The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-10-29
THE STATE FAIR-THE ONE THING
NEEDED.

GO4AhPS 10 OOCS liz SOO0g IA "
one feels that he ought TO speak he
has NO right to keep silent because
of any fear that his appeal may be
ineffective. Some one ought to
speak, and speak with emphasis, re-
garding the character of the side
shows that are allowed to faunt
their ~vileness in the faces of those
who come TO Raleigh expecting TO
find the Annual Fair, supported by
the State, free from immoral fea-
lures, or at the very least keeping
such features in the background. If
it were a strictly private enterprise,
supported exclusively by private
citizens as a money making invest
ment, we should perhaps have no
right to protest so earnestly against
the sacrifice of responsibility for
dollars. But since this Fair is aided
by the State of North Carolina,
whose people do not believe in foster
ing vice and immortality, even for a
money consideration, we feel that
we have a right TO complain, and we
do complain, of the indiscriminate
admission of side shows.
We know and freely admit that
some side shows should be allowed.
Many such shows amuse or instruct
without fostering evil, and an ex-
cellent Midway of such attractions
could be secured for almost any Fair.
There were a number of such shows
at the Fair last week, and they de.
serve encouragement, just as do all
forms of entertainment that give
pleasure or amusement without i'm
planting oorrupting influences. Nor
do we protest against ingeniOusly
constituted fakes and puzzles with
which it is perhaps true that most
people like to be humbugged. But
against the vulgar and indecent
shows that corrupt rather than
amuse, fostering vice and lawless-
ness, we do protest. And in our
opinion there can be no excus for
the admission of such exhibitions,
unless we accept the plea sometimes
made that the fairs will not pay
without the money secured by the
partnership with these degrading
enterprises. We do not believe that
the Fair is so dependent upon one or
two dozen exhibitions of obscenity,
but if it be true, then in the name
of common deoency let the State in
crease it's appropriation so as to
maintain our Fairs without this
feature, or Withdraw it's support
entirely.
OF these shows of the baser sort
we have reason to believe that not
O~ne-fourth as many we're to be found
in all the extensive Midway of the
Pan-American Exposition as were at
III little State Fair last week. And
at none OF those in Buffalo we're 80
De seen the vulgar outside exhibi
tions that were fauuted in the faces
of North Carolina's best Women last
week, and in the faces of young peo-
pie sent from homes where the
liberal support of the State was &C
oepted as a guarantee of freedom
from vicious and degrading infu-
ences.
1t is not a pleasure to write thus
of a Fair which we should like to
commend with unstinted praise, hut
a sense of justice oompels it. The
people of the State support the Fair,
and if they will make their influence
felt in the proper manner and at the
proper time, they can change it's
policy in the particular of which we
complain.
The exhibits of the Fair are of
great educational value, and these
annual reunions Of the people give
pleasure to all that attend them, and
the ore thing headed TO make the
Fair wcrthv of thefull support IF the
State ia a dissolution of oo-partnar-
shin with these ~Jisgracaful side
shows, such = dissolution ss was
effected by President R Fl Battle
in 1899
Since the foregoing article was
written, Secretary Pogue has made
this statement
"Much of the Midway, especially
the dancing and high gaming. has
heen extremely offensive tn the man
agement and while q expelled
from the grounds it becomes living
issue with the managers of the Fair
and must he decided on the side of
decency, common sense and good
n--ulz 49,. -.-A o. M