The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-05
CROWD OF $4,000
] AT FAIR GROUND
/ SCHOOL EXHIBIT
Largest Attendance for 0cca-
sion of This Kind
Ever Brought Out in History
of the City.
AAADcuAIIJ0 QANn DI ave
MARSHALL'S BAND PLAYS
Exercises Open With Entrance
Z of the May Queen.
Street Railway Furnishes Free
Tickets to Thousands.

Nearly 1 900 men. women and chill
dren invaded the fair grounds this
afternoon for the second annual ply
steal education exhibit of Topeka
schools. At las, the time of opening
the exercises. it was estimated that
there were nearly 10000 people on the
ground and more were arriving con-
stantIy. Perfect weather brought out
the largest attendance for anything OF
the sort that the city has ever seen.
The big entertainment opened with
an overture by Marshalls band. Then
the May queen, pretty little Marguerite
Stewart of Sumner school. entered
Followed by her suite. She was en-
throned and crowned and sat through
the afternoon smiling upon and ap-
plauding her 5000 subjects
The first number on the program
was hoop drill embracing 1900 chill
dren of the second grade. The tiny
YOUNGSTERS went through the intricate
movements of the drill without flaw
and the crowd gave them a fine round
of applause.
The more spectacular numbers OF
the exhibition We're saved for the last.
Especially notable were the pyramid
efeats For weeks five hundred boys
have been meeting one night every
week preparing for this act. They
L w
way of pyra mid building. Atlas Out
done, the Tower, the Span. Five High
and Four-in-One were some of their
acts Some good tumbling was done
by the High School Boys club.
The MaSpoIe Dance.
The big feature was the Maypole
dance, the concluding feature. Around
vtwenty May poles 400 of the prettiest
girls in Topeka schools danced gaily,
winding the ribbons of the pole as they
went through their evolutions. The
ribbons on each pole represented the
colors of some school and the effect
was striking.
Order was preserved on the grounds
ny a special detachment of police UNI
der the direct command of Harvey
Parsons A detachment of IS members
of Battery A in uniform under Lieu
tenant Bartel assisted. A large emer-
gency tent hospital was installed with
several nurses from the public health
nursing association in charge.
The Topeka Railway company did a
fun share in assisting with the fete
staged by the school children.
Thousands Rode Free.
More than 1000 children compris-
-ing the second and third grades in
3Topeka's schools, were conveyed tC
and from the fair grounds. without
Enlarge. The railway several days age
Supplied all the second and third
grade teachers with tickets that suf-
feed for the round trip from schools
sto fair grounds and return to the
1eity. Every transfer privilege was in.
rcluded with the free tick cts
8 Last year. free rides were extended
-to first and second grade children, but
tthe older children in the third grade:
Hwere included today because the frs
@grade pupils did not participate in the
Festivities as they did in former
-years.
The entire equipment of the stree
grailway was used to handle the 10 00(
echildren, their friends and parents an(
steachers, today. In some instances
sthe regular schedules were interrupted
sslightly in order to give proper at
stention to the small army of children
Safety for the boys and girls wa
given particular attention today, anC
: superintendent Howard w PatteI
posted street railway men at ever,
point of possible traffic congestion
-and these men saw that due care wa
exercised in boarding and alightin;
2 from street cars. And, besides tn
railway men. the teachers lent a han,
in the safety measures.
Special cars were stationed at o
near all the school buildings at nool
{ today, and the children proceeded di
: rectly from the school rooms to tn
cars, avoiding risk in transferrin;
more times than absolutely necessary
Much credit goes to w. P. Mclean
tdirector of physical education, for thi
years exhibit. Last year which wa
McLean's first year here, he inaugur
fair to be a fixture in Topeka schoo
life. Not a hitch married this year
exhibition. The children went throuCl
their drills with military precision