St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-15
IT WAS A FINANCIAL FAILURE.
Persistent Opposition Of the
Religious Element
HAD A POWERFUL INFLUENCE
In the Closing Of the Worlds
Fair Gates
ON THE HOLY SABBATH DAY.

CHICAGO, July 14.-After July 16
Sunday opening Of the worlds tair will
be a thing of the past. At Ioday's meet
ing of the local directors, by a vote of "a
to 1, res olution was adopted ordering
the gates of the exposition closed on the
first day of the week after next Sunday.
The entire receipts next Sunday,
Heroes Day." are to be donated to the
families of the fremen who lost their
lives in the cold storage warehouse fire.
The directors we're reluctant to admit
that Sunday opening had proved fail
ure, but the dwindling attendance and
the opposition of many exhibitors who
were unwilling to meet the ex-
ira expense entailed by a seven
days fair has forced the con-
clusion upon the local managers
of the exposition that nothing was to be
gained by a Sunday fair. The working
people. who are unable to attend on
week days have not taken kindly to a
Sunday fair, with motionIess ma
chinery and covered exhibits. While
Midway Plaisance has been we'll
patronized on Sundays the other feat
ures of the exposition have offered but
slight attraction to visitors. The per-
slStent opposition of the religious ele-
ment throughout the country has with
out doubt had a powerful influence in
n Of
directors. hundreds of petitions have
been received from religious bodies and
prominent preachers praying that the
fair be closed Sundays and promising
all the aid in their power to make the
exposition a financial success, if such
action were taken. Today a letter was
read to the directors signed by num-
Der of well-knOwn Chicago diyines,
university professors, religious news
paper men and others equally well
Interested in the closing of the fair.
1t said that the Sunday opening of the
fair was failure, and the financial sue
cess of the fair was endangered by the
opposition of millions of people who
we're opposed to Sunday opening. 1t
called on the directors to close the fair
Sundays, so that the religious element
could be free to cooperate with them in
making the exposition as remarkable
for its attendance as it was for its mate
rial grandeur.
The directors saw that the conclusion
was forced upon them that much was to
be gained and little to be lost by Sun
days closing. Today's action of the
directors will deal severe blow to the
interest of concessionaries, many of
whom count upon Sunday as their most
profitable day; but the majority of ex-
hibitors, so far as could be learned this
evening, are satisfied with the change.
Auditor W. X. Ackerman today issued
statement of the finances of the fair
from the time of its Incorporation to the
1st of July. The total sum of money
received by the fair, from bonds, inter-
est, souvenir coins, concessions and
miscellaneous sources, amounts to S21,-
51,3l6. The disbursements, including
erection Of buildings and operating ex-
penses, amount to $50, ,620, ,16O.
\ reception was rendered Secretary
of the Treasury John q. Carlisle and
Mrs. Carlisle at the Kentucky building,
from ) to Z this evening. The attends
ance was large.