Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-11-06
UNIQUE CORN CARNIVAL.
THE PRAIRIE IDEA OF A HARVEST
CELEBRATION.

CELEBRATION.
Ingenious and Picturesque Decoration
Made by Observation-Disclosures of Ker.
nels-Osculatory Frolics With the
Cleaning Red Ears-An Odd Battle
Once year, says an Atchison (Kan.
sas) letter to the New York Post, the
sunhower State grows enthusiastic
over the glory of its corn crop and
proceeds to celebrate the harvesting.
This city has for the past three years
been the centre of the corn celebra-
tions, and its corn carnival, to which
it devotes day and night, is one of
the unique features of the West.
The principal point on which the
most stress is laid is the decoration of
the town, and it is made very beauti-
fnl. The stores use hundreds OF ears
Win VI ~ attract The attention of the
passers-by, and there are on the side
walks strange creatures made out OF
the grain that seems impossible to the
novice. The young ladies make out
of the husks the most bewitching bon
nets and capes, and wear them through
the day, and the young men even get
up jackets and hats that rival those of
the fair sex for ingenuity and attrac-
tiveness. Even the horses are decor
ated, and one might think that the
town was all in the corn business so
generally is the place given up to the
festival.
The fun comes at night. When the
lights are ablaze and the streets are
shining in the glory of corn decora-
tlons, the young people-and the old
for that matter-go out with pockets
full OF corn kernels, and woe be it to
the passer who is not ready to take his
own part. Where in the Mardi Gras
there is shower of confection or
flowers, here is one of corn, and the
handfuls that are thrown among the
crowds soon make the streets crack
ling pandemonium. There is a prize
offered to the farmer who will drive
down the street with his wagon filed
with corn and have any of it left when
he arrives at the opposite end. So far
no one has been able to claim the
prize. There is license of the fullest
sort during the night, and the police
are theoretically locked up until
morning. With horns and corn the
parade goes up and down, laughing
and shouting, and the corn decora-
tions begin to suffer. One after an
other they are pulled down and used
to amuse the people, and there are few
stores that have the trouble of taking
down their decorations in the morning.
The streets become veritnble mills for
the grinding of the corn, and after the
crowd has been on them all the even
ing, the corn is ground into -four.
Bushels are gathered in the morning,
and many of the poor are glad to get
this corn, for food.
The greatest fun is over tho red
ears. for the young men insist that the
good old custom that they shall be al
lowed to kiss the girls under the red
ear is still in force-and they abide by
its rules, too. One grain buyer this
year bought large load of red ears at
a fancy price to sell again to the young
men, and they were all disposed of.
The State has a good right to be
proud of the corn this year, for there
is good crop and tho price is above
that of many years. The State Board
OF Agriculture estimates that there
will be 100000, 900 bushels of the
yellow grain.
One of the interesting contests of
the interior Of the State was that of
the fair where the yellow and white
ears bad contest. The silver advo-
Gates were supposed to be the favor
ties on the white-corn day, and no one
was admitted unless he brought to the
gate white err. The corn was piled
up, and made several large wagon
loads for the poor. The speeches were
for the white metal, and the bands
played for the orators. Then on the
next day the yellow was in the ascend
ancy, and the admission was an ear of
the yellow corn, and the speakers
made talks for the gold standard.
This was day of rejoicing, too, and
the excitement ran as high as on the
one preceding. The people came from
all parts of the country on both days,
and the addresses were by the best
talent on both sides of the question.
Nothing was decided, but the corn
was given to the poor, and many u
family was glad that there had been
the lively rivalry.
The originator of the corn. carnival
idea was E. W. Howe, the author of
the "Story OF a Country Town" and
the writer for the Atchison Globe of
popular reflections on life and man.
ners. He proposed an occasion when
there should he no speaking, and the
corn carnival was the result.
Northeastern Kansas, in the vicin-
ity of Atchison, is the greatest corn
region of the West. The fields never
know a failure, and the people are set
tiers who own their farms, and have
been here for many years. They till
the rich bottom lands of the Missouri,
and harvest the crops with regularity
and dispatch. The corn fields that
reach away from the highways are
among the largest in the nation, and
are beautiful sight in summer. Now
they are golden, and have on them
the weight of the big ears.
A Cart Drivers POlIteness.