The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-03-18
FLED WITH YOUTH
Advancing Years Destroyed IIIu-
sion of Old Time Fair.
oildsd Caravans, With Their Wonder
sul centents, Which Entertained
he HeopIe Of English Villages.
(. Recalled to Memory.

xhs fair always appeared at the
same date and at the same place In
the particular town each year. In ODE
dience to some mysterious calendar
that probably never got into print, but
that nevertheless, was perfectly well
known to the show folk. No one
knew exactly, or cared exactly.
whence these showmen and show
women came. They seemed to COM
pa1ss veritable peripatetic army.
whose whole duty was to travel from
one end Of Great Britain to the other
and entertain and instruct less fortu-
nate people. Judging from the glar-
ing posters on their wagons, but more
particularly from the huge paintings
which adorned their show fronts,
they had Travelled to the uttermost
parts Of the earth, In order to find
the subjects for their unique and re-
6ned entertainment" and had been re-
war1ed by the patronage of most of
the crowned heads of Europe and the
presidents Of the American republics.
They rode for the most part in snowy
caravans. adorned with pictures and
neat little white curtains drawn
across little windows. and topped by
Dmokine chimneys. Or they drove
wagons piled with properties, or vans
the front ends Of which could be let
down and transform ID into an impos-
ing show front, while the opposite
ed could be mysteriously elongated,
and loi there sprang into being, with
IN the space of few minutes, long,
tubular rife gallery
The news Of the arrival Of the first
wagon. or the first gilded caravan. or
Of the setting up Of the first tent pole,
the sure sign and symbol of the COM
ting Of the annual fair. was always a
source Of intense interest and expec-
tancy to the young generation In the
town Struggling detachments of
boys and girls would soon be moving
toward the fair ground to get first I'M
pressions Of the pleasure to come.
And when the opening day Of the
1air had actually arrived, or, better
sttll. when the day Of days, which was
market day. had come, and the
grounds were packed with people, and
one had already done" the circus
twice, watched the gorgeous street
procession of lords and ladies'" and
howdahed elephants. and had almost
begeared oneself for the sake of see
ing the greatest wild-beast show In
the world, with the only live gorilla
ia captivity" at feeding time, which
Of course was the most expensive
time. there was nothing to do but TO
90 through the fair once more. The
last penny for that day had been
spent 1t was true, but one might
have the good fortune to come across,
In some corner or byway Of the fair,
the awesome person who "ate fire."
or the wonderful man who lifted
heavy weights like tops, or "swal-
lowed swords
Never, so 1t seemed, could there be
70 much for one to do or to enjoy;
never could there be again, or any
where else, so much delight as was
crowded into those avenues Of noise
by day apd noise and flaming naphtha
lights by night. where dozen brazen
bs'sds played simultaneously, a dozen
oygan as screamed and trumpeted and
= dozen big drums banged from the
steps Of the shows; where hundreds
Of rattles ratified, and stentorian
voices beloved to the crowds to pat
r0nize this and to look at that.
That the old-time fair was always
sure to be much the same, year after
year. did not much detract from Its
gorReousness or fascination in the
eyes Of those youthful patrons who
had been Saving up for weeks to
enjoy its prospective delights. Yet 1t
u true that, as time went past, some
thing Of the charm of the fair went
with it. The "kings" and queens"
seemed to be less royal, the gold more
tinsel. the coIors more garish, the
noise more apparent, the music more
cacophonous and the show people less
interesting. Then 1t was that the
interest Jagged, disillusion crept In,
and at last the fair ceased to attract.
It had, indeed, become a very ordi-
nary thing.