Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1904-11-04
ST. LOUIS FAIR TOO BIG
Judge SibIey Thinks Lewis and Clark
Fair VIII Be Better Appreciated.

FAIRFIELD, ILL.,, Oct. 26-(To the
Editor.)-When I promised to write
you when I arrived at my old home, I
did not anticipate that l would be
kept as busy as 1 have been or I
probably would not have given my
PROMISE however, you know that
while have the advantage of George
Washington and could lie if wanted
to, I will not, SO will try to throw to-
gether a few items anyhow.
We left Portland at about o'clock
p. m. on the 3rd inst, and should have
arrived in st. Louis on Saturday, the
8th, at about a. m,, but our trains
were so large and crowded that we lost
time constantly from the time we left
Portland, and when we arrived at
Omaha we were so far behind that
they had to make up special train
and we did not get to st. Louis until
about 4 p. m. We only stayed in st.
Louis few hours, coming on out to
my old home the same night, arriving
at o'clock in the morning, much to
the surprise Of my folks, who were not
expecting us as they thought we would
stop in st. Louis for day or two.
I find that fifteen years has made
great changes in my old home town.
The children that [ knew have all
grown up, many have families Of their
own, some are gone, many Of the
older people are dead, and the town
also has changed greatly. Many new
buildings have been erected and other
changes made until 1 hardly knew
the place. I do not think, however,
that these eastern towns, as a rule,
change as fast as our western towns,
and while Fairfield is two or three
times as large as Dallas, think there
is twice as much life in Dallas as there
is here. Although [ have enjoyed
every minute of my stay here, l
wouldn't come back here to live if
they would make me a present of the
whole State I also believe that Dallas
offers better school advantages than
they have here, and I intend to have
one of my nephews go back to Dallas
with me and attend the LaCreole
Academy. Possibly Oregon is not
quite as good country as tell the
people here it is, but Oregon is a good
enough place for me and it doesn't
lose anything by my telling it either,
On last Thursday morning, we went
down to st. Louis and visited the
Worlds Fair until Saturday night,
and want to say right here that if [
were to try the balance of my life [
could not describe the Fair and half
way do it justice. 1t is simply grand,
but on such large and magnificent
scale that person would need six
months to see it all and study the ex-
hibits. We visited most of the larger
buildings, but, of course, we had to go
through them almost on run IN
order to get around.
[ believe the Portland Fair next
year, being smaller, will be much
more satisfactory to the person of
average means and limited time, as |
do not anticipate there will be so many
exhibits of the same thing in the
various departments, and then, too,
the weather will be decent at any time
the people wish to attend. At st. Louis
it was warm in the summer, and now
it has turned so cool that the flowers, |
or at least the more tender ones, have
been badly damaged by the frost.
However, now is the time for Ore
gonians to visit the Fair, as it is cool
enough so one can sleep at night, and
that was not the case earlier in the
season,
I hardly know what impressed me
most at the Fair. Mrs. Sibley and I
both enjoyed the art gallery very
much, but the same thing is true of
many of the other buildings that we
visited. We visited the Oregon ex-
hibit and while it was not as large as
some of the others, Oregon has no
reason to be ashamed Of her exhibit |
and it attracts a great deal Of atten-
tion. Right here might say that one
thing that has struck me forcibly |
since l have been back here is this (:
That fifteen years ago, when l went to
Oregon, dozens Of supposedly well-in-
formed men whom one would have
thought should have known all about it |
did not even know where Oregon was. !
Now, that has been changed, and peo-
pie all around are turning their eyes
to Oregon and are eager to learn all
that they can in regard to that State.
This shows that the railroads have be-
gun to advertise the State, and their
work in that direction is bearing fruit.
The Oregon building at the Fairis a
reproduction Of Old Fort Clatsop, and
is used as headquarters for the Ore
gon crowd; also, for disseminating
information relative TO the state and
Lewis and Clark Fair. The building,
being built of logs and having a
stockade and sentry boxes, attracts a
great deal Of attention, and while it is
not built on as magnificent scale as
some Of the eastern buildings, still it
is typical and they are not; hence 1t
draws the attention Of the people more
than the more pretentious buildings.
I shall not attempt a description Of
what may be seen as that would take