The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-10-26
Mr.. Editor"


Nature
+R-"HeIIol Mr.. Editor"
R.-"Hellol Major. Hope you have
recovered your usual healsh since you
attended the circus"
B.-"Well. l wuz feelin' a little bet
Ter, but Betsy made me go ter the
State Fair last week an that stow me
up ergin ter a large extent. We are
opposed ter Fairs az much az we are
ter circuses, an believe that the money
spent on them should go ter educate
an Chyistianize the heather in furrin'
lands, especially the Sandwich Islands,
but we can't resist. We generally fell
victims ter the law ov gragitashun an
gravitate toward the circuses or the
Fairs"
RI can't think that there is any
thing especially Objectionable to the
Fairs. In some respects they are
useful"
B.-"That il so, but the sideshows
an things whut go erlong with the
Fairs are whut causes u ~consciences
ter throb an burn like seethin' fur
naces Ne an Betsy did just like the
rest ov 'em; we spent erbout an hour
lookin' at the fine disply ov cattle an
hogs, poultry, big punkins, pertaters
an manufactured products an ma
chinery etc, an then put in the bal
ance ov the time lookin' at sideshow
contrapshuns an gittin' bit by the
fakirs. We went ter see the two headed
woman, the crystal mas" an erbout
three dozen other things that weren't
Wurth shucks in August. Betsy bought
q brass breastpin an everything else
that wuz fer sale. l bought a 5 cent
Walkin' cane fer % cents. Every time
Betsy would find somethin' ter
buy or sum new place ter visit
an see sum humbugs, I would
: enter a vigorous protest an put il
sum pritty eloquence fer the poor
heather, but Betsy wouldn't listen a.
me. She had gotten a taste of blood,
az they say erbout the wild beasts
when we went to the circus, an she
coulC mt be satisfied with anything
short ov a thorough ~inspectshun ov
everything in or out Of site. [ reckon
If it hadn't bin raiDin' so the races
couldn't cum of, she would hev spent
the last ent a bettin' on the races
We are terribly down on bettin, but
she had lost her head. Ny appeals fer
the poor heather in the Sandwich
Islands fell like raindrops on a ducks
back. Circuses an fairs are more de.
moraIzin' than perlitikal campanes
By the way, I seed sum Ov the politi
shuns a c~aucusin' Ground in Raleigh
during the fair. The Republicans an
the Pops were c%aucusin' a GUIDE deal,
but / didn't see much commoshun er
mong US D5makrats. We don't seem
ter be in the game very much. Wen
hev ter git tergether an shake our
selves, or we'll go into a trance an
never git out. Az Kernell Grayham
Hay would once remarked, lets be,
ruther than sem ter be- I notice that
Kurnell joe Caldwell, ov the Charlotte
Observer, il gittin' mad ergin. He
says Gov. Russell IL beatin' the rail
roads out ov everything he kin git
without givin' anything in return. I
recon the railroads are sorter mad, too,
bekase the Governor won't give them
whut they want. I understand that
Governor Carr gave the Southern a
powerful big bargain in leRsin' the
North Carolina railroad at SIGH a low
rental, an ov course, he haz beat the
Southern out ov anything. I reckon
he gave enuf in exchange fer his pass
ter pay fer several passes a lifetime.
IL Governor Russell would do some
thin ov that kind he wouldn't be criti
cized by some people. Gudebye."
-~ ~
DTTcCzTF ANN znD1