The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-10-18
THE RECENT FAIR.
Criticism of the Management of the
woman's Department..

To the Editor of The Herald:
took a collection of lace handker-
chiefs. worth $50, made and, in three
instances, designed by myself to enter
and compete for prizes in the ladies
department at the territorial fair. The
i young man who did the entering
looked in the list. but not finding any
premium named, wrote out a tag stat
ing so, cheerfully took my dollar for
/ the entry fee, and let me wend my way
| to the upper floor with the exhibits,
under the delusion that L would at
least have a. chance to compete for
! some sort of prize.
| l was considerably pleased, later on,
i to- find that / had won a first and a
second prize, but was little mystified
at the snow of justice that would give
the best piece of work 81 as sec
ond prize, and another piece 81 as first
prize but on looking around found
that the several lace exhibits had each
received 50 or a. little less as their
prizes, so understood that the commit
tee, in it's mistaken idea of trying to
make every one satisfied, had impair
TALLY distributed the funds at their
command, and showed. their gross igno-
rance of the work judged in so doing.
I looked further and found wool init
tens, piano covers. crocheted articles,
portieres, etc, all, regardless of cost of
material or time in making, or of use
fulness or beauty, had all Jared about
the same as the lace work. A glowing
testimony of the Justice and good taste
of the judges! / wondered why it was
that beautiful embroidery, valued at
500 land worth it, too) should get the
same prize as so cents worth of wool
work
Throughout the whole fair was the
same ridiculous distribution of favors.
The result of months or years of work
received about the same as some acct
dental overgrowth of vegetables; valu-
able wood-carving, of use and beauty
both, about as much as a bantam
rooster; a real art exhibit nearly as
much as a fat baby. Silk culture, an
industry which promises wealth to the
territory and employment to thousands,
was almost ignored. A stingy lot of
prizes at best considering that the
first three days receipts were as much
as the whole receipts of any previous
fair, and the only people who got paid
for, the wear and tear of their exhibits
were probably the ones who went there
to advertise. But that is not all When
7 went yesterday to get my work and
my whole So, was told that my work
went in on a 'not-named premium
and therefore was not to receive a
prize.
I was indignant and would ask why
is it so? There has been in every pre-
vious fair that I have attended, work
of this kind-work that has received as
high as $40 and gold medal as a prize.
Now, why was it not admitted in this
years premium list? Why is it that
an art work like this, which is a recog-
nized industry the world over. be ig-
nored? And why should there be
printed in the rules and regulat tons
these words: articles not provided
for-Any article entered for competi-
ton but not specified in the premium
list, will be reported by the awarding
committee, with an impartial represen-
tation of the merits of the same, to the
board of directors, who will award a
suitable prize?
And why, if they did not mean what
they said, did they take the dollar entry
fee on those terms? Another thing
would like to know, is the fair a pri-
vate concern or territorial exhibition
for the people? If it is provided by the
legislature for the people, why do the
women get so little out of it in proper
ton for their work? Why must a.
woman pay a dollar for any small! arti-
Gle entered, when any number Of cattle
may be entered for the same amount,
and they must be fed and bedded dur
ing the whole time?
Why, if woman must receive so little
for her work, is she charged the same
at the door as man?
1t is safe ito say that one-half of the
premiums were paid in by women, and
also just as safe to say that half the
admittance money was paid by and for
women. Then why should nine-tenths
of the women's prizes be disallowed
because some nunlbskull didn't happen
to think to list the work in their print
ed premiums?
l agree with one of the ladies who
thought there should be no woman's
department at all, but booths made to
receive the different classes of work
and awards given on that work accord
ing to merit, letting who will, man or
woman, compete for the prizes.
Furthermore, since men have gra-
ciously said there should be a wonan's
department Ito get her money and
keep her quiet. why il the name of |
sense shouldn't a woman have
the management of it? L feel quite |
sure that Mrs M. A. Game could man |
age it with far more sense and fair
ness than it has been managed.
[ am sure all the disappointed prize |
takers will agree with me.
Yours truly,
ELSIE ADA FATrST