Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-10-01
A MODEL FAIRLY Frederic j. Haskin


their best wares against velvet hangings.
Further on, are big glass cases with wom-
ems clothes On wax models--the SAME sort
of thing you see on Fifth Avenue. And there
are long aisles of booths where less artistic
but equally significant products are shown.
Apparently Canada makes everything from
drug supplies and electrical apparatus to UNI
brellas and chocolate.
Complete Exhibit
Among the other 80 odd buildings are
headquarters for dairy and poultry shows,
flowers, machinery, art, automobiles. The
automobile exhibits alone were valued this
year at $1,000 100.
Bands are considered an important educa-
tiona1 feature of the exhibition. There is at
least .one band playing somewhere all the
time. Then on certain days there are special
attractions-racea, either horse, motor boat,
or automobile; contests between bands and
between vocalists, cat, dog and baby shows.
From morning until late at night every
attraction the ground has it's crowd OF
interested visitors. The throngs seethe back
and forth along the walks. Fifty thousand
to 100000 people day are scattered over
Exhibition City. Generally, the grounds abb
sorb them without uncomfortable crowding.
But Young Canada Day this year was a rec
ord-breaker which showed that the 70 acres
soon to be added to Exhibition City are
needed.
Five hundred thousand free tickets were
sent to children within $50 miles Of Toronto,
and as a result 100000 people, nine-tenths
of them children, packed the grounds that
day. Toronto never saw crowd like it be-
fore. 1t was hot day and every available
patch of shade was covered out to the very
edges by families resting between adven-
lures. Lost children were counted up to l.
500, but an elaborate system of caring for
them resulted in all but four being reclaim
ed or taken home by night.
Early in the day the merry go-round prov
ed too-popular attraction. Even when the
distracted proprietor improvised rope
guard with two husky men to keep order
the children slipped through and climbed on
the horses, four and five to horse. Finally
the owner laughed and started it anyway,
but the load was too heavy. The big guild
ing rod snapped. No one was hurt but the
merry-go-round was disabled for the rest of
the day.
The big idea which the Canadian Nation
al Exhibition is now trying to put across to
Canadians is 'This is your exhibition and it
represents your country
One official explained: eve have never
before had the need of amalgamating in
fluences that the States have. We haven't
had the same foreign problem and in conse-
quence we haven't done much flag-waving.
For that reason we haven't always under
stood the United States perpetual illusions
to the flag. But now we have that problem.
and we have got to talk Canada"
The exhibition is not talking Canada,
however, to preach the abstract ethics Of
patriotism alone. They are trying to inst1ll
practical Canada-irst sentiment in the peo-
pie. Here are all the things which Canada
is producing" the exhibition points out.
''Yet our factories are working part time.
and our war veterans are asking for jobs.
Insist on Canadian made goods"
The Canaua-frst sentiment is given a
boom by the United States trade conditions.
Last year Canada bought $S50,000,00O
worth of stuff from the United States and
was penalized some $100,O0O,000 on the rate
of exchange. Add to this the tariff on Ameri-
can import trade and you see why Can
ada is crying for home use of home prod
ucts.
There is, however, only amicable feeling
toward America at the exhibition. The
Canadians are merely taking leaf out of
The American book in boosting the home
country. From their glowing tributes to the
great value and influence of their exhibition,
we might perhaps copy them there to ad-
vantage and stage an annual American Ma
tional Exhibition.