with the greatest exposition ever
known at their doors the people of Chicago
or any considerable part of them should be
| attracted by such commonplace spec
tacle as fireworks, but such is the fact.
Every night the exposition gives a fire
| display the attendance is larger by many
| thousands than on other days, and though
| the pvrotechnic cost about g 900 on each
occasion the exposition profits largely
| thereby.
| Music helps the attendance at the fair,
| too, though not nearly as much rs it
might have helpeAhad a proper provision
| been made to meet the musical wants OF
| the people. Theodore Thomas has here
| the finest orchestra ever organized. 10
maintain it, and TO provide halls in which
to hold the concerts, the management of
| the exposition has expended about half
| million dollars Ofcourse the idea was that
| in music as in everything else this exposi-
| tion should show the best man was capable
| Of Bat it Is unfortunate that in expend-
| ing such a vast sum of money for this
| cfeditahle purpose better provision was
| not made for glVlhg the people amusement
| instead of instruction. That Theodore
| Thomas is a great musician no one doubts.
| That his concerts in Music or Festival
| hail. with his magnificent orchestra and
| few high-class soloists, are extremely en-
| ioyable to the lovers of classical music, is
| beyond question. The trouble is that not
| one man in hundred, not one woman in
| fifty, really cares for this sort Of music.
| have been at Thomas concerts, in the beau
tiful Music hall, built by the munificence
! of the exposition, when there were more
| people on the stage than in the audience.
| When the people come TO an exposition
they want music only as an incident to the
| principal purpose to their visit. They
| want it as they want the side shows of the
| plaisance, for rest and recreation. They
cannot find this rest in the class of music
| which Mr. Thomas gives them. IL there
| was no charge for seats at these concerts,
doubtless many people would attend. but
| with prices varying from 80 cents to 81 the
| number of visitors who are willing to give
| I'D both the time and the money is ex-
| tremely small.
Many men think the class Of music
which Thomas plays torture rather than
delight. 4 few days ago I heard cul,
| tured and learned man, one of the ma
| tional exposition commissioners, say he
would not sit through one of Thomas
Wagner concerts for hundred dollars.
| Yet in their blind devotion to music and
their admiration of the greatest living ex-
| moment of the art of orchestratioD, the
| managers Of the fair have thrown away
about half a million dollars without any
| sort of adequate return in education of the
masses or disnifying Of the exposition.
At the same time there is general com
| plaint of the amount and quality Of the
| music furnished in the grounds In this
| vast exposition there should be at least
twenty bands constantly employed. In
| stead there are two, and some days only
one The only place in which open air
concerts may be enjoyed is in front of the
Administration building, and since the de
parture of the Sousa band the concerts
there have been rather Disappointing. The
money that has been spent in the vain en-
deavor 10 popularize concerts OF the
Thomas sort would have filed the grounds
with melody every afternoon and evening.
and proved great attraction TO the peo-
pie.
Indeed. plans had been laid for such a
musical treat at this fair as the woi "a
ne~er heard before Arrangements were
MAKING to hire the noted bands OF the
world. from England, France, Germany,
Italy, Vienna, Mexico. South America. to
come here at different times, visit the ex
position and furnish cUEcerts IN the open
air for the amusement of the masses. This
plan IL executed would have proved i'm
! mensely popular. 1t would have given
: the people inst what they want. 1t would
have added much TO the revenues Of thr
exposition. But now the pressure OF
economy has forced total or almost total
abandonment of this plan. Thomas il
costing 80 much money that little is lef,
for popular mu.ie.
One thing | like about the fair IL the
educational fes ures which abound, aside
from the lessons which the exhibits them
selves convey. For instance. we have
every day lecture on cooking in tbs
Wosnan's building. 1t is given by well
known woman expert, and thousands upon
: thousands of American women have
profited by the course. In the Children
building there are lectures on the scienc'
of rearing children, on their care in sick
ness, on the best methods of educating
and training them. all illustrated with aF'
pliances and schools in actual operation
The effect Of these efforts cannot be any
thing bat beneficial and on scale nevei
before attempted in this country. 1t - I
deliAht to watch the eagerless with which
tie little folks play their part in this work
and it is instructive to note the earnest
s ness with which the mothers Of 4merici
D attend and seek to learn and thus to adj
E to.heir divine usefulness.
j These are only samples of the edaca
tionai features of the fair. There are lee
lures on electricity, with the coulprehen
| sive Electric building as an object lesson