The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-03-30

IA presents two great as
poets the grave and gay.
Whether i'm animal life
or in the sphere of human activity,
these two phases of existence are sure
to be found. The grave and gay COM
plement each other in the order of
life established by the hand of kind
and gracious Providence. There are
sunshine and shadow. laughter and
tears, comedy and tragedy. and both
phases of existence are necessary in
order that the scheme of a wise Crea~
tor may be fulfilled
But IL is a good plan to emphasize
and encourage the gay and more
cheerful aspects of life, for, do what
we may, the serious and grave will
have opportunity enough to impress
the character and make a mark upon
human affairs.
Even religion can with advantage
give expression to merriment and good
cheer. In the medaeval ages this was
recognized even more than now or
which we find traces in the sculp-
tured forms i'm ancient cathedrals
where grinning faces look down at The
visitor from arches and columns
through the dim religious light" In
the religion Of primitive peoples, not
ably the North American indians
Laughter holding both sides" as Mil
ton expressed it i'm "L'Allegro," takes
conspicuous part in religious ccrc-
monies. The Indian as he 20
through the evolutions of his semi
religious dance, intended i'm part to
express thankfulness to the good Crea-
tor for his kindness to man, grins
and laughs and otherwise gives vent
to his sense of humor and gaNety, u
performance which he deems in no
wise inconsistent with the religious
character of the ceremony.
No great enterprise can be under
taken to represent the broad field of
human activity and emotions without
making conspicuous the light and gay,
and in an enterprise like an exposi-
ton it is fitting that this should have
peculiarly conspicuous attention.
"All work and no play makes Jack
a dull boy" The principle expressed
in this famous adage is more and more
recognized in all up-to-date schemes of
educational work. The kindergarten Is
an expression of this fact and the uni
versal tendency of educators of today
Is to make all branches of public in
structon as attractive to the youthful
mind as possible, rather than to repol
the student and create in him a dis
taste for learning by making the task
difficult and repugnant one.
When expostions, which in the last
analysis are but universities upon n
magnificent scale. were first instituted,
comparatively little attention was paid
to the light and gay aspects of life.
10 sports and amusements, as that
word is usually understood, or to Illus
trations of the quaint and curious
customs of the various peoples of the
earth. But as exposition followed cE-
position and their managers protit"d
by experience, it became evident that
they could be made to pay much better
when the amusement features and the
joyous and gay side of their charac-
ter were made prominent and that i'm
bringing these to the front there was
no detraction from the educational in
nuence exercised by the exposition as
whole. Thus the midway became n
recognized feature of the great OK
positions, and from a mere side show
it grew into a splendid aggregation Of
the quaint and curious. the novel and
exciting, the weird and mysterious, the
fantastic and picturesque, the strange
and marvellous things brought from al
quarters of the globe.
While it should not be supposed that
the midway of an exposition comprises
all in such an enterprise THAI is gay
and light-hearted, novel and enter
tanning. 1t is natural that within that
charmed portion of great fair all this
should be found in a pre-eminent Il Bee
gree When the midway at the pan
American was proposed, ii was deter
minde that 1t should be the very best
of its kind and the greatest thing that
ever happened if in treating of so
light a theme one may be permitted to
fall into the language of the streets
From the beginning, an effort was
made to Gull from the vast number Of
novel and attractive features offered
those which would combine the clc-
ments Of excitement and entertain
ment and at the same time impart the
kind of educational influence which
travel in foreign climes ana among
strange and unknown peoples is wont
to confer.
Thus. with the $30OOOOO being ex-
pended upon the creation of the Pan
American midway and the wisdom in
this vast expenditure resulting from
the experience of past eNpositiOns. the
visitor TO the Pan n-Americau next sum
mer can be assured that this part of
the great All-American exposition win
be not only fun of entertainment Cor
him, but full of instruction and profit
as WELL
- The purpose of this article is not to
present a catalogue of the numerous
features of the Pan American midway,
but to give the reader an account of
what is in store for him which viii
not, weary i'm the reading and from
which he can guage the character OF