The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-09-27
FROM ATLANTA.
Mrs. l.. p. Hunt Writes Something of
the Fair and Her Trials.

|
After two weeks in Atlanta | have
not yet found just what suits Eme as d
stopping place. There are plenty of
rooms to be had such as they are but
one has to look out sharply before To-
eating for the festive bug. L tell you
that between the prospective bugs,
present mosquitoes and immense cock
reaches, intermiXed with intense
heat life in the south has it's draw
backs.
There is cock roach sitting on the
window sill now looking at me. He
certainly measures not less than three
inches long and has a saddle on his
back like those the girls use to ride
on in the old fashioned one ring circus
of our early youth. L never heard of
and certainly never saw anything like
these SASSY creatures" They give
me very uncomfortable feeling, but
| suppose l will get used to them
after time.
This is the eve of the great day.
Tomorrow the Cotton States EXPOSE
ton will open it's gates formally. The
exercises begin aJ noon.
The grounds and buildings are not
nearly ready. have only placed our
library exhibit as yet and not all of
that. In fact | do not see how things
can possibly assume any degree of
readiness before the first of October,
and there will be more to see after
Oct. Is than before that date.
The government building is the on
ly one that is at all complete. The
work in the woman'S building has
been delayed by the interior decOra-
tion. 1t is simply impossible to put
in exhibits until they get the scaffold-
ing down. The ladies of the board
are all very kind and do all they can
for the representatives within their
gates. Especially is this true Of Mrs.
w. III. FELTON,, chairman of the eXecu-
tive committee, Mrs. A. B. Steele,
secretary of womans board, Mrs. Low
lie M. Gordan, chairman OF the
WOmen'S Congress committee, and
Mrs. Tyler chairman of decorative
art department in the woman's build
ing. The latter has been most kind
and considerable towards me in all
ways, and through all perplexities.
The woman'S building is an eXqui-
site little home for women and alter
the fair closes it will be used as club
house. 1t is one of the few subStan-
tial buildings upon the grounds. The
women of Atlanta will be ahead OF us
in Minnesota in having club house
of their own. They deserve it, for
they have worked like beavers to Sc
cure it, and here | want to say that
but for the women on this exposition
board, this show would not have
been a very large one. They are
bright, smart and capable, and what
goes further to push along an enter
prise of this sort, they are handsome,
kind, affable and courteous. do not
believe the southern men with all
their boosted chivalry, quite appreci-
ate all these good women have done
and still are doing in this work. AS
usual, at such times, men sit in the
front row and accept all the cOngratu-
lations, while all the real workers are
hidden behind the lattice.
Just as soon as the buildings
are in shape | will write you
all about them, for | am sure
every one at home WHO can
not come, wants to know something
of the fair. Minnesota will not have
such poor showing after all. The
state committee had a very small
fund to do with, but have really done
remarkably we'll. We have nineteen
cases of exhibits stored in the build
ing waiting it's completion. Mime
sofa sent four pictures to the art de-
partment, all of which have been &C
cepted. They are as follows: One
oil painting, "Girl in White" by Miss
McKinstry, Faribault, valued at 5000.
This is hung on the line-a great
honor of itself in Il picture gallery.
The same lady has water color, also
hung on the line, value $50, entitled
Gland Stukerin'Of AppenZell." The
title is no indication of what the pic
ture might be. 1t is really Swiss
woman in the lower walks of life sit
ting in her little cottage. The inter
ior is a very dim, dreamy one, and the
picture is really very attractive. Miss
NJ e. Roberts, of Minneapolis, has a
"Study in Yellow" in water color,
and Miss Florence Wales, also of Min
neapolis, has "StudiO Corner"
Hon. Jno. f. Meagher, of Mankato,
has a very fine figure piece from the
brush of this talented young artist.
1t is really quite an honor for Mime
sofa artists to be represented in this
gallery of fine arts. There are many
really fine pictures shown, and many
seemingly good ones rejected by the
jury. The pictures are not all hung
as yet, but when they areI will en-
deavor to enlighten you little in re-
gard to them.
The exposition will be well worth
seeing 1t has many of the features
of the great Columbian fair and not a
few new ones added. OF one thing
we may be certain-the south will be
seen through very strong magnify
ing glass. They feel that they had
no show at the worlds fair, and are
going to make the effort of their
lives. at this time, am firmly con-
vinced they can do it too. All they
need now is continued good weather
and they all claim that they will have
it. They tell me that the rains came
this year IN August and there will be
no more to speak of this year.
RI ACHI ROIJND OVER