Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-10-11
ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION TOO BIG
Jimmie Foley Writes Entertainingly Of the
Big Fair-North Dakota Exhibit All
Right and Attracting Much Attention.

at the fair is good, but not what was
expected. Up to the present time, 1T 4
has been falling of a little since St.
Louis day, which was the record
breaker. I have seen a comparative
statement Of weekly attendance at
st. Louis and Chicago and the Chicago
fair has st. Louis consistently beaten 4
for every week OF the season. The
reason is not difficult to see. Chicago
was more centrally located, had not
the bad weather reputation, and its
fair was new as a giant spectacle. st.
Louis is just ten years late. Then no
doubt the early reports Of oyercharges
and sordid propensities have kept
many people away. When the fair is
over / imagine st. Louis will awaken
with one such a headache as have
had once or twice after staying up
too late. The down town folks tell
me there is not much in it for them.
Prices of rent, foodstuffs and about all
that the working man or the man on
a salary buys have gone up, owing to
the increased demand But salaries
have not advanced and as usual the
consumer is paying the tax. The
concessionaires, the fellows with stuff
to sell, are disappointed. The crowd
is not buying what they expected. It
Is not a buying crowd. It comes here
to see but not to spend money. sAssa
result prices of trinkets and foiS
stuffs are coming down. 81
nearing its closing and they waa
SELL out. The Arabs, Egyptians ma
particularly the oriental folk with
stuffs to sell are positively hungry
ravenous might be better. They i'm
perfume you to buy with pitiful vehen
ence. We stopped at an Egyptian
place on the Pike to look at some rugs
"Meestaire,' he cried, please buy
something. Not one sale yet dis a
morning." We told him we would
come back later. He threw up his
hands with a despairing gesture.
Million people tell me that" he said.
''but none come back" If you stop at
a booth they are at you like vulturee
and follow you half a block with be-
seeching gestures. sa.
The Chinese and Japanese seem to
be doing a thriving business They
are good merchants and honest. All
exhibits are under government super
vision, and articles sold are checked
off and Quilted. Goods sold from the
exhibits are for delivery after the fair
But you need not pay now-they will
ship stuff with bill of lading to the
bank where they send by freight and
there is no possibility of your paying
for something and not getting it.
The Chinese are bright fellows. The
opinion we get of them from laundries
and opium joints is a mistaken one.
I talked with one fellow in the Liberal
Arts building and he had studied seven
years in an English school at Hong
Kong. He talked as good English as
l did, wrote a much better hand livery
much better) and was bright, clean
and dignified gentleman. have seen
Americans who could take lessons
from him in many particulars. The
Japanese are honest. Think of buying
pocket book at a Japanese mer-
chants establishment, one out of
thousand and hundreds of thousands
of people on the grounds, finding an
imperfection in it, taking it back the
next morning. and getting an exchange
for perfect one. That is what hap
pened to us in the Japanese pavilion,
and l wonder how many American
statesmen under similar circumstances
would have given you anything but
the plying glance and the polished
excuse for not being able to do any
thing for you, because you had not
gotten purchase slip. Oh, we don't
need to be afraid of the yellow peril
, The surface lines of the street car
company are handling most Of the
crowds to the fair. The service is
good enough. We. got up this morn
ing at Z: AS. walked two beocks to break
fast, ate breakfast, caught q car and
reached the fair grounds at 9:15.
That is fast enough We stood up In 1
the car, but we expected to do that
It is about three miles from where
we stop to the fair grounds The
crowd Us good natured, the street car
employees accommo dating, and unless
you are looking for trouble YOU won't
find It. The Olive street lines handle
most Of the people. They run cars
Continued On pase 8,