Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-18
DISPLAY OF BEAUTY.
But Many Ladies Look Rather
homely by Contrast.
California Is Rushing Things--The
Spanish carels.


WoRLps FAN. Sept. i7.-(SpeciaD.- =
There is deal Of dry fun in and about thu
Indiana building In the course Of day
Its position on the great western avenue
enables one on the west porch to set q good
view Of the incoming and outgoing crowds
and to me it is great consolation TO look
at them. ! see 90 many people honeliei
than myself 1t Is q frequent remark that
all the homely people in the United States
must have come to this fair, but the WON
en- say il is the fair which makes them look
homely, partly by contrast with the beau
ties Of art and more because they get &C
weary aud wilted. On the porch I often
hear the expression, III they have any
handsome women in this country, they'd
better send 'em on. for we've seen enough
of the other kind"
At noon in this building there is sight
for the satirist. Every chair and bench is
in use. and all available space inside and on
the porches Is jammed. The managers
have had to put up notice that for lunch
con purposes this building II resarved for
Indiana people, and there arc more than
enough Of them. Every one il eating rs
fast as nature will allow. Cheese, pickles,
bread and butter vanish rs II by magic, and
cold chicken goes as II 1t had renewed its
wings to fly where all good chicken goes
Scraps. bones, fruitskins, paper boxes and
other lunch holders are thrown upon the
floor, for II one tries to throw them out he,
especially she, will certainly hit somebody.
and when all is over the place looks like
a provision store taken by siege and looted
by the victorious soldiery.
When the crowd scatters. one looking on
the debris feels as if he could never eat
again. but In few minutes the scavengers
have it in fairly good condition, and few
Of US linger on the porches to rest and
smoke. On California day, however. all
remained, and at least $1,000 people were
wedged into the area between that and the
California building, while oranges were
thrown to the expert catchers. and many
thousand boxes Of peaches, pears and
grapes were passed out for free distribu-
ton. The pushing and scrambling, the
''squushing'' of fruit and general smear
ing may be imagined. 1t reminded me Of
the siereotyped statement in the old time
travelling menagerie keep your seats,
ladies and gentlemen In Il very few min
utes the animals will be fed" The animals
were not all fed, though tons of fruit were
given out, but many Of them were arts
tically smeared.
And this reminds me that California is
rushing things for her midwinter fair. A
department Of publicity and promotion has
been established here, with Charles Gran,
Miller, formerly of the Cleveland Plain
Dealer, at its head. German, French,
Spanish and italian press bureaus are al
work, and several hundred thousand leaf
let's and other documents have been sent
out. The Persian, Turkish, Algerian ana
Cairo street managers have combined u
set up an oriental village for the coming
fair, Japanese village is arranged for,
many of the novelties here are to he re
moved thither as soon as this fair closes,
md Minister Thurston has departed for
san Francisco to supervise the erection oi
his Hawaiian theater and panorama of the
crater Of kilauea.
am sorry to say that the fun on the lake
shore is pretty much over Once In great
while some daring and hardy athlete takes
! header from the swimmers tower, but
he generally gets out as fast as possible.
The slender Ciugalese shiver In their pretty
pavilion, close the lakcward windows So
far as possible and sigh for those spicy
breezes which are said to blow softly DER
Ceylons isle The Indian quartet still
play the marimba occasionally on the Ia
COON Shore but the spirit is weak. and they
seem to sigh for Guatemala. Almost every
afternoon about a great bank of cold fog
comes rolling in, and the waves dash the
spray clear over the high. broad walk. On
he evening of California day 100000 or
more gathered there to see the fireworks,
but for music there was sucezing. Heavy
Jvercoats and shawls were in requisition,
md Harry and Harriet snugged up mighty
close to each other regardless of company
manners"
Farther down the lake shore is one Of the
most interesting sections of the fair, which
las until recently been very much neglect
ID. There are the Spanish caravels and
yther queer shipping, then the La Rabida,
he Indian school, the great krupp gun
Exhibit. and last, on the southeast, the
Leather and Forestry buildings The exhib
/ Is good, of course, but the catalogues OF the
last two are unmixed frauds, the meanest
petty swindle on the grounds, and that 8
saying a great deal. They consist simply
of the names Of the exhibitors and an ad.
II their business, without a line Of satisfac-
,ory description. The list is complete,
presume, but who wants to pay half dol
lar for the privilege OF reading an advertise
nent? Nevertheless in the course Of half n
lay in the Forestry found some very cu-
rious and interesting things, especially i'll
.he bamboo line. The building itself is the
greatest curiosity, as it is the most unique
II all the exposition structures and rustic
o superlative degree.
All around it Is q veranda of which the
columns, which also support the main roof,
ire tall trunks in their natural state. Even
he bark is unmarried. And as the build.
ing covers 2ll1 acres there is space for trees
from every state and from every country
in the world. The sides Of the building
proper are of slabs with the bark removed
Windows and doors are made In the same
rustic way, and each one represents the
woodwork of separate nation or race
The elaborate finish of the main entrance
is general contribution from the wood
workers OF the world, and tne roof is shin
xled or thatehed or boarded, just as you
please, with all kinds Of bark. tan bark
being the most prevalent. AS to the in
.erior, need only add that it contains
all the woods Of the world in all their va
rious forms and finish. including the big
4est plank In the world. which is 10 feet
wide am so vexed about that 80 cents
paid for the catalogue that won't give thu
name of the company which sawed it.
In leather the joke is on me. A gentle
man told me that he delivered 100 fat steer,
at the stockyarsi and saw them killed
skinned, dressed and the meat shipped fol
New York In few hours and might bav'
had pair Of boots from old BriDdle's hid'
il he had staid over night" / published
/ il as joke. then went to the leather work
ers and found that they do take in hid
| Just from the steer and turn it into boot
in "a hours-pretty good boots too. TheJ
| tell me that the tanning takes but 10 hours
And yet we are not happy!
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