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r~<fnrmsnAT September 2ft. tret FAIR TIME AGAIN The Purpose of Our Own Festival and a History of Some Others WHY is a fair? We can’t all answer that from a single view point. It means something different to practically every one of us. There is no doubt, though, that the feeling of gavety is universal —even to those who must work like Turks to make the occasion a success. The man or woman with a grouch has no business at our fair this year. You must go prepared to enjoy the blare of band music and the million noises that aren’t music. You must be keyed up to revel in the 'sight of thousands of chattering holiday makers, of bright decorations, of pretty girls, of sideshows and ballvhoos, of popcorn balls in red tissue and sweating glasses of orangeade, of sizzling sandwiches and ice cream cones, of live-stock and household and implement displays, of pattering •trotters and pacers and running horses, of buzzing grandstand, of golden •sunshine and yellow dust-clouds. Yes, and tired feet and whimpering babies with heat-rash and smart alecks here and there—for we haven’t reached the land of perfection yet. * Now let’s peel the surface off the situation and see what’s inside. 'This year’s fair is going to be a pretty fine advertisement for our whole community—the surrounding farm lands and farmers, the town and its enterprising, public-spirited merchants. And really that is the rock bottom purpose of holding a fair—advertising. It is a community aim ‘and effort to show its people how much they amount to, and to show out siders that this is a mighty good place to live in—prosperous, progressive •Vountry and neighborly people. A man looking for a place in which to "isettle down couldn’t reasonably ask for anything more or better. •j v Courtesy to Visitors. * The folks of this community understand one another. Our farmers denow the town business men with whom they deal. Our business men •are pretty well acquainted with mosL of the people who come into their 'stores. Now we want to show—all of us —our spirit of kindliness and .intelligence to the strangers within our gates during the festival season. It is the best sort of advertising we can put forth. I It is inestimably worth while to us if visitors go home and say: “I always like to attend their fair. The whole town seems to wiggle its llatclistring at me. And they’re the ‘whitest’ people!—go out of their way Ho be polite—ready to give information or do a little favor—l’m certainly going back oftencr and get acquainted with some of them.” ♦ In order further to answer the question which introduces this article, We take down our handy reference liook—a large red volume—and turn •to page 426. Therein we learn that the word “fair” is derived from the !<>ld French “feire,” the modern French “foire,” the Italian “fiera,” the “feria,” meaning holiday, and that this is connected with the ;Latin “festus,” meaning feast. * In the United States there nre no fairs of the kind that have been • common in the Old World. The term here is applied to a variety of 'exhibitions, such as church, charity and agricultural exhibitions, and local, 1 state, national, or international expositions or fairs. The fact is, the •term’ is applied to all exhibitions where people are expected to bestow patronage or make purchases. _ . . . Bits of Fair History. 1 The most common kind are agricultural fairs—county and state, as you know. This kind got their start as a regular thing in America in 181!). At Albany, N. Y., there was a prosperous merchant, Elkanah ! Watson, who believed that such an enterprise would encourage farming 'and manufacturing and help business. He used his influence with the state legislature, and that body appropriated SIO,OOO yearly, for six years, ( ,for premiums on agricultural products and family manufactures. Since then annual county, district and state fairs are quite gener ally held. The district and county fairs especially are held, not mainly for the sale of goods, but for advertising purposes—as we have said. City •treet fairs, where amusements of various kinds are furnished, are intondec to promote the welfare of the city by attracting traders to them. Tin ame goes for world s fairs which are held in this country. While com modifies arc sold, the primary object is to advertise. In the Old World the fair or bazaar is an ancient institution. If w< could find files of the daily papers and country weeklies when old Mr Pharaoh was kinging for a living, when Professor Plato was discoursing on pure democracy and the what and how of a republic, when the thou sand and one events of the Arabian Nights Entertainments were being worked out, we should probably find articles like this one—an editor’s write-up of the annual fair in his town. Barter and Exchange Places. People throughout Europe look upon the fair as a meeting held for the purpose of exhibiting and selling goods. Originally fairs were held at stated times and places, some for the sale of a particular class of mer chandise, others for the sale of goods of a general character. People resorted to them to exchange goods and to collect their stores to last for several months. Princes and the magistrates of cities encouraged them and some of the privilege's granted long ago still remain in force. Such fairs as these flourish today on tho outskirts of civilization, as m Siberia, Manchuria, Asiatic Turkey, where people live isolated for long stretches of time and do their buying no oftener than once or twice a year. They originated in the church festivals, which were found to afford the best opportunity for commercial transactions, the concourse of people being such as took place upon no other occasions. Other European Practices. In some parts of Europe persons of all ranks still wait for the great annual fairs to make their principal purchases of articles of every descrip tion. This apples especially to parts of Europe where trading facilities — including transportation, advertising announcements and the like—-are not as highly developed as in all parts of America today. * One of the most noted of the old fairs was that of Saint Bartholo in London, founded at the beginning of the twelfth century. < The greatest fairs in Germany are those of Frankfort, Leipzig and Brunswick. Other noted and historic fairs held yearly or semiannually in Europe are those of Zurzach, Switzerland; Budapest, Hungary; Sini gaglia, Italy; Lyons, France (before the war), and Nizhni-Novgorod, JRbswia. The last named yearly attracts buyers from all parts of Europe and central and northern Asia, and merchandise worth $100,000,000 changes hands. At Mecca, in Arabia, the fair is held in connection with the annual pilgrimage of Mohammedans, and is one of the most picturesque in the world. WHILE ATTENDING THE BIG FAIR NEXT WEEK YOU ARE INVITED TO MAKE ANY, Og>T A THE R £ J ~~~t N. A. SHARPTON, Manager j THE VERY PLACE TO DROP IN AND REST and REFRESH YOUR- g SELF WHILE ATTENDING THE FAIR. WE CAN SERVE YOU IN •_ LUNCHES AND DRINKS: ' K LUNCHES: ' DRINKS: , J Weiner* JAX on Draught 1 Boiled and Fried Try Our Special C J?°K S ’i* Hambergers Reifs j g Ham, Cheese REX CHILI Budweiser and Egg Bevo Belogna IT’S GOOD m Bottle* ■ Sandwiches Coca-Co a CIGARS and TOBACCOS ON JACKSON STREET NEXT TO J. B. LAY & SON STORE. ’ Watson-Glover & Company THE HOME OF GOOD GROCERIES AND FRESH MEATS THE PLACE TO BUY THE BEST GROCERIES ON THE MARKET AT PRICES THAT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY. THE PLACE TO BUY THE BEST AND FRESHEST MEATS OF ALL KINDS, BOTH FRESH AND CURED. PRICES ARE SATISFACTORY and WE GUARANTEE TO SUIT YOU. 1 PHONE US YOUR ORDER. WE CAN PLEASE YOU IN QUALITY, PRICE AND SERVICE. s OUR LARGE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS IS PROOF THAT WE ARE PLEASING THOSE WHO TRADE WITH US. YOUR TRADE IS APPRECIATED, W. C. JETT Groceries and Meats i extend a cordial greeting to all my customers, and wish to express to them my hearty appreciation of their patronage in the past. , Remember I sell only the best and purest Groceries and Meats, both fresh and CU If you have not been a customer of mine, suppose you give me a trial. My goods are the best, my prices are reasonable, ad my service is unexcelled. I 1 guarantee satisfaction. FRESH FISH EVERY WEEK PHONE 55 • • i ■ n m ■■ in "* “ —ii 811 M 11,1 * M - i ’eoples Fuel Cos. We not only sell coal and wood but we carry at all times an uptodate stock of high class groceries. Our store building is new and we keep our stock of grocer ; ies fresh all the time. If you are looking for real bargains in the grocery line you can find them here. Let us serve you. We carry all kinds of staple and fancy groceries that please ! the public both in quality and price. Peoples Fuel Company THE WINDER NEWS SUBSCRIPTION: f1.50 A YJAS