Evening star., 1938-09-18

railroad tracks behind the fairgrounds
was the climax in pageant drama in
four episodes, which, with the aid Of
characters like the Princess Nachula.
a fair Redskin damsel, and Capt. Dick
Kenwood of the Confederate Infantry,
portrayed the history Of the county
from 1888 to 1892.
The pageant proved the richness Of
Charles County's story, but the fair
itself showed that the countys old in
difference to the changes in society and
the way OF living in the world beyond
Marshall Hall and Mattawoman Greek
is crumbling. For all that it is almost
at the Capitals doorstep, Charles
County long has been a remote, easy
going place with the flavor of old plan
tation civilization. The advance Of
the new is marked by lespideza. war on
tuberculosis, better tomato crop. and
the decline Of the midwife, all recorded
at the fair.
Gypsies Tell Fortunes.
There was. indeed. the regulation
fair flavor Gypsies, six tents full. told
fortunes: prize bulls roared, and the
housewife whose strawberry jam won
the blue ticket indicating first premium
felt that the ultimate in temporal re-
wards had come her way.
But the fair didn't stop at gypsies
and jam. Right at the entrance to
the grounds the visitor found an un-
toward note. The first thing he saw
was not a pen of blue-ribbon cattle
but tent Allied with electric refrigera-
tors. for sale on easy terms; and in
case he absently were about to walk
past the tent without looking, his at
tention would be demanded by a
screaming radio giving him something
late 1898 like Joseph Joseph"
Then he could wander past the ferris
wheel and the airplane whip and the
popcorn stand and the gypsies in the
car with the New Jersey license play.
ing with Maryland terrapin down
to the white washed shed where John
Matthews was guarding the entries
for the garden products prizes anc
Fairfax Cooksey was superintendent o1
the tobacco exhibits.
Escaped Death in Fire.
Mr.. Matthews Is IS. He has hao
several close shaves He says he haG
amoebic dysentery for 20 years. He
came close to being burned to death
many years ago down at Morgantown
on the Potomac, south of here, wher
his house burned down. But he /.
hearty and looks about 55. He went
deep-sea fishing off the New Jersey
coast last week and caught $50.
pound tuna.
Never, said Mr.. Matthews. have the
garden crops been as good as this year
Tomatoes. potatoes, carrots, onions
beans, Swiss chard, mangels-the en-
tries for the prizes in these and the
other garden classes are unexcelled ir
Charles County history. And the rea'
son why: The farmers in Charlie.
County are learning things from the
agricultural agents who bring in
knowledge from the outside
Look at this" urged Mr. Matthews
"Lespideza. That's a fine grass anc
1t makes a good hay. It's good fol
the ground You hardly found any o.
that in Southern Maryland until few
years ago."
Mr.. Matthews is an old Charles
County boy himself. He was borr
down near Port Tobacco, but he moved
away to Morgantown because he didn't
like the fog and couldn't stand the
malaria that used to abound in thai
section.
"Lespideza's a good thing to grow
You can't get as much of crop out
Of it as you can from alfalfa. but Il
helps the land more. We're learning
about these things"
Son Friend of Babe Ruth.
Mr.. Matthews, who is prouder thar
anything of his sons friendship with