Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-08-17
MIDWAY PLAISANCE.
Streets of All Nations at the
Worlds Fair.
Alleged Wieksdness Which Is Not at
All So Very Wicked.
Fsa aad FAKES Sens Special Aitfaetieas n
the piAisaaee.

| the PiAisaaes.
| WORLDS FAIR. Aug. ID Special =
Before coming here had heard 50 much
/ of the delicious wickedneSs of the Midway
| plaisance that felt it my duty to see and
describe it 20 that the young might taks
warning Like those good ladies who
raised the recent disturbance about il In
the board Of lady managers was deter
mined 20 kaew if anything really bad was
| going on there. So those ladies went any
| how, and expressed themselves as dread
fully shocked. / am not 50 far along that
the top Of my head is above the timber
line" as We used to say in Colorado. but
am old enough 10 qualify me for front
seat al the ballet and sedate enough to
endure Persian dance.
Well, / have come. l have seen and an
| Dot conquered, for there isn't much wick
.dness on the Midway plaisance and what
| there is isn't delicious There is good
deal of fun, however, and some fakes"
that for pure impudenee have attained
perfectly HimalAyan attitude. First il 10
| 10 be noted that the lovely odalisgaes"
and all that sort who attend the fancy ba-
zaars speak excellent English with a fine
Chicago accent, though l must say that
the managers have shown excellent judg-
nlept in selecting dark and muddy
brunettes. With sbeir red caps, natty
jackets and serni-orientsl skirts they make
good imitation Algeriennes. As to the
mea they are mixed. To the boss of one
bazaar ventured French salutation and
promptly received the classical retort:
"Aw, what are y givin' uss"
-.
The real foreigners are here, Of course,
but local managers and cashiers are most
ly mild limitations. In the Turkish quar-
ter, however, there are some real Turkish
shops with the genuine Sci inkians sitting
cross legged behind their little stocks Of
curios. The Turkish theater presents
eomical. illustration Of the all perrading
disappointment. AT first the admission
fee was set at 80 cents and the sly hint
was sent around that the dances were pr
quaint, jolie, merveillense, delightfully."-
suggestive OF something naughty, and so
forth and SO forth. Soon. however, the
standard Of admission all over the plais-
ance WAS put at Is cents, and the other
evening forad i; reduced to Is cents.
Sic transeur' the hopes OF a big crowd, as
it were The "toufer" of this show is a
perennial source of amusement to the
crowds ON the plaisance. Once in ten
minutes or SO he rushes frantically out on
the upper platform and roars away in a
wonderful voice:
"A-hah, a-hah. Vale cohm. ladies' un'
zheutilmen, vale cohm, vale cohm. Guide
zhow, guide zhow: bes' zhow on ze biz
gance. All ze Toorkeesh in liz nateevy
costoom. All ze bootiful Toork ladee in
IL nateevy dance. You nevaire be zorry;
vale cOhmH'
BY this tiIoe thousand or two Of peo-
pie are gathered below, for the crowd is
thickest there, and all the wild fellows
begin to guy him. He flies into furious
passion, or pretends TO, rushes down the
steps as if he would annihilate the iokers,
beats his breast frantically and breaks
forth in furious imprecations in his native
tongue. Out of 1900 people who have
laughed at him two go in. Invent and there
vert Just nineteen persons IN the aud
icnce. eight Of them ladies and five OF
these school nia ans. am very positive.
On the stage with the male musicians
sat three fat girls, with those retreating
foreheads and projecting noses on line
Herewith. which are said to mark the
lower class Turks When the music has
reached the proper acme of horror each
girl rises in turn and sidles this way and
that along the stage. swinging her arms.
shaking her shoulders so as to make the
front of the body quiver and occasionally
kicking out one foot for six or eight inches.
Towards the la. c-.4.es the so-called
'.dan-e iu ventre" which is nothing but a
rapid shaking Of the hips and quivering of
the abdominal muscles. Ii is said to be
very suggestive" Maybe it is. to some
folks. but it does not suggest anything to
me | am sure there is nothing like It
In nature.
In the Algerian theater the dancing was
more piquant and most so in the Persian,
but he latter has been suppressed and
the former reformed Ii WIS charged IN
the session OF the board of lady managers
that at these theaters there were perform
ances for gentlemen only at which truly
dreadful things were done, but charges OF
all the dreadful sorts have been made in
that boarl. the quArrels Of which have
made it the standing joke OF the fair. Inc
names of the concessionaires on the plais-
tuce indicate that most Of these shows
IRE managed by men of European races,
and while one visit is enough. often more
than enough, to such theaters as those
have described there are other places well
worthy of prolonged study.
Chief among these is the Irish village
and the display Of Irish Industries organ
| ized 10y tbs Countess of Aberdeen Every
| thing is thoroughly Irish Even the turf
J. the genuine article imported for this
purpose, and from the top Of Blarney cas-
| tie one has fine view OF the entire
grounds. Another place OF real attraction
| is the Bernese Alps cyelorama with songs
| by Swiss mOuntaineers- The Dutch have
80 natives Of their South Sea possessions
with all their dress, dwellings and fMni-
| tnre complete, the Javanese village being
| the largest exhibit. And in tho midst of
1t all sru the sedate Chimes VIII thAs
raIrl. superrIli0us look Jney seem A~aJs
to wear when in the presence OF oenes
races. The Vienna cafe and vaudeville
| theater attached are nice enough for any.
body.
Since I was last among the Oriental peo-
| pies | hear that the alleged reform has
| been carried to its ultimate and gentle
man who was at the Algerian theater Last
| night tells me that the fat girls are now
| practicibg ON the Last Rose Of Summer"
| and the Minuet du Cour and are not even
| allowed to sing Tara ra- n-de-ay. AS
| 70 TIE Perzian maids" he adds. "they rep
resent the deformed transformed No
more plated and puffed trousers, no more
spsngled jackets open in front TO reveal
the gauzy materials of inner vestmenfs-
The o,iaiisques wear their hair pompadour,
their bciices are in the latest Chicago
stvie with high collars and their dresses
are the regulation evening party affair
with trains. In truth, the girls are 50
ashamed of themselves in their new togs
that they put in their spare time crying to
go home"
| regret to add that the instinct for bed
rock truth which is the natural heritage
VI the t,rn journalist, made me set this
gentleman down as inclined TO exaggera-
lion. OF my own knowledge can make
, statement or two. First. the Midway
riaisance ofFends two classes. the prude
and the prurlent-the ftrss pesa~.->
see something improper. and the second
| Esas-a,,... thezr don't OF csplrse every body