Evening star., 1925-04-18

uoWeu WITH the same ueSire, eacn at
| tempting to contribute to the sat
isfaction of the universal longing oi
! the human race to bring something
better home. BY the contribution that
1t can make to that high purpose, the
success of this fair will be measured
The Presidents speech, In full, fol
lows:
"A hundred and fifty years ago to
night Paul Revere made his midnight
ride from Charlestown, through the
Massachusetts countryside, to warn
the people that movement of troops
from the Boston garrison might be
expected against Concord. Early next
morning the expedition set out, and
before the day was far advanced a
conflict had taken place and LeXing-
ton had been the scene of firing the
shot heard round the world The
American Revolution had begun,
The women of Illinois have chosen
on this anniversary to open their
Women's World Fair. There are some
elements of special appropriateness In
their selection of the date. A world
fair, conceived, orga anized. directed
and managed by women, and devoted
particularly to the interest and activ-
tiles of their sex, is suggestive of the
revolutionary change that has taken
place in their status.
with keen eye for the historic
unities that should be preserved on
such an occasion, the managers of the
fair have arranged to signaliZe it's
formal opening, which is this moment
taking place, by reproducing the ride
of Paul Revere. Only on this ami
versary occasion it has been deemed
fitting that the historic ride should
be taken by a woman. So Paul be-
comes Pauline, and ambitious femin-
ism appropriates to itself a share in
one more feld of endeavor heretofore
claimed exclusively by the men.
Fair Urged as Beneficial.
'It Is over 80 years since the
worlds Columbian Exposition was held
In Chicago. That stupendous presen-
tation of the achievements of civiliZa-
ton has often been referred to col
loquially, though mistakenly, as d
worlds fair 1t was, in fact. not a
fair, but an exposition. On the other
hand. the presentation which is be-
ginning today is not an exposition, but
literally and precisely a fair.
Its counterpart will not be found
in the huge and formal expositions
that from time to time have been held
in many of the capitals OF the world
Rather, its inspiration must be sought
in the rich. moving, colorful fairs for
which many of the ancient European
cities have long been famous, but
which have been too little known
among the institutions of our Amer
lean life.
The effort cannot but be account
ed as a piece of national good for
tune to transplant and perpetuate in
our country those vivid presentations
of life and living which characterize
the famous fairs of middle and east
ern Europe. These Old World fairs
have come to be veritable panoramas
of the customs and clothing, the
modes and manners, the work and
play, the arts and industries, the in
spirations and aspirations of nations
and peoples.
II know of nothing more calculated
to promote the pride of vigorous COM
munity life, the sentiments of self
respecting nationalism, the truest 10y
atty to high traditions of national
character, than these distinctive as
bring together their works and handi-
crafts, their pleasures and recreations,
their household. art and science.
Good TO Draw Together.
ut is a good thing that great COM
munities should thus occasionally be
drawn together, to consider them
selves and their accomplishments, to
realize and appraise themselves, to
make their members better acQuaint-
ed, to remind each half of how the
other half lives. 1t is such a fair, for
such purposes, that the women of II
Iinois have aimed to present. They
have wrought their vision OF 1t into
an accomplishment of light and love
illness, of music and of movement, OF
shadow and of substance, of har-
monies and Of contrasts. They have
made it truly picture of the COM
munity which gives 1t place and set
ting.
I'm our American life we have pre-
served the conception of the Old
World fairs only in our agricultural
communities. The county, district
and state agricultural fairs, of which
hundreds are held throughout the Ma
ton every year, have developed a
UNIQUE type. But the agricultural
fair has been an institution Of, for
and by the people of the open coun-
try. The women who have prepared
this fair have sought to attain an
other and quite different object. Their
design has been to picture the people
and their ways of living, rather tnan
merely to exhibit their products,
which, after all, make up only the
background and setting of life.
Object to Improve Life.
"Peopie do not live for the mere
sake of production. Rather, they
produce in order that by possession
and consumption they may make their
Iiyas fuller. more fruitful, more
worthy. Much of what they produce
Is designed to be left as an endow-
noent to the future, some as memo
rial of the past. Every generation
seeks 10 bestow upon the world more
beautiful and useful objects that may
stimulate and inspire posterity. But
always the purpose is to improve the
estate of human kind, to widen the
horizons of knowledge, to make prog
ress toward usefulness, sincere mar.
mony, true beauty and the eternai
truth. ~, o..
+b.+ ire founders dreamed of the fair
1,hich now has become a realization.
What ia accomplished this year is ex-
nacted to be only the promise of larger
acbievement in years to come. But
year by wear the underlying aim, TO
bring a great people to know, realize
and understand themselves. will not
need to be changed.
"It was Voltaire, believe. who said
that TO know all, is to forgive ali
Though our times are not, as hlstori-
cal periods go. far beyond those of
Voltaire, yet the complexities Of hu-
man relations have been vastly multi
plied in that brief space. If we could
And means to bring all the people and
groups of people truly to know and
2 nd onoh other am nOnfidant