Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-08-21
SHORT SKIRTS BARRED
State Fair Management Looking
After the Moral Character OF
Its Attractions
ORIENTAL SHOWS UNDER BAN
Contracts With Managers Prevent Ap
pearance of Women Dancers in Short
Satisfactorily Every County in Iowa
to Be Represented in the Livestock
Exhibit.
Special TO Times Republican.

| Special to Times Republican.
! Des Moines, Aug. 21.-The moral
! tone Of the shows and attractions at
[, the state fair is amply safeguarded.
It's written in the contract" and if
any oriental dancer appears at the
state fair in front of tent to attract
crowd she must be clothed In
, skirt that reaches within at least four
inches of the floor.
For some years the directors of the
state department of agriculture have
been watching with an eagle eye all
the attractions that are offered for
the amusement and diversion of the
public mind. They have not hesitated
to refuse space Oh the grounds 10 any
thing that has a suspicious flavor to it.
Many have thus been eliminated
Last year Vice President Brown was
made superintendent of the conces-
sions. He kept the same vigilant eye
but the strain was great and to re-
lieve part of this strain this year he
adopted the scheme of writing il in
the contract Now when the burly
manager OF a tent aggregation of ORR
entail dancers makes his annual APP
plication for space he is confronted
With the contract, which requires that
all female attendants must be fully
clothed in the American style of fe-
male dress. Low neck affairs at the
waist line are strictly forbidden and
the skirts must reach to within four
inches of the floor. If the aforesaid
female attendant or assistant is not
dressed in the American style then the
entire body must be clothed, swathed
or otherwise entirely covered with
some opaque substance
There is only one leniency on the
part of the fair management and that
is that the female attendants or as
sistants can go barefooted If they
wish to-
Some Of the managers of such at
fractions have jumped at the contracts
thinking from the readiness with
which they are held out this year that
there has been change of sentiment
and opinion on the part of the powers
that be. After they have paid their
money and read the contract they be-
come crest fallen.
Now see here boy, quit your kid
den.' said one manager With beauti-
fully curled black moustaches after he
had seen the stinser in the contract. 4
Il thought maybe you folks had come
to your senses on this deal, but look
here you don't understand this thing.
These ladies with my attraction are
highly respectable native Turkish /
women and they stand out in front be- |
fore the show begins to attract the
Now look at this thing. Skirts /
four inches of the ground"
Nearly every county of Iowa is to
be represented in the big live stock |
exposition the coming week. In the
horse and cattle departments alone
there are 112 Iowa exhibitors and they |
are well scattered over the state. There
are eighty exhibitors in the horse de-
partment and Superintendent Curtiss
reports that fifty-fve of them are
Iowa individuals or firms. There are I
separate exhibitors in the
cattle department. and Superintend--
ent Packard reports that fifty
of them live in Iowa. In hogs the
of Iowa exhibitors is even
larger. Iowa breeders of sheep and
poultry have also increased amazingly
in the past few years.
Des Moines, Aug. 21-A call has been
issued for reunion of former officers
and directors Of the old State Agricul-
tural society and the State board of |
agriculture to be on Tuesday, Aug. 27
at the state fair. The call was pre-
pared by committee consisting of r.
F. Brockway, N. S. Ketchum and w. w.
Morrow, all of whom have been con-
spicuous in the management of the
state fairs in recent years.
1t is the intention to get together as
many as possible of the men of Iowa
who have had something to do with the
of these fairs. They are
men who have assumed great RESPONSE
oilities and feel that they have been
humble instruments for the upbuildfng
Of the state Their reunion will be
notable event Of the fair this year.
Among those who are expected to be
present are J. c. Frazier, M. ]. Wragg,
J. P. Manatry, Geo. w. FRANKLIN, w.
f. Hartman. John Cownie, c. c.
Prouty, John Hays, L. S. Coffin, ]. A.
Evans, ]. D. Brown, James Wilson,
George Van Houten, Albert Head and
Fl. c. Wheeler. Others who were prom
nent in the state fair management in
other pears are j. j. Snouffer, John
Scott, w. W. Field, w. 7. Smith, j. M.
shafTer, Robert Sewers, S. C. Bever.
George G. Wright, Peter Melendy and
F. N. Chase.
Ex-Governors Leslie M. Shaw, Frank
D. Jackson and Horace Boies are eligi-
BILE, since they have been responsible
FOR the fair management as members
Of the board at different times.
More than 200 of the best and most
citizens OF the state have
had to do with direction of the state
fairs, many of them serving for many
years.
MRS. HUEGLE FAILS TO PASS.
Polk County School Superintendent
M,x Nat be N,od;J,ta