Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1904-08-05
KANSAS At THE FAIR.
An Interesting. Descriptive Letter By
Emily Grant Hutchings.

Kansas" the Worlds Fair makes
answer, ashes all right No state
in the entire Union has made more
creditable showing than Kansas. To
the people of the East who are apt to
remember only the drouth-plagued,
poverty-stricken state Of the western
prairie. the exhibits of Kansas in the
Palaces of Horticulture, Agriculture,
Mines and Education is an eye-open-
er indeed.
It is showing that speaks we'll not
only for the natural resources of the
state, but for the enterprise of the
general population and the wisdom
and energy of the Board of Commits
sioners. Col. John c. Carpenter, the
president of the commission is always
at his post in the beautiful, roomy
Office of the Kansas building, ready
to give information with regard to
the wonders OF his native state.
Much of the time he is assisted by
his colleagues, Messrs. 7. c. Morrow,
vice president; R. T. Simons, treas
urer; c. H. Luling, secretary; and
William P. Waggoner. At all times
the hostess, Mrs. Prentiss, is ready to
extend welcome not only to the
Kansans at the Fair, but to all who
visit the Kansas Home.
The building, which faces on Com
monwealth Ave-, and is located be-
tween the Exposition homes of New
York and Iowa, is one of the most
popular of the state pavilions. 1t
owes its popularity as much to the
fact that everybody is given genuine
western welcome and invitedto s'come
again" as to the real beauty and at
tractiveness Of the building and fur
nishings. In architecture the build
ing follows the lines of the western
mission structures, but it is sufficient
~ decorative to be in thorough har-
mony with the ornate buildings
around it. From the outside, the
most delightful feature is the multi
tude of wide veraudas where every
weary passer-by is urged to stop and
rest. The promise of the outside is
fully kept by the appointments of the
interior. The reception hall is 35x65
feet in area and is furnished with lux
urious comfortable chairs and divans
in weathered oak with leather uphols-
tering. The carpet and hangings are
rich and in good taste. Indeed, the
entire interior is marked by an ex-
quisite refinement of taste. There
is nothing snowy or inharmonius;
nothing one would not want to take
away and keep in his own home.
There are two grand pianos on
which those who are musically in
clined are invited toplay. Surround
ing the reception hall, which is COW
cred by great skylight, is gallery,
the walls of which are lined with the
work of Kansas artists. Among the
art works to be seen by those who as
cend to the second floor, none are
more worthy of consideration than the
marvellous handmade laces and en-
broideries of the Kansas women.
Opening from the reception hall
are the Offices of the Commission, the
gentlemen's smoking room, the rest
and reception rooms for the ladies,
the check. room and postofice, the
emergency hospital and the day nur-
sery. This last feature is most val
liable one. There is an attendant in
charge Of the little ones, and the
building was constructed with one
broad veranda entirely walled in so
that the children could neither fall off
or run away while the mothers were
the great exposition.
The display in the Palaces OF Mines
and Metallurgy is almost as much of
a revelation to the visitors from Kan
sas as to those from other parts of
the country. Few Kansans have any
adequate conception of the mineral
resources of their state. They know
about the coal and the crude oil, and
they have some notion of the salt,
1 ]. :. l. ]