The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-09-27
THE FIRST STATE FAIR.
The Opening Day Was One Of Glad
Sunshine and Success.
COLONEL JAMES H. LEWIS SPEECH
An Able Address Valuable aud En-
tertaining for Pact aud Giisten-
Win word Painting for which
Colonel Lewis Has No Peer.

days ever seen and enjoyed in Yakima,
was Monday last. Not single cloud OF
dust, no violent winds, nothing but pure.
bracing ozone and warn sunshine-na.
lures usual smiles in happier moods, her
pleasing condition almost always here in
Yakima. There had been those who felt
that, with pure perversity, dust storms,
like simoons, might be sent hith-
erwsrd to participate in the festivities OF
the opening day Of Washington first state
fair; but these were they who always
pessimistically seek for the bad rather
than the good, who flourish in the damp
ness aud the darkness OF dissatisfaction
rather than in the broad, free, open sun
light OF good nature and happy hearted
ness. Aud they were disappointed
Monday last dawned clear and bright,
and the east. bound early morning over
land train, coming from a rain.soaked,
misty, fogpy, bedraggled cline, steamed
into valley fragrant with the odor OF
flowers, busy with the hum of industry
and warm with the glow Of the skies Of
Italy. From that train stepped the first
arrivals to the first state fair of Washing
ton, and the opening day of the great ex-
hibition was begun.
Governor McGraw had found it impos-
sible to attend and formally open the fair,
on account of his enforced detention in
eastern Washington; but Hon. James
Hamilton Lewis, true to his promises,
and glad to be able to assist in so pleas
ing duty, arrived on Monday morning
and delivered one of his usual brainy, IN
teresting addresses.
The parade formed at 70 o'clock in
front of Mason's opera house. 1t was
led by the 26piece Dayton X. of p. band,
a splendid musical organization, very for
tunately secured by the fair management;
after this came the Uniform Rank X. OF
2. OF this city; then company K, Second
regiment N. q. w. then troop G, First
cavalry battalion, escorting James Ham
iton Lewis, who was accompanied in his
carriage by Rev. j. L. Eshelman, Presi-
dent Fred Parker and Secretary John
Reed, of the fair commission. After
these came long line of citizens IN car
riages, and all followed the line of march
to the fair grounds, where, after a short
but pleasing Introductory by President
Parker, the following most interesting
address was delivered by Mr.. Lewis as
the opening Grafton:
Farmers and Friends: experience a
delight to be here. To be able ID speak
to those who are the sustenance OF the
earth must delight the most indifferent
man. You can hardly understand the
relief, to one accustomed to speak to the
public, to find himself so situated where
the stings of partisanship, the Otter ex-
tremes Of political diffe'e nces, have all
been sunk from the sight for the hour,
while he
"Not extenuating,
Or setting down aught in malice"
may say from his heart his "well done"
to his people.
come to bid you and your wonderful
enterprise genial morning and glori.
GUS noon. You open to- day. for the first
time. what ia TO be in the future your an
nual state agricultural fair. How well
come is the event. How animating the
scene. The time OF bringing each of his
best products OF the earth to display as
the evidence OF his genius or certificate
of the worth of his soil has ever been
recognized as one Of the gala days in the
feasts of the civilized world. You follow
to-day the track of centuries dead, yet
strewn with the fragrance OF sweetest
memories. The earth's Weddings were
once the only bounty mankind had; it
has ever been the noblest. Egypt is ever
known as the land OF corn and grain, and
.Diodorus Siculus says that these Egypt
ians irrigated their lands as you do in this
valley, and changed their harvests year
after year, to meet the varying moods of
their people. Since ordained OF God that
"Man shall till the land and reap the full
ness thereof" mankind has ever silently
and faithfully performed this law. Job,
besides immense possessions, had FIVE
hundred yoke OF oxen and very great
husbandry. Isaac sowed in the land OF
Gerar and reaped hundred fold. If we
can credit the history of Heroditus, Stra-
DO and Pliny, the increase as found ex-
ceeded the Lords parable of thirty, sixty,
and an hundred fold. The Israeltes were
the great agricultural nation of the earth.
In their pilgrimage through Egypt and
Canaan they found the masters owning
men, controlling lands, and killing, by
inattention, the life of the virgin soil.
In obedience to that command of the
Great Master, they begun to divide the
farms, SOW the lands and reap the hsr-
vests. and not by figure of sacred speech,
but literally, every Israelte sat in the
shade OF his own vine and fig tree" 1t
was their day of freedom, perfect peace
and complete happiness. The Greeks
with their unrivalled literature, leave us
nothing to say Of any advance on their
part over the lsraelires in the pursuit OF
agriculture; but of the Romans the his
torian Schlegel says that agriculture was
greatly esteemed, was received with love
and devoted attention; and in the beau
teous speech OF Cato as given us by Ci-
cero, We see the love with which those
ancient provinces regarded agriculture.
Says the Centurion:
al come now to the pleasures of hus-
bandry. in which greatly delight. They
are not interrupted by old age; they
seem to me to be the pursuits in which
=, ;aa ,,oonic life should ha snont Tho