Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1921-08-11
IT'S GONE

Well, the Carnival has been here
The various freak shows, fakes, rides
ETC., folded their tents 'like the Arabs
and quietly stole away" Whether
that is all they left or not, we know
they didn't leave our streets as they
found them.
The lively breeze that famed the
cheeks of Wisconsin Rapids people
filled their eyes with dust and sent
their hats whirling around the corners
was caused by the sigh of relief which
was heaved by business men on First
and Second streets Saturday afternoon
when they realized that the Carnival
had only few more hours to go. The
smoke that filled the atmosphere on
Sunday afternoon was the sulphurous
product of the language of those same
men when they observed the condition
in which the Market Square and the
streets had been left by the departing
guests. The tents had been anchored
to the pavement with bags of sand IN
lieu of stakes, and many of these sacks
had been emptied in the street, along
the curb and even upon the sidewalks
in front of the business places on First
street.
However, that was all cleaned up by
Monday evening. Gee, but First street
looked about a mile wide when we
WE. IL al h1r +bo,o MoyJo,y -, ,x.,, -, =, of
ter week of being almost complete
ly filed by brown tents and other
country fair paraphernalia.
Considering it philosophically, the
Carnival struck US as an unneeded ad-
ditional proof of the truth of P 7.
Rarnum's famous saying, there's
new one born every minute" People
who would think it horror to lay
hand to deck of cards even to play
"Old SOL" gambled shamelessly for
fifty-cent KeWpie Doll They paid
double or triple price for admission to
shows wherein they found less to be
seen than was allowed to appear on
the platform in front during the 'hal-
lvhoo." Silly, foolish, cheap, and en-
tirely inartistic dancing acts entirely
lacking in any merit, but full of evil
suggestion to the youthful or uncon-
trolled mind; music that lacked mel
ody, harmony or rhythm; a great deal
of shouting, taking, gambling but very
little of wholesome fun, laughter, a.
musement, or interest cs9id be efaund.
there during the evenings that this
aggregation spent in our midst.
You paid your money and you got
O00000000. You would do as we'll to
throw your dollars in the river You
would do even better, and win more
gratitude by giving one-tenth of what
you spent at the Carnival to your
church. Anybody who will kick about
his taxes and then spend anywhere
from five to twenty-five dollars on
Carnival ATTRACTIONS" and chances on
Taffles should be graded zero in citi-
zenship, and minus twenty in intellect
In the name of civic Righteousness
and the physical and moral cleanliness
which all good citizens desire for their
city, don't permit another period of
laXity like this to occur in your vicin-
ity. A carnival is mo fun" if it is
not taken as a license for numerous
sorts of lawlessness. Open gambling
and shameless exposure of the person
by blase females are only two of the
most conspicuous of the evils with a
show of this kind. Certain fellows
were sent out of the city last week for
running "crap game" IN one spot.
But the Carnival Company were run
ming dozen or more gambling games
on their grounds and nearly as many
fakes and skin games, unchecked and
unmolested. 1t must take a unique
brand of consistency to square these
two actions with each other and class
them both as claw and justice"
The two best things we can say of
the Carnival, land we want to say
something good if possible) are, "The
various rides were good and were well
managed The "kids" had lots of fun"
and Its over with" Let's never have
another.
REX.