Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1901-11-22
THE SAVANNAH FAIR
As Seen Forty Years Ago BY a
Country Lad.

day | was suddenly aroused by u
familiar call that thrilled me. "Ten.
shun Premium, number seben; Sti-
ficate, number fooh," and then the
band played 1.-THE Turkish March"
in graveyard time and | rubbed
my blinking eyes and began think
ing about the evolution of exposi-
tons. My first exposition was at
Savannah in 1861, forty years ago.
My! l walked to town with the
price of a ticket in my pocket, but
a fellow selling chestnuts on the
outside got my money and did
not get in, but. /. heard the band
play "Willy, Willy, Winktum
Boom" and / heard somebody
calling out the premiums and Ger.
tifcates and l kind O. think till
yet that l got the full value of the
investment. The chestnuts were
worth the money and the music
paid for the walk.
After the "wah" / was a part of
the show. Secretary and Treas.
urer, with a red ribbon on my lap.
pei, and l still cut butter with
part Of. the spoils of Office. Once
we had half n dozen silver premi.
ums left over and the Directors
voted to divide them among the
faithful, and this was my share.
l think the thing cost about Is
cents, but it was a dollar premi-
um, and though it has perhaps cut
butter to the value of the capital
stock Of the Fair Assertion, it is
still as good as new, cheap at a
dollar! cheaper as a perquisite of
office.
After the Savannah Fair / saw
the Louisville Exposition, the two
bit show Nashville had in u barn
on Broadway; the ST. Louis and
Cincinnati Expositions; the Semi
Centennial in Nashville in $50, the
White City in Chicago, the "Big
Expo" in Nashville in '97, the
Pittsburg show in 100, and the
Rainbow City at Buffalo this year,
and, candidly, / feel that of all
these l got more enjoyment out
of the Savannah Fair, in 1877 l
think it was, than all the others
together. 1t was the time the
fakirs run the fair, and, among
other things, gave us Captain
Jack and the Modocs.
There were interesting features
about the Savannah Fairs-not
the least of which were "Riuing
for the Rings" and "Graceful Rid.
ing" l never tried the rings but
"went EN- one" on graceful riding
and beat the field. At least I was
the first fellow out. This little in.
cident was the first intimation
ever had that the estimate a fel.
low places on himself and the es.
innate others place on him may
differ sometimes and really l won
der now if we ever fully realize
that the other fellows estimate
may sometimes be right. The av'
erage boy turned out of a grace
full riding match always feels that
the judges either made a mistake
or were prejudiced against him.
never met but one man who said
frankly that he had failed in life
because he did not possess the
qualities that bring success ant
he was sober man and a philoso
pher. Human life Ia cOmbina
ton of limitless possibilities. TAX,
hold, turn three times to the RICH
and stop at G., then twice to thu
left and stop at o, half round Il
the right and stop at L and thei
back to ID and pull and the thing
will open, provided you hit TIT
combination, but tho great major
ity don't hit it.
But pack to the Fair. Oh, then
basket dinners, fit for the gods
Indiscribable. | wish | had on,
of them right now. Better tina
Thackcray's beefstake. He an
George had been enemies. The
met in a restaurant where the
had broiled tenderloin and oil
Madeira; they tasted it; looke'
across the table at each other an,
smiled 0nd were friends agail
Better were these Fair dinner
than the dinners Old Casey serve
at bis "TableDot" when Bill Ny
and Mark Twain and Bret Har