The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-02-06

pay what it would cost you IL you were
directly taxed to pay the deficit? And |
most every enterprise, every object of |
human interest, and human invest |
ment, and human endeavor, be judged |
by the standard of profit, and be cast |
aside if it doesn't "pay?" If SO, along |
with the fair will go all your schools,
and churches, and asylums, and hospi- |
tails, and prisons; many railroads and
large factories, together with millions
of farms and other private enterprises,
with myriads of tools and implements
and so on, ad inf1nitum, for the subject
is far reaching-because they don't
pay!" And along with these must go
the U. s. postal system, which, though
an indispensable adjunct to
all social and business interests, is a
financial failure.
The agricultural experiment stations,
located in nearly all the states, must
go, too, for while they are doing a
grand work for the reading, thinking
farmers, all over the land, are almost Qf
not quite) uniformly Improbable as
financial investments, and are main
tained by state and government appro-
priations,
Your annual agricultural fair is
(to those whose minds are open to re-
ceive its Instruction. an educator in a
broad sense, and, as such, should be
encouraged and fostered (as it is by
both the state Legislature and county
commissioners, who thus give evidence
of the broad mindedness conceded to
them by the voters in selecting them.)
It furnishes an incentive to agricultur-
ists-of both seXes-and to artists and
artisans in many lines of human en-
deavor, to exert themselves and try
to surpass their competitors in their
several callings, and should be con-
tinued and perpetuated upon these
broad grounds, even though it may not
pay" in the estimation of some who
look upon it with sordid eyes merely
many of whom, possibly, never con-
trbuted a cent to sustain it, unless,
perchance, they keep dogs and thus paid
toward the $1,000 given the society by
the commissioners last year Even in
that case they should uphold it for the
good it does in encouraging the i'm
provement in the quality of dog food,
(mutton).
Aside from the value Of the fair as an
educator it is worth all it costs the
county to maintain it, merely as a
place where all the people may go once
year, or oftener, to meet and greet
their friends from all parts of the county
and from neighboring counties. Does
not every large city, and many smaller
ones, maintain public parks, for the re-
creation, enjoyment and admiration of
all who may be able or inclined to
visit them? Has not Canton such spots?
And they are purchased, beautified, and
policed at public eXpense-and, does
any well balanced person ever object or
propose to sell them because they
don't pay? Would any of you consent
to dispense with your mail facilities be-
cause the postal system is not self
sustaining? / trust not.
Go it, thou mercinary, parsimonious,
Subscribe for three or
four live agricultural papers, read them,
and expand thy ideas, and learn how
to improve thy stock and to grow bet
ter grains and vegetables, so thou
mayest take the prize at the next fair,
meanwhile taking something for thy
liver) then shall thy mental obliquity
be Strengthened, and the scales fall
from thine optics, and the moss from
thy back, and thy objections to the fair
the great Stark county fair-vanish
as dew before the morning sun. And
don't forget to come up next fair time
and buy a membership ticket, and bring
for exhibition-and don't get
mad if you fail to get the prize, but
go home and "try,try again"
Granted that there may have been
a better site for the fair east of Can
ton than the one chosen, yet the wis
dom of those in authority at the time
led them to select the present site, and
an examination of the map shows it to
be very near the center of the county
especially when it is considered that
the county includes, for fair purposes,
two townships of Tuscarawas county
and one of Wayne.
I would beg your pardon for the
length of this if 1 thought it would
occupy more space than did your
article which called me out. Instead,
1 will say that I fail to understand
why any newspaper should antagonize
or put itself into position to be accus-
ed of antagonizing an agricultural fair.
Both are edifices and instructors of the
people and should be in harmony.
Hoping you will give this the same
degree of publicity accorded your own
article (print it in the same editions), 1
am, Very cordially yours,
PREMIUM.
VTnIVAINN NnInUTlT