Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-11
A SHORT RAMBLE
Through Midway, the Nursery
and Woman's Building.
Plenty Of Strange and Interesting
Shows Remain to be Seen.
Ike 0sigich-chiitrea's Freats-Woman' &
BuiIdisg-Firsi Gold Nugget.

The blow has fallen. The fiat of fate has
descended upon yours truly wilkins
Micawber." Ii Is expedient that inform
you that the Midway plaisance is now
thoroughly reformed and the undersigned
. Is crushed. OF course l cannot specify
any particular pleasure that is gone, for
never have been able to see why any prop
erly constituted and orsanicaIly normal
} man could take pleasure in seeing lot of
fat Amazons wiggling over little plat
form IN alleged concord with some alleged
music, about as melodious as hog with
his nose fast under gate, but not half so
expressive. Nevertheless, it is the fashion
to assume that this was the glory of the
plaisanee, and as it is abolished, please
think of the undersigned as crushed
Nevertheless when l entered the plais-
ance at the west end this morning it
seemed as interesting rs ever, and for the
life of ME cannot see what is lost. There
is still the California ostrich farm" and
rare curiosity it is, of which more anon
There is the Vienna cafe, and theater at
tached, which Germans of taste and cul-
ture tell me is really fair copy of good
ones in Vienna. There are also the Turk
ish, Moorish, Algerian, East Indian and
other bazaars, and they are well worth
looking at even if you don't buy. The
"charming Oriental maids in charge
speak English fluently, or what passes for
such in Chicago, and other maidens there
are fluent in the local dialect of Halsted
street. All the regular theaters, the Irish,
German and other villages, the special
race exhibits and the big injun powwows
are still open. So what is lost by the sup
preston of the danse du ventre and Of the
exposition de la legge,
1t is just as well, perhaps, to give at
this point summary Of the attractions of
the plaisance, for though they have often
been advertised final statement may in
terest 1t is first Of all place of rest
when one is weary Of seeing wonderful
and thought-inspiring things. Itrequires
Go exercise of brain power to be amused
on the plaisance; the street in Cairo, the
Jayanese village and theater the Daho-
mey dances, the childish antics of the
Polynesians and the solemn fooling of the
Chinese can all be enjoyed without
| thOu-ht. III 1iAt, tltttl sO uuN IL tUtT6
the last thing at night to tranquilze my
mind before going to bed. OF the things
which do really require some thought,
yet not enou. .sh to weary one, may mem
| tion the Irish village and Blarney castle,
| the Swiss scenes and songs, the log cabin
| of l776 and the display of the United
| States Submarine Diving company The
dances and village life of the Fijians and
| Samoans serve for amusement or as food
for thought just as the spectator is in
clned, and so do the gambols of the Be-
douin Arabs. Lastly the Ferris wheel
takes one $50 feet high for 30 cents. and it's
worth it TO one whose heart Is in the ri t
| place and will stay there. o. there is still
very much to see on the plaisance, though
the fat female wigglers arc gone.
| have become very much interested In
the ostriches since / learned that the fe-
males do the courting and the males care
for the young. The former are Of dull
gray color and rather coarse in plumage,
| while the males, as the rule Is amo z
birds, are n ich handsomer as well as
darker in coior. Every ostrich in do
mesticated herd has name as the cattle
VA a snail farm have, and the twenty
eight here are called BLAINE" Grant"
Gail Hamilton" Susan b. Anthony"
| etc "Grover Cleveland" is a magnificent
bird, said to weigh 800 pounds, though he
does not look the half OF it to me The
keepers add that he yields $50 worth of
| feathers at each plucking and is worth
$500, presumably in gold. 1t sounds odd
| to American ears to have white men
speaking the English language call them
| selves Africanders, but that is term the
white natives of south Africa, especially
| Of the ostrich belt, have invented to dis
| tinguish themselves from black Africans.
The birds "re said to be very hard kick
ers, breaking mans leg occasionally
| when excited. They haven't kicked any
body here yet, but | think they will when
they find out what their victuals cost
| They do swallow oyster shells and gravel
as alleged, but it is only to aid their diges-
ton as other birds do. If they stay here
long they will probably take to cobble
stones. When the female is four years
old she leaves her own flock, goes to an
other and selects mate and this union
continues till death doth them part. No
divorces are allowed, but in case of death
either party can mate again. In this con-
nection it may be well to state that the
| average weight of an ostrich brain is but
ppe ounce. The eggs contain more meat
each than two dozen hen eggs, and one is
| reckoned meal Tor seven men. In
Africa, / mean. In Chicago at present
one egg would be a restaurant service for
seventeen men anyhow and in the fair
grounds for twenty-seven.
-.
From the grown up children of the plais-
ance to the real children of the ereche and
kindergarten is but few steps in space,
pAt the circuit of a world in other respects.
The Fitoi. Greche. of Buffalo, y. Y, hav-
ing shown what Il could do, has given
place to the model day nurseries exhibited
by New York city ladies', Mrs. A. VI.
Dodge in chief charge. 4 few ladies are
allowed to pass through, but the rest of
US can only look through glass at the ba-
bies. They have had many as ninety
babies a day there, and either they are
frightened by the unusual surroundings,
,ss don + look well under glass, or am
very poa. hand to appreciate babies. or
something else is .hG matter and / am not
sure which. a good many look red and
worried and good many more look
ciammy. The managers say that in reg
ular day nursery they would have nearly
the same children every day and the chill
dren would be used to the place, but here
each baby is in but for a day or two and
the novelty is worrying.
The Children's building. Just north Of
the horticultural building, is free to the
puhlic and classes are there instructed
oh y-acai culture. There are also less
given for the so-eaiis.i Kitchen garden ID
other lines. Clay modelling also has Just
baen introduced, and take it all In all that
part Of the proceedings after the children
get old enough to do something is far
more satisfactory to the observer than Is
the nursery. In the various classes the
children really train themselves. About
all that is done in the Kindergarten is to
give a slight impulse in the right direc-
tion, the natural delight Of children in
making something, with only an occas-
ional hint, does all the rest. There are
also s,asses in sewing and dress cutting,
composed of ths largest girls.
80
From the children to the Wonanis
. building is but step and very natural
course, and after resting my mind in the
plaisauce and among the babies l take
> tilt at high art. 1t Is so easy to get be-
|. wiIdered among women and women's
works that l cali to my aid my special
mentor, very intelligent Indiana lady
who knows all about embroidery and
"crewel work" and lscing and edging and
goring and all the rest Of that funny busi-
, Eess. observe first, says she, this cape
made from the breast Of a pelican from
= Cat island near the mouth Of the Missis-
: sippi. It is SO beautifully worked that it
, Is well worth looking at. but in general
, way do not admire such things"
Z Here, though, is q beauty-a banquet