Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-09-29
A FAIR
BY Frederic j. Haskin.

same ground where the Indians met, Canadians
gather every fall at what has become the big
gest annual exposition held anywhere-the Can
adian National Exhibition.
Expeditions and fairs are held all over Canada,
much like our own state and local fairs. But
the Toronto exhibition claims to hold the record
for elaborateness, size and popularity.
To Toronto, the exhibition is the event or the
year. 1t has been an institution for forty-three
consecutive years. All year round, the 264 acres
of Exhibition City on Lake Ontario stand prac-
tically deserted, with only caretakers to keep the
buildings, fountains, band stands, lawns ana
flower beds in trim. But all the time the board
of directors of the exhibition and their commit
tees are working. The day after the exhibition
closes the heads begin considering improve
ments for next year. To be on the poard Is one
of the most important honors Toronto can con-
fer upon her leading citizens. The city Is proud
of the record that it has kept politics out OF us
exhibition.
When the affair opens, visitors pour into the
city. They come not only from all over Canada
but from every state in the Union, ana even d
good many from South America and other more
distant countries, for the Canadian National Ex-
position is famous for being a model fair.
The grounds present the sort of panorama Oh
any big exposition. There are long streets with
more than a hundred stands running padale
wheels, ball tossing games and other contests. NOT
one Of the games is a gambling device, you are
told. The board of directors is firm about that.
And prices are reasonable. The board makes the
contracts with the concession holders, hxing
fair prices, and a close watch is kept TO see that
there is no profteerlng.
Beyond the games and amusements, and the
big white eating tents, is the grandstand. When
Won consider that there were 0 1000 children on
this grandstand at three performances on Young
Canada Day-3O,000 at a time--you get an ldea
of the scale on which the Toronto exhlpltlon Has
Community Singing.
This grandstand faces four circus rings where
vaudeville and circus acts are shown followed by
a pageant, community singing, and at night nre.
works. How to get an audience OF some So,ooo
people to sing does not worry the exhlpltion
managers at all. Words are thrown on Two DIG
screens, one at each end of the S00-foot stage.
An ordinary megaphone or piano would scaree1y
- ,-., = ~ thA front rnUG nf 80 large an OuIQOOI
But a rolling booth, open on the
side toward the people, is pulled to the center y
the stage. OF the apparatus only three horns
on the top OF the booth are noticeable; A mar
sits inside the booth and plays a xylophone anu
sings in an ordinary tone OF voice, ana every
word can be caught at the far corners OF the
stand.
Canada takes kindly to singing. All sorts OF
well known songs are quickly caughC up anu
like "Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay," I'm the shade OF
the Old Apple Tree" and Garry Me Back TO
Old Virginny," are alternated with the new pop
ular tunes. 'Sing loud like last year. the screen
urges between two numbers, and CANADA laughs
and complies.
AS MANY entertainment features as there seem
to be at the exhibition, there are even more u
an educational character. The management pre-
fers to stress this side of the spectacle. Ioronto
ada in two hours at the exhibition than In a year
Of travel over the country. This Is Propaply
true. Few Americans would creolt Canaua ~
the varied assortment OF thinSs tha'
be seen in this all-Canadian display.
The manufacturers building. for instance mas
displays of rooms furnished IN oro-
cades. expensive-looking furniture, and orna-
ments Of glass and china that p1ght nave CONF
from the famous potteries OF Europe. anSie
too. makers of pianos and talking machines us
play wood of their best wares against VeNet
hanSings- ... u,orer,s
clothes on wax models-the same sort OF mn
Won see on Fifth avenue. And there are lone
aisles of booths where less artistic put equal,y
significant products are shown. ApParentls
Canada makes everything from drug suppnes
and electrical apparatus to umbrellas and choco-
late.
Among the other eighty odd buildings are
headquarters for dairy and poultry SHOWS aiU~
ers, machinery, art, automo1iies, .his ,ear at
mobile exhibits alone were valued this year ~
81, O00, 900. .,on-
Bands are considered an important educa1ion.
al feature of the exhibition. There is at Ieaee
ono band playing somewhere all the time. Ineh
on certain days tncle are speciaI onaoh;Ie.
contests between bands and between Vocalis'e'
cat, dog, and baby shows. - o.
From morning until late at night, every ~
traction on the ground has it's crowd or inter
osted visitors. The throngs seethe back ana
forth along the walks. Fifty thousan9 TO NV w
900 people a day are scattered ower +hem with
ont uncomfortable crowding. But young San.
ada Day this year was a record-breaker Whic1
showed that the seventy acres soon u oe "UN
to Exhibition City are needed.
Five hundred thousand free tlcKets were sen s
to children within $50 miles OF toronto, anu %o
q result 23O. 900 people, nine-tenths OF them
cb;ldren hacked the grounds that day. Ioron-
70 never saw a crowd like it before. IL was d
hot day. and every available patch OF snaoe We
covered out to the very edges by ramlnes restius
hot ween adventures. Lost children were count
cd IN to 1900, but an elaborate system OF carIls
for them resulted in all but -FOUR peihs S'@
or taken home by night. nroyed
Early in the day the merry-go-rouno ploseu
n too-nopular attr action. Even when the oiS-
tracted proprietor improvised a rope guaro WI
two husky men to keep order, the chlloreh shpr
ned through and climbed on the horses, Iour y,
Ave to a horse. Finally the owner iausheu aiu
started it anyway, but the load was 700 ne@ss.
The big guiding rod snapped. no b ne tor
hurt but the merry-go-rouho was ""
the rest of the day. >y.nono,
The big idea which the Canadian Natlonai
Exhibition is now trying to put across " ~
adams is "This is your exhibition ana ~ repre-
sents your country .r hafore
One official explained: 1--WE have never peISat
had fine need of amalgamating influences tiae
the states have. We haven't had the same LOT.
eign problem and in CONSEQUENCE we naVem ne
done much f~lag-waving. For t1at le"SSn
haven't always understood the Unlteo ota.es
nernetuaI illusions to the flag. But now We
have that problem, and we have got TO ain
Canada" however
The exhibition is not talking Canaua;
to nreach the abstract ethics OF PATRIOTISM aiole'
Thev are trying to instill aNpractical Canauao
first sentiment in the people,. here are al ;h;.
things which Canada is produclng, tHe -
tion points out. yet our factories are ~
mart time, and our war veterans are ashihs AoN
iobs. Insist on Canadian made gooos' hu
The Canada-frst sentiment is given a DOOM oy
the United States trade conditions. Lass sea.
Canada bought $3.50, 900, 900 worth OF stun tT -
the United States and was penallzeo soiie M.
600 900 on the rate of exchange. Aoo 70 ~.
The tariff on American import trade ana you can