The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-28
WHY NOT A STATE FAIRP

The Clayton Record has this to say on a subject that should be of interest to people all over Alabama:
 Judged by expressions of citizens where street fairs have been tired one b enough, and two a decided nuisance. Why don't the old Agricultural Society, composed of real farmers, reorganizeu and have a genuine old time StaLe Fair at Montgomery. Major Culver of Unlon Springs, was the last active head of the body and he will do good service by revfving interest in 1t. Alabama can hold her own with most States in every thing that comes off the farm. There is a growing interest in the raising Of horses, hogs, cattle and all kinds ot stock. The people would turn to a regu- lar high-toned fair, as decided relef from the flood of street fairs and expo sitions to which they have been treated in recent years.
 The Advertiser would rejoice to see the old Agricultural Society re-organized, or to see some similar organization take its place, and give us "a genuine State Fair" as The Record suggests. We have | given the street fairs a fair trial and cannot say that we are very deeply or | enthusiastically enamoreG of them There Is a great deal of noise and confusion, l considerable fun and amusement, and much that is indefensible and, to say the least, uninstructive. Much license is allowed and many liberties taken which | would not be allowable at other times, and when it us all over who has been benefited? Do the thousands who come l to Montgomery to attend our fairs derive l any real benefit, intellectual or financial, by coming? Some of the shows make money and possibly some branches Of trade in the city are benefited, but the visitors go away with less money and no benefit
 With an old time State Fair. devoted to exhibits from the fields and the stock yards the gardens and the orchards. the shop and the factory, the loom and the needle, showing us the best results achieved by stock raisers, by agricultur- alists and horticulturalists. by mechanics | and housewives-in short, with a Fair which should have on exhibition some thing from every branch of Alabama s many industries, there would be some | thing to learn and to De permanently benefited by. Men, women and chil- dren from every walk and condition of life. of all occupations, callings and pro-
 fessions. would see or hear something
 of benefit to them, and would take away
 with them a knowledge of what others
 had done or were doing in their own line,
 and this is one of the great advantages
 of A State Fair. No one man or wo-
 man knows all that can be known about
 any business or occupation, and no man
 or woman Is so wise or experienced that
 he or she may not find something new,
 interesting and instructive where the
 products of all parts of the State are
 brought into prominence. In some of
 the Northern States these Agricultural
 Fairs are as much a part of the agricul-
 tural life of the people as is seed time or harvest. In some sections each county has its annual Fair and they must be : popular and profitable or they would not } be kept up.
 We are aware that the claim is made that State Fair cannot be made d sue,
 cess unless racing is a part of the pro