Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-26
spiazzas. which circle around the front
of the house, are many skins of bear
and moose and deer. All of these are
trophies of the chase. tributes to the
presidents skill with the rifle.
FAIRS AND MIDWAY ATTRAc-
Country Gentleman

Il -
Like charity. reform should begin at
home. The civic committee of Boston,
which, as mentioned in recent issue of
this Journal, is in the business of puri-
Tying agricultural fairs can find a wide
field for its efforts for the elimination OF
fakes. fakirs, gambling institutions and
low resorts generally right at home, or
in any large city Of the land. Our ag-
Iricultural fairs are at present undergo
ing a process of publication from the
inside, and without pressure from the
outside. and the Improvement from year
lie year is very marked.
But in this process of publication it is
not necessary to "let the baby be emp
tied out with the bath water" as the
Germans say. 10 eliminate every fea-
ture of innocent amusement or fun from
| the fair grounds would be mistake
which Is like attempting to eat an egg
without pepper or salt. There is no need
of going to extremes. A close inspec-
| ton OF the Pan-American Midway must
prove conclusively, to any one who has
| eyes to see, that it is possible to COM
bine amusement and instruction, even
| in side shows. Many of the concessions
on the Pan-American Midway are not
I.orly of the very highest order of shows,
but in themselves of great merit as
means of education, althot may be true
that there are far too many in the ag-
gregate number of shows more than
| have ever been brought together any
where, and that the exposition would not
suffer, and the visitor lose nothing, IL a
| dozen or so OF the less worthy concerns
were left out, and the stands now occu-
| pied by them be left vacant. i myself
| am so fully convinced of the high edu-
cational value of a large number of our
midway shows that I would let my chill
dren stay out of SCHOOL week rather
| than have them miss seeing those shows
| of the best class.
| Take Bostock's Animal Show, as an
example. well remember how, as a
school boy, L would run after every ami
| NAL show that came along, spend hours
and days in geological gardens when
ever had chance, and how i loved to
read about animals and study their life
history. or write essays on geological
| subjects! A visit to the animal show
arouses the child's interest in animal
life, and sets him to thinking and
studying. My little fellows dour and
elk years old, who I took to Bostock's
the other day, still continue to talk
about the camels and elephants and
lions and monkeys. etc. This animal
show has particular interest and fas-
cinatfon for almost every visitor, and
for the young particularly. The trained
beasts especially the group of nearly
twenty full grown lions, all apparently
under perfect control and ready to do
the masters bidding. show the power
of nan and mans brain over brute and
brute muscle. My family and I have
spent hours in this show with profit.
But Bostock's Is only one of the many
shows on the Midway which depict act
ual life. A number of them give us a
very fair idea of the daily life, occupa
lions and pastimes of various foreign
Ipeople-Mexicans, Hawaiians, Eilirinos.
Eskimos, South Africans, yenitians,
Egyptians, Turks, Arabs, etc; also of
our own Indians.
It is one thing to read a book on the
Flipinos and their country. 1t is quite
another to go inside the Philippine VIII
lage'' and see with ones own eyes the
i5real Filipino man, woman and child in
their own huts Of bamboo and palm