The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-10-05
ORIGINALITY
Tie TOpeka's Fall Festivals Are
Made Original Enough
She Can Attract the Attention
OF the United States.
A LOOK AHEAD TO 1897
Shall Topeka OutdO This Years
Festival
With a Still More Magnificent
One Next Year
HOW ABOUT THISIDEA
A PantOmimic Representation Of
Kansas History
With a Thousand Performers on
Monster Stage.

There seems to be almost a univer-
sal feeling in Topeka that the Fall
Festival shall become permanent
thing and shall be repeated every year,
as 1t IS in many other cities annually
increasing in number.
1t would. indeed. be a pity to waste
all the prestige we have Won in this
Festival by throwing away an oppor-
tuntty to place Topeka in the same
rank with other western cities. Our
FAN Festival marked new era in
our civic life We did not wake merely
for the purpose of going to sleep again
10 pc sure, there is here and there
citizen who again feels the approaching
symptoms of sOmnOlency and says
"Oh. why did you disturb my repOse,
with All this noise and people and brass
bands and so forth, but these are
scarce. and it is the intention Of the
live. wideaWake Topeka people who are
in the majority, to make them scarcers
not by fOrcible means, but merely by
moral suasion and brilliant example
Thirty thousand people who set their
hearts on any reasonable thing can
have it. All it takes is energy and
determination. 1T doesn't even require
much money. And money WOuldnt
do much if the people did not have their
hearts fun Of the project and their
brains emthused with it. lit wasn't
money that made the glorious success
one Topeka FAN Festival this year.
1T was the enthusiasm of an excita BILE,
varm-hearted, energetic people such
as we have in Topeka when We get
them al working together. In St.
Louis. Kansas City and other places a
few hundred men get up their en-
tertainmeuts. while the vast masses of
the population stoldly look on
In Topeka every man, woman and
child contributed to the Festival. 1t
was a whole city in action All the
Workmen in the Santa Fe shops, for
example. an army in themselves, took
hold of the first day of the Festival and
made lit a splendid success The women
of the city united in a vast body OF
thousands in the construction Of the
floral decorations which We're never
equaued in the United States. Many
cities have floral festivals" but none
attempt to cover the fronts of the build
ings and garland the streets with
flowers
IF the women of Topeka take notion
to cover the entire dome of the state
house with roses next year, they'll do
it, No power on earth can stop them
Women are more enthusiastic than
men; they will do more for an ideal,
and they more than did their share in
TOpeka's magnificent Festival of 1896
Does anyone suppose they want to quit
at the very outset of a career Of glory
and never have any more Hestivals2
Every feature Of last week was g sue
cess. some of them far beyond the eX-
pectations of the most enthusiastic.
People We're astounded at the results
of their own efforts.
Il
city confidence in itself; it has inspired
US with hope of great things we may
accomplish if we want to- We can
build that auditorium; we can lay out
a park and boulevard from Kansas ave
nue. to Martins hill if we want to; we
can put an immense statue and fOun-
tain at one of the intersections of
Kansas avenue If we want to; we can
bring Wholesale and manufacturing en-
terprises here if we want to, we can
build the daln ia we want to; we can DO
anything we please If we only want to
do lit hard enough. We can mold a FAN
Festival here next year that viii not
only attract the attention of the people
of Kansas, but the people Of the Uni
ted States, if we only make UP our
minds that we win.
Next year possibly, we may not Sc
cure the soldiers reunion Other cities
VIII claim it, and a feeling of fairness
give it to some other city Topeka
would like to have the old soldiers come
here every year, but this is something
We cannot absolutely depend on
This being the case. we should be
prepared to make our Festival succeed
purely on its own merits There is on
In one way in which we can compete i'm
the amusement business with larger
cities that have more money to spend
in this direction than we have. We must
o7.ieinate something new. something
striking that win stir the hearts and
insnire the interest of our visitors. We
must give them something that will
lead their thoughts in new directions,
make them feel that Topeka entertain
raents are ever fresh, varied and novel.
We have the brains. the talent and
the push in this city to do all this. If
a grand Convention of Ideas" were
called in Topeka. there isn't the
slightest doubt that thousand splen
did suggestions could De made by
our gifted cultured and thinking peo-
Dle. hundreds of which would be practi-
cable.
THE Committee of Fifteen would take
s4s t.s..-.- ..i~..- ....- IS. -..s .~-
cal side and when il finds out ma can
be carried out properly and effectively,
win give it a place on its next years
programme.
The Journal has already a proposal
offered 1t for the Festival Of 1887 that
may be worth considering The pro-
sect rs large one and good many
matters of detail would require consid-
erabie thought and attention.
If the object of our Festival is to Sc
cure the attendance OF people. not only
from Kansas. but other parts Of the
united States. ass is The case at Colora-
az Springs los Angeles and other
places. we must needs have s9mhthing
here chat win bear the highest class OF
advertising WE must Pee prepared ta
send our posters and those which the
Santa ke. Rock Island and other rail-