The herald., 1897-02-12
A PERMANENT HOME PROD.
UCTS DISPLAY

The success of the recent Home Pro-
ducts show at the pavilion is source OF
very proper qualification to the exhib-
itor, and to all concerned. large AMI
! handsome display was gathered to-
gether, showing a variety of manufac-
tured products which the average citi-
zen never imagined could be turned out
in this vicinity The show was sue
cess, moreover, from the point of view
| of attendance some forty thousand peo-
! pie having paid it visit
While this is highly gratifying, and
should be made the basis of some eff
fort looking to an annual repetition Of
the event. the people of this city should
not forget that they have in their midst,
! open sll the year round with no charge
either for floor space or for admission at
the door. one of the finest and most com
plete displays of local products of every
description, agricultural as well as man.
ufactured, to be found anywhere in the
world. We refer to the display of the
chamber of commerce. 1t is common
trait of human nature to accept as
matter of course the most remarkable
have been happening for some time.
If there were no permanent free display
OF products in the city, and it was pro-
posed to open one such as now exists,
there would be an enormous amount
of enthusiasm over the project The
present display, however goes on from
year to year steadily improving, and
entertaining thousands Of delighted Wis
itors, while the average citizen of Los
Angeles never even goes to look at it.
There is in the center of the exhibit
room, under the elephants trunk, an
enormous book weighing three hundred
pounds, in which the visitors are sup
posed to register; but experience shows
that not more than one out of three
ever takes the trouble to sign his nama.
This book was put in place just year
ago, and now contains total of 40, coo
names. revealing the fact that about
120, 900 people have seen the display in
the course of the year. The register
shows that these people are from every
state and territory in the union, from
every country in North America, from
South America, Europe, Asia, Austria
liza and Africa. 1t is an amazing evil
dence of the cosmopolitan character If
the visitors to Southern California, and
a tally such as no hotel nor other pub
lie place is able to keep. Through the
nine hours that the exhibit is open, free
of charge, every day, from 200 to 600
people throng the aisles, examining and
studying the displays and learning what
the country can do.
Some of these visitors are in search of
homes, others have secured, land and are
to prove most profitable. Others still
are tourists who have no deeper present
interest in the country than a casual
curiosity as to it's resources. These peo-
pie provide themselves with information
which they deliver to their friends and
neighbors when they return home See.
ing is believing and the man who passes
through that display must needs
be convinced that this country can earn
handsome living for itself out of re.
sources so varied and SO valuable.
Home products displays and animal
oscopes, and citrus fairs with beautiful
decorations and fiestas with crowds of
visitors, all come and go, and their COM
ing is to be welcomed, but the superb
display of all the great possibilities 1f
this country maintained at the chamber
of commerce, open all the year, must not
be forgotten as one of the foundation
pillars OF the country's advancement.