The farmer and mechanic., 1915-11-02
(BION II. BUTLER)

idSL week SCoIy III Tic oldlC al
coming from me might have beeu re-
garded as biased by personal desire
to see the fair a success. AS the fair
closed week ago yesterday and my
connection with it ceased then what /
have to say may be taken as the
opinion of q newspaper man, viewed
solely with the newspaper eye. or if
preiudiced at all, pre1udiced by that
interest in the progress of the State
and its institutions. which are not
open to the question Of favoritism.
it is q mystery to me how l get
tangled up in these things, but when
Col. Pogue notified me last spring that
! had been appointed to a place on
the executive committee of the fair
concluded to go with the crowd, and
make use Of the chance TO help to get
North Carolina more into the lime
lieht. IT was live crowd | fell in
with. Col. Pogue is an old war horse
who has been doing this work for
years, and ne is an encyclopedia on
fair affairs. and q hustler for the
work. I did not know so much about
that at the beginning Of the campaign
as / did at the close. Aided by 6. B.
benson. the treasurer, and backed by
n strong advisory board Of the big
men of North Carolina. Col. Pogue
laid out II more comprehensive pro-
gram than ever. and carried it out
Parrish Man of Business.
Fortunately TO help Col. Pogue the
association elected a president of the
fair ASSOCIATION, Capt T.. J. Parrish,
Of Durham. a man who is business
anG progress from his boot heels to
his hat. and that topped out a combi-
nation that left nothing to be desired
The work these men did showed this
fall. It will show for many a year
for they have started several things
that can not stop right away. Capt
Parrish in his inaugural address sci
North Carolina TO thinking over
some of the things proposed. The
dominant note of his adminiStra tioT
was to produce at Raleigh something
that should make the State bette
known to itself and it's neighbOrs
Nobody doubts but that has beer
dcne. The advisory board started ou
TO provide new buildings, but fOun,
tho financial conditions and the limit
ed time against the scheme for thi
gear. But they started something
and at the meeting Of the eXecutiv
committee Of the fair on Thursda
night of fair week that project Wa
given another push. II will not b
allowed to stop until it has worke
out TO a finish that / believe will b
bigger than the committee is figurin
on.
For some time the men who hay
been handling the fair have bee
striving to broaden the lines Of opera
ton. II was left for Capt. Parrish
administration to get the forces joine
and bring the issue to a focus, and
think that has been accomplished. II
arrived at the psychological momei
that We hear of. and with the wor
that had been done before him, II
backing of the advisory board and II
persistent work Of Col Pogue, he liz
left Il record that the State feels rigl
well satisfied with.
Several things commended this ia
from the start. 1t was early announ
ed that II was TO be an absolute
clean amusement enterprise, Stat
wide opportunity for publicity, an G
position of North Carolina resource
and IA reunion of the people from
quarters. Later the ideal Of hom
coming was introduced. and I'll the
things were carried out.
Perfect Order Prevails.
In two days mixing with the va
crowds on the fair grounds. I saw o
bottle Of whiskey, not a single m
that gave any sign of intoXication, O
encounter where two men were q
putting over something, but they we
quickly separated by their rrien
without any physical violence, and
heard not an offensive word, saw i
an offensive action, nor an offensi
exhibition In any of the attractio
IL the Fair Association had done no,
ing more than give the people
North Carolina a clean and attract
outing 1t would have deserved ere,
his thing pleased and entertained
people, and / don't believe ] can
better evidence Of its worth than
opinion of my 19-year-old boy "
stood with me watching the inter
or the people in the various harnl
amusements. He said, with the y
dom worthy of an older mind:
The number of these shows mi
be criticised but you see they br
here crowds that want TO be ent
tanned. That's a good thing for tn
It's good thing in more ways II
one. II affords them amusement
mighty low cost, for they can
irto almost any Of these shows fo