The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1894-02-23
MiowlsrnR FAIR LITTER.



San FRANCISCO, Feb. 10, 1894.
! The attendance at the Midwinter Ex-
position continues to average between
5000 and 10000 per day, and everybody
is correspo2dingly encouraged in the
belief that this fair will realize the most
sanguine expectation in regard to It's
financial success In proportion to the
amount Of money invested, the attend
ance thus Far has greatly surpassed that
accorded the Columbian Exposition dur
Ing the first month of its existence, and
at the same ratio of increase which was
noticeable at Chicago, there will be an
attendance at the Midwinter Exposition
before its close which will surpass the
fondest dreams of its most enthusiastic
boomers.
The number Of Eastern visitors 10 the
Exposition is increasing day by day, and
1t is with sigh of great relief that they
come out Of the SHOWS and blizzards Of
OF the East and the middle West, over
the mountains into the midwinter splen-
dor Of the Pacific Coast. 1t has been
what is called "hard winter" in Cali
fornia, but that means only that it has
rained little more than usual, and that
the warm midwinter days have not been
so continuous as is generally the rule.
But even this weather has been so wei
come to people who are used to being
snowbound in February that they call
it Paradise" in comparison, and they
really revel in their experience.
One enthusiastic traveller came into
the Office of the Department OF Publicity
and Promotion the other day and told
the following story: 81 could hardly
get to the railway station in my town
for the snow drifts. The street cars
were not running, and the horses of
hack on wheels could scarcely plunge
along fast enough for me to make my
train. Once on board the train read
in daily paper, for this was Jan. 9s,
that the California Midwinter Exposi-
ton had been formally opened on the
preceding day with thousands of people
seated on grand stand in the open air
with heads uncovered under broiling
sun, and with the green foliage Of
beautiful park forming background to
che scene At different places along the
railway where we stopped for few
moments, / noticed bulletins Of Mid
winter Exposition Weather. and the
thought struck me that this was about
the most striking piece of advertising
that could he done in connection with
Californias exposition. When one
stands in an atmosphere in the neigh
borhood of zero, and reads that the
thermometer registers rs degrees in San
Francisco, one wishes to be there, and
as for myself | was glad to feel that
was on my way. At Chicago was de-
layed several hours waiting for it to be-
come possible for trains TO start on west
ward and we dragged along across the
plains, but when we began to descend
the slopes Of the Sierras we left the
SHOWS behind us and found the green
fields at our feet, for we were, indeed,
in the land of sunshine, fruit and fow-
ers, and / intend to stay here just as
long as feel / can afford to-. ("
This has been the experience of many
westbound travellers during the present
..iidwinter season, and every effort is
being made on the part Of the Exposi-
ton management to impress the Eastern
visitors with the fact that, aside from
the climatic advantages, it is good for
them to be here. During the past week
there has been succession of interest
ing things at the fair. First came the
unveiling OF the Harriet Hosmer statue
Of Isabella, in which a host of ladies
well known in social and literary circles
on the Pacific Coast took an interesting
part, and in which the Palace of Art
was dedicated. The formal opening Of
the Vienna Prater introduced to San
Francisco the Imperial Vienna orches-
ira, one Of the finest musical organiza-
tons of the world.
A series of days which are to be cele
brated under the auspices of the differ
ent fraternal organizations was inaug-
prated on Feb. 70 by the Independent
Order Of Good Templars. On this oc-
easion Festival Hall was first brought
into service, and large audience as
sembled there to witness the exercises
of the annual convention and anniver-
sary of the organization Of that body.
A pleasing feature of the day was the
parade through the grounds OF the Or
phans from the Good Templars' Home
for Orphans, and whose enjoyment Of
the confessional features to which they
were made welcome was accepted as the
forerunner of many similarly joyful oc-
casions in the near feature. There is to
be u general Orphans Day" before
long, when every child from the chari
table institutions in San Francisco and
vicinity will be given the run of the Ex-
position. There is also to be public
school childrens' day, for which the
people of San Francisco are now making
great preparations, and such a day the
school children of San Francisco have
never seen before. This school children
day has been set for Feb. 9s, and COM
ing as it does between the national holi-
day and Saturday it is a school holiday
of itself, but ii will be made in this con.
nection an Exposition holiday in which
; every person connected with the man
agement Or with the Exposition in any
vay will vie with every other amnse.