STORY OF A NEBRASKA NOVEL
"Oat of th Wstt" by Elisabeth Higjin
Deals witk the Drtath Ysars.
REALISTIC SKETCH OF THE DARK DAYS
Hero Brroati Populist ana a 1 011
l'Nn end la Finally ftav-4
Through His Wife's Geo
Inline.
On of the hooka Issued this month Is
"Out of the West." by Elizabeth HIgKins.
the pen name of Mrs. Florence E. Sulli
van. It U an epoch-making book. Inas
much aa It marka the beginning of a local
literature for Nebraska.
Elisabeth Htgglns was born twenty-eight
years ago at Columbui, Platte county, Ne
braska; and It la this town which Is raid
to be graphically described by her aa "Co
lumbia Junction." as It was In th days of
her girlhood. Mod of her life has been
spent on the plains of Nebraska, and only
for the last three years has the been a
resident of the national capital. Her
father. Judge Hlgglns, was called to the
bench, and was a man of influence In tho
democratic party. She Is an alumnus of
Bt. Xavler's convent, In Ottawa, 111. She
taught for some time In a country school
near Columbus, but deserted that to fol
low her strong literary bent, and gradually
found her way Into the Omaha papers. But
he did not take kindly to newspaper work,
and soon turned her back on- Journalism
for the more congenial pursuit of writing
Action. She la at present a resident of
Washington, ber husband being the corre
spondent of the Chicago Chronicle.
It is a novel with a purpose, and Is es
pecially Interesting and absorbing because
of the fact that It Is the first novel that has
taken Into account the condltiona that gave j
rise to the populist movement, and which
gives a faithful picture of life In many of
the small towns In the west as they were
during what Is known aa the "drouth pe
riod." Hero and His Object.
The story begins with the coming of the
hero, Frank Field, to Nebraska. Field la
a young man of pleasing and attractive
personality, who. la sent west by his father,
. wealthy Now Yorker, to take charge of
his elevators at Columbia Junction. His
father pursues this course aa a laat means
of getting hia son started In life, and aa
a punishment for youthful follies. Field
loved the metropolis, and It Is no wonder
he became restless, hopeless and discour
aged in a town that, as the reader first sees
it, even he begins to doubt If anything good
can come out of the "deadest town be
tween Omaha and Ogden." Here Is the
town:
' "it is the crossing of two railroads on a
western prairie. It Is three miserable,
straggling streets, two grain elevators and
a few hundred frame bouses. Columbia
Junction lies on the sandy banks of empty
Pewanee creek. It Is the rnunty seat of
Owanee county and one of the tew towns
of the plains that has never known a boom.
Older than Omaha it was In Its dwarfed
maturity before Denver was known Co
lumbia Junction slowly goes Us dead ex
istence. By it stretches the long, tuft
covered groove that was the Mormon trail
when the settlers of Owanee county waxed
affluent through tribute upon Brighamite
and gold seeker; the days when they sold
hot water at 10 cents a quart. But Colum
bia Junction seems doomed to remain a
village, while new towns, with their booms,
are spreading over the prairies."
Heroine llns it Mission.
He soon rallies himself and makes the
best he can of the situation, entering, to a
limited extent, into such amusements as
the village affords. Ho .is the "catch" of
the town, very popular, and it is only nat
ural he should have a little affair with the
town flirt.
The heroine of the book la Edith Hull, a
Colorado woman who Is a strong advocate
of the populist cause. She is called the
"Colorado Joan of Arc" and this is her pic
ture as Field first aaw her standing on the
platform before a Columbia Junction audi
ence: "She was a small, big-eyed creature,
with tiny white hands that never seemed at
rest. She bad a head of tawny curling hair
and a voice that carried like the ring of a
small stiver bell. As some quality In
blank verse makes It poetry, so the music
In Edith's speaking made It singing. Frank
could not take his eyes from her face.
Eagerly his ears drank In every word she
uttered. Each time she paused for breath
the cadence of her voice floated upon the
air like the dying tones of a hushing bell.
It was indeed a Joan of Arc who stood
before the people."
Not only did she hold him spellbound,
but In his desire to become better ac
quainted with her he travels to the next
town to hear her lecture there. He re
turns home, but Is restless aad unsettled.
Learning ahe Is to lecture In the southern
part of the state, he Journeys there. But
very effort by him to know her better Is
gently but firmly turned down by Edith,
he being "wedded to her work." Then
comes the drouth and the condition of the
men employed by him occupies his time.
The author says:
"That year was filled with days that tried
the hearts of men. Those were days with
Old Ago
tS MADE
Vigorous
BY TUB USB OP
GOLDEN
MEDICAL
DISCOVERY.
0
"I suffered for sis ran with con
stipation and indigestion, during;
which time I employed sen trnl phy
sicians, but they could not reach my
case, writ Mr. G. PoppleweU, of
Burrka Springs, Carroll Co., Ark. M
frit that there was no help tor me.
could not retain food on my stomach ;
had vrrtlge and woo id tail helpless to
the tor. Twe -vara ago I com
menced taking Dr. Pierce Goloen
Medical Discover and little ' Pellets
and improved from the start. After
taking twelve bottles of the ' Discwv
ery ' I waa able to do light wotk, and
haw been improving ever since. I
am now in rood health for one of my
age 60 yean- I we it all to Doctor
Pierce's mccictnee.
O-
',.- f-tf' 'W
no brightness la tbem, nothing but cold
and hunger, days when proud men asked fer
bread and gentlewomen took alma. Those
were days when misery and desperation
rame upon Ood-fearlng men until, like
Job's wife, they could curse Ood and die."
His father writes him to discharge his
men, close down the elevators and suspend
everything. Then follows many dramatic
scenes picturing the csuses thst drove peo
ple to despair. Field witnesses scenes and
sees the suffering among his employes, and
this touches a new chord in his heart. He
disregards his father's orders and at a per
sonal sacrifice retains his men. In the de
scriptions of acts that drove men to despair
and crazed the people at the time the reader
will find an account that reads very much
like what Is known as the Barrett Scott
tragedy.
Story ef Her Mfe.
Field's sympathies are stirred by all this
suffering, and when Edith Hull again makes
her appearance she tells him part of her
past, and he Is won over to the populist
r-ause. Her story is that all her childhood
she hid known nothing but mortgsge. The
lund her father once owned turned out to
contain rich ore, but not until It bud passed
from his hands. Her brother was com
pelled to go to work aa a section band and
was finally killed by the soldiers tn a strike.
"They shot my brother," she repeated.
"They brought his body to me, some of the
strikers, who were with htm when he fell.
I cried when my father was dead and when
I think of my little brother and my mother
I sob at the thought. When my brother
waa killed there was something eating and
burning In me. I felt I must do something.
Until he was buried I did not leave htm.
It seemed there was something I could still
do for aim. At first I tried to comb his
curls over the dull, red hole In his fore
head. His right hand was torn by a bay
onet. I hid It In flowers. But before they
put hlra In the coffin I lifted his hair from
his forencad; I took the flowers from his
hand; I let the people see where the sol
diers had pierced his head. I showed them
the torn, dead hand. It seemed to me. too.
that he was going before Ood with bullet
nd bayonet marked upon htm; he was
taking his evidence to the last Judge."
And this picture continually before her
Is what, though apparently weak, gsve her
the strange strength and furnished her the
fire for her speeches.
And o They Were Married.
Eventually he marries Edith, who be
lieves that he can do more than she for
the cause she considers so vital to the
west. She merges her personality In his
and be grows in strength and purpose. He
eaves his father's employ, starts to prac
ticing law and after a term in the state
legislature, during which his wife per
suades him to return, unused, some passes
presented him by the railroads. Later he
is elected to congress and takes np hie life
In Washington. He falls Into the hands of
the lobbyists and almost loses the love and
esteem of his wife. But the death of his
child brings back his better self. His suf
fering at the grave is one of the strong
scenes in the book. He returns to Wash
ington after the bey's funeral, brings forth
a bill he Introduced, but which the lobby
ists bad persuaded and hired him to let die
In the hands of a committee, makes a stir
ring speech In Its favor, thereby securing
the passage of the maximum freight-rate
bill. Hia father then dies, leaving him a
fortune, which he uses to bring happiness
to the people In Columbia Junction. Pub
lished by. Harper ft Bros.
. Eztrannjiee of Australian.
The English papers quote from the budget
speech of William Shields, the new Aus
tralian treasurer. He says: I am an
Irishman, and a pessimistic Irishman Is as
great a curiosity as a poetic oyster or a
benevolent tiger." At the same time he
was not "an optimistic ostrich, that sticks
Its head in the sand while the wind plays
fantastic tricks with its tall." In the
opinion of Mr. Bhields, Australians are na
tionally and Individually an extravagant
people. He proved It with an anecdote.
When the present huge government house
in Melbourne was being planned, the archi
tect consulted the premier of the period as
to the site of the ball room. "Do you
know anything about ball rooms In other
parts of the world?" queried the premier.
1 only knew the one ia Buckingham
palace," was the reply. "Then build our
ball room a third bigger than the one In
Buckingham palace." It waa doae as the
lordly premier commanded, and so Mel
bourne came to possess the biggest ball
room in the world.
Typewriters in Use
The charge Is frequently made by com
plaining business men that penmanship of
the good old quill and Ink bottle sort Is
fast becoming a lost art. Whether this
charge Is absolutely correct does not mat
ter, but it figures count for anything It Is
evident that fewer persons are pen writing
today than was the case a decade or so
ago. The development of the typewriting
industry proves conclusively that this is
tbs case. Ten years ago, relates the Chi
cago Tribune, typewriters were a luxury
Indulged In by none excepting business
men and specialists who lived slightly la
advance of their age. Tcday, however, all
of the atmosphere of luxury has been re
moved from the typewriter, and It has
forced Its way into the column of absolute
necessities.
Naturally the widespread use of the writ
ing machine and Its leap Into popularity
has exerted a stimulating Influence upon
the Industry Itself; and this effect has been
so marked that the business of making
typewriters has Increased at the surprising
rate of almost 0 per cent in a single
decade. In the matter of inveetmect val
ues, the increase has been almost 500 per
cent, while an Increase of 166 per cent has
been shown In the number of wage earners
who make their livings out of typewriters,
and the value of their wages has increased
155 per cent. Following ia an Interesting
comparative statement:
P. O. In
lfc. creaae.
Number of estab
lishments 47 r7
Capital (8.400.431 tl.4Vl.7o3 4W.I
B a I ariea - omclala
and clerks MI 104 411. t
Salaries t 460.4ns t 132.727 262.0
Wage camera 4.340 1.631 lde.l
Total wages S2.4u3.H M.47tt 164.2
Men, 1 years and
over S.BTt 1.472 170.1
Wages t2.2W.lttf t 7,1J loi.l
Women, is years
and over 24 1S7 8T.1
Wages t 10e.tBi 47.JO 163.0
Children under 16
years 7 2 2,250.0
Wages t U.W7 t 264 4.M&.7
Miscellaneous ex
panses t 714.721 t Ut.VZ 4SS.7
Cost of materials
used 11.402.170 I 632,721 11. 1
Value of ProducU.36.932.ua t3.630.L24 II. 0
Of the forty-seven establishments In the
United States thlrty-elx are tn cities of
20,000 inhabitants or over. These estab
lishments employed 62. 3 per cent of the
wage earners and tks value of their products
was (11 per cent of the total. Both la the
umber of establishments and the value pf
products New York ranks first aad Chicago
second. In New York City were located 2t.l
per eent of all the establishments aad these
produced 13,1 per eent of the total value of
products.
The exports to the countries of North
America Increased HI per eent from 1(91 to
1(00, and for the latter year represented
( I per cant of the total Ia UK Maxiue
led all North America a countries la the
THE OMAHA DAI1YT BEE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1002.
CLIMATE AND CONSUMPTION
Dr. E. 0. Hnri 8 tin Up Debate bj His
Announced Cenoluaisnt.
CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO ITS CURE
tatlttles hn - ike anatorlena In
Maasarhasrtta Prod area the
Ha me Results aa that
la Hew Mexico.
That location with regard to climatic,
conditions Is not arbitrarily essential In
the establishment of a sanatorium for the
treatment of those suffering from con
sumption Is a contention which Dr. R. O.
Moore of this city advanced recently In a
paper before the Missouri Valley Medical
association, and thereby has provoked con
troversy In medical circles throughout the
entire country.
The argument referred to was one of the
features of Dr. Moore's presidential ad
dress, delivered before the recent con
vention of the association, held at Sioux
City, la., the title of his paper being:
"The Sanatorium for the Treatment of
Pulmonary Tuberculosis." The doctor's
views on the particular point as explained
by him are by no means so radical as
those imputed to him In some of the pub
lished comments upon his paper, and while
he does not argue that climate Is of no
consequence in the treatment of con
sumption, he does contend that It Is but
a subordinate consideration that can be
compensated by other conditions and any
unfavorable element supplied artificially.
Dr. Moore's Idea.
This statement was part of a plea for
state sanatorlums for the treatment of
pulmonary tuberculosis and In reviewing
his subject In a general way the doctor
said :
"My Idea Is that every state should have
Its own Institution for the treatment of
consumption and treat Its patients at home
rather than send them away to the so- j
called health resorts, where those afflicted
with that disease congregate and where 1
they cannot but be discouraged by the pres
ence of so many others similarly affected. I
argue that It Is not necessary that those In
stitutions should be established In the
climates which are believed to be bene-
Octal to those afflicted with consumption and
that any state may successfully conduct its
own sanatorium. I know that among the
laity there Is a firm and widespread belief
In the efficacy of climate In the cure of con-;
sumption, but that does not pertain among
physicians, for we know that the necessary
treatment can be effected under any
ollmatlc conditions. In support of that Idea
I quoted statistics from the sanatorium
supported by the state of Massachusetts,
which Is supposed to have the most un
favorable climate In the United States, and
from the institution maintained by the
United States government In New Mexico,
where the climate is euppoeed to be most
beneficial to consumptive patients. These
statistics showed that the results were
about the same at both places. I selected
those two institutions for the reason that
there waa no chance for the reports to be
affected by any person particularly inter
ested in the climate. This idea of the
efficacy of climate is largely promoted by
doctors and others who have a proprietary
Interest In some particular health resort.
I do not beleve that aridity, humidity or
altitude make a great deal of difference. It
Is essential that a consumptive patient
should be out of doors as much as possible
and eat all that he can. and of course there
are places whore the out-of-door life is !
more conveniently possible than K is In
others. That la where the question of
climate comes In."
Comments of an Bailers Paper.
Editorially commenting on Dr. Moore's
paper, the Philadelphia Inquirer says:
Pulmonary consumption Is one of the
many subjects upon which, within a com
paratively few years, the public has been
called Uion to make an almost complete
revision of Its opinions. Nearly every one
was taught to think scarcely more th in a
decade ago that this disease waa inherited,
that it was non-contagious and non-communicable
and that it could In no case he
cured; that the best to be done under the
most favorable conditions was to prolong
the patient's life and to alleviate his suf
ferings. Now we are told that every one
of those propositions Is erroneous. Ac
cording to the accepted doctrine of the
medical science of today, consumption of
the lungs Is not inherited, is not incurable
and is contagious, and this doctrine, while
value of typewriters purchased from the
United States, the Dominion of Canada be
ing second and Cuba third. From 1897 to
1900 exports to South America increased
144.1 per cent, Argentine receiving the
greatest amount, Chill ranking second and
Braill third. In 1900 Asia's Imports of
American typewriters showed an Increase
of 19S.9 per cent for the three years, Japan
leading all other Asiatic countries, followed
closely by the British East Indies, while
the Chinese empire was third. Exports to
Oceanlca showed an increase of 75.2 per
cent, British Australasia receiving more
than four-fifths of the total exports to this
group. Africa Increased 46.3. British Africa
being the largest consumer.
These figures show the dejelopment of
an industry which was not classified by the
census until 18!H). Typewriters were made
In this country previous to 1880, but the
buslneeu did not assume noticeable propor
tions until after that year, and It was only
ihe developments of the last decade that
brought about a total investment of more
than $8,000,000 in producing the typewriter
supply of the United 8tates.
The severs! thousand business men In
Chicago who conduct their voluminoua cor
respondence through the medium of a sten
ographer and a typewriter are but factors
in the general movement away from pen
manship that has become more and more
maulfest throughout the country. And the
fait that typewriters are not bought merely
for the businesslike appearance they lend
to an office Is shown by the expenditures
for repairs in the United States In 1900,
which amounted to 3367.176. There is not a
single branch of the typewriter Industry
that has not doubled or exceeded Itself
many tlmea, and yet. In spite of the sur
prisingly great number of sales there does
not appear to be any falling off in the mat
ter of returns. And, added to the home
market. Is a foreign demand for American
typewriters wnlch stands aa a great testi
monial to their excellence. The value of
export In 1900 was (2,697,544, or 38. per
cent of the total value of the products. Dur
ing the three years from 1897 to 1900 the
exports Increased In value 85.1 per cent,
Europe receiving the bulk of the American
output.
The idea of a mechanical letter writer
dates back to 1714, when Henry Mill was
granted a patent by the Engliah govern
ment. His machine, however, did not meet
expectations for ths reason that his theories
were too far la advance of the mechanical
skill of the time, and It waa sot until
well along tn the nineteenth century that
any actual progress toward the perfection
of the typewriter was made. In 1(33 Xavler
Progrtn, a Frenchman, was granted a patent
by his government for a machine which ths
Investor claimed would print "almost aa
rabidly aa one could write with as ordinary
It contains a warning and Indicates a dan
ger, Is upon the rhole a docirlne of com
fort, of enrourngement and of hope.
But while these new Ideas have been
widely dlf emlnale-d and have, to a large
extent, displaced the old one. It Is still
generally thought that climate and con
sumption are closely associated and that
some climates are more favorable than
others to the extlrps'ton or to the pro
motion of the malady. Yet, If a paper
which has Just been read at the annual
convention of the Medical Society of the
Missouri Valley Is to be tnken as au
thority, this. too. Is a great mUtnke. The
author of this paper, lr. R. C. Moore of
Omaha, declared with the greatest posltlve
ness that there Is no connection whatever
between climatic conditions and the suc
cessful treatment of tuberculosis. He
denied that consumptives were likely to
recover more quickly in certain climates
than others. On the contrary, he thought
that thev were In greater danger in the
places where It had been the fashion to
send consumptive patients because of the
increased danger of Infection.
The;e are opinions at which many people
will be much surprised, and yet they are
not without a oasis of reason, nor are they
now enunciated for the first time. The
truth of the matter is that consumption
is an Indoors disease. To attain a cure
the patient needs to live in the open air
and the climates which have been regarded
as favorable to the treatment of the malady
are simply those climates where living In
the open air is the most feasible and attractive.
tl AI'T FEATIRES OF LIKE.
A man was brought before Judge Ken
nedy of San Francisco for violating a city
ordinance in driving a delivery wagon on
the boulevard. "Don't you know, fir," said
the Judge with every appearance of stern
ness, "that you have committed a heinous
offense by driving your delivery wagon
where only the rich can drive without
molestation? Get a heavy four-in-hand
with a flunkey, dressed In monkey fashion
and bio Ing a postilion's horn, sitting be
hindexchange your light delivery wagon
for this and you will never b arrested."
The judge then dismissed the case, after
denouncing the ordinance as a "piece of
class legislation, petty, absurd and un
worthy of enforcement.
A firm of tobacco manufacturers In
nri.ini Rnrianrl. has a letter from George
Washington to the firm 160 years ago while
the Father of his Country was a grower
of tobacco. It runs as follows: "Virginia,
25th November, 17u: Gentlemen Some
time this week I expect to get ou board
the 'Cary' for your house fifty hogsheads
of tobacco of my own and John Parke Cus
tls's, which please to Insure In the usual
manner. I shall also by the same ship
send you ten or twelve hogsheads more if
I can get them on board In time, but this,
I believe, will be Impracticable, If Cap
tain Tulman uses that dispatch In loading
which he now has In his power to do. I
am. gentlemen, your most obedient, humble
servant, Q. Washington."
This some Japanese characters at the side
alone omitted Is a fao simile of a card
presented in good faith to all European
tourists arriving at Hakodate, In Japan:
NOTICE! ! !
Having lately been REFITTED and prepa
rations have been made to supply those
who may gtveus a look up, with the
WORST of LIQUORS and FOOD at a rea
sonable qrlee. and served by I'm
Ugliest r eraaie .
procured
The Establishment ran not boast of a Pro
prietor, but is carried on by a Japanese
lady who would not be thought handsome
even' In a crowd. The Cook when his face
Is washed Is considered the best looking
of the company. Come up and see us, and
don't let the Jlnrlksha men bluff you dy
saving there Is no such a place as
? YOKOHAMA HOUSE.
No. 23 Funaba-cho. Hakodate,
HANNA BREWER
Gideon Young, Umber cruiser, a resident
of Duluth, was accosted by two drunken
Indians near Virginia, on the Rainy uine
road. In the vicinity of the International
boundary.
"White man Flnlander?" grunted one of
the reds.
"No."
"Got bottle?"
"No."
"White man got money?"
"No."
"White man no good." grunted the second
brave.
"White man climb tree?" one asked after
a pause.
"N n n, yes, if I have to," Bald Gideon.
"Then white man climb tree," pointing to
a Norway pine.
The cruiser climbed. The reds Insisted
that he go "way up." He did. Then the
Indians smoked and watched him, with grim
enjoyment. At the end of three hours
Young's party overtook the treed man and
the reds were frightened away.
Phenomenal Increase In
Ten Years
pen." But the machine proved too slow
and cumbersome to be of practical value.
While many patents have been granted In
Europe for writing machines the real his
tory of the typewriter belongs to the United
States. The first typewriter Invented In
this country was called the typographer.
It was patented In 1829 by William Austin
Burt of Detroit, Mich. This machine was a
primitive affair and could be manipulated
only slowly. No practical results wars
accomplished. In 1843 Charles Tnurber of
Worcester, Mass., patented a machine which
produced good results in every respect ex
cept speed. Although of Its failure on this
account it embodied many of the principles
which have figured conspicuously ta the
evolution of the typewriter that has mani
fested Itself so forcibly during the last ten
or twenty years.
Another step in this evolution waa the
Invention of A. Ely Beach ef New York,
who in 1847 and 1856 secured patents on a
machine Involving the system of type bear
ing levers arranged" in a circle, swinging to
ward the printing at a common center. The
inked ribbon and also the bell indicating
the end of the line were features of this
machine. In 185" Dr. 8. W. Francis of New
port, R. I., patented a machine provided
with a circle of type bearing hammers at
tached to a key board. It was a large and
cumbersome affair and only one was ever
constructed under the patent. In 1868 ad
ditional Impetus was given to the move
ment toward the perfection of writing ma
chines by the Invention of C. Latham
Eholes. Samuel W. Soule and Carlos Glld
den, all of Milwaukee. Their machine was
a decided improvement over Its predeces
sors, and It was largely upon the model
conceived by tbem that the present high
grade and highly perfected machines were
worked out.
S. N. D. North of Boston. Masa., waa the
first person to make practical use of the
typewriter. This was in 1872 at Utlca, N.
Y. However, It was not until 1874 that the
typewriter was placed on the market for
general use. It waa at first greeted by the
public with skepticism, and its use involved
such radical changes in methods of doing
business that its advantages had to be
clearly demonstrated before the business
world would accept It.
The use of the typewriter for miscella
neous correspondence became general In all
departments of the government, except ths
Department of State, In the early '(on. It
waa first used for Instructions te dlplo
niatic and consular officers of the United
States by the Department of State in April,
18&5. The official communications of ths
department to diplomatic officers of foreign
countries accredited to the United States
continued to be hand written until May,
1897. Ceremonial letters addressed ta sov
ereigns axs still hand writteu.
VISITORS
always welcome here, in
fact we extend a cordial invi
tation to one and all to pay
our store a visit. It will be
time well spent to view the
NEW THINGS FOR THE
HOME BEAUTIFUL
Walk in and look around. Just as
welcome to look as to buy. If you
contemplate a purchase you'll find
this a
SATISFACTORY
trading place, A store where for
each dollar invested you'll receive a
big round dollar's worth of value
with satisfaction thrown in.
make each branch of our business a study and are not interested in bo
many lines but that each department receives its full quota ot our personal attention.
We
Furniture, (Carpets
and Draperies--thats a11
In these we excel, and you'll find here the largest assortment.
"From the Cheapest That's Good to the Best That's Made"
H-n tA
Mnt.Oa ii-n A ttt
arpet
FRAMING UP A STREET FAIR
Easiest Thins in ths Wsrld U 0i Whs
Knswi How to Do It
ALL THAT IS NEEDED IS TO GET THE SHOWS
Pony Moore, Between Gasps, Explains
Some of the Dellchts of the
Msssier of Thts Sort
of Amusement.
"It's no trouble at all to get up a street
fair, not the least bit," said "Pony" Moore,
prince of the Midway. "It's lust aa
easy as falling off a log, and more ao. Now
all you bare to do to be rolling In wealth
is to start a street fair, and to do that
all you have to do Is to get the concession
from the high lord bosses, write to your
show managers, get them to sign contracts
to come, stake off their lots, watch them
put up the tents, sell the booths and then
sit back and give away complimentary tick
ets to your friends."
And he was interrupted by the purchaser
of a concession who did not believe that
he was getting what his contract called,
for. As the stenographer searched for the
contract Pony was pacifying the manager
of a booth who was certain ha had been
done by the management.
"It's no trouble at all, murmured Pony
as he wiped the perspiration from his brow,
"you ought to try It, It beats all the get
rich schemes in the world."
And even Pony, who has had experience
in many cities of the United States, and
who Is recognised as one of the best or
ganisers of entertainers extant, didn't be
lieve It himself.
The min who runs the street fair has
a fighting chance of keeping out of the
asylum, and that la all. The planning and
carrying out of the plans is one of the most
nerve-racking, brain-destroying, anti-sleep
businesses that was ever Invented for the
employment of man, and the expression
used at the opening of this was given by
Mr. Moore to prevent a stroke of apoplexy.
Part of His Troaalea.
The man who secures ths concessions at
a street fair aad agrees to rurnisn the
amusements and manage the business has
undertaken a task that only an experienced
man can carry through. First be secures
the privileges from the board of managers
by putting up a largo sum of money. And
this relieves the board ef managers from
any further responsibility. He next starts
out to sell his booth concessions. While be
is doing this he figures out those attrac
tions which he thinks will please the people
and writes to the managers of each. This
done he begins to answer some of tbs
letters he has received. In his first letter
he usually makes a proposition to a com
pany offering It a certain per cent of ths
proceeds of ths show for being a part of
the attractions. The answers never vary.
Ths writers each make an offer to come,
that Is from 20 to 60 per cent higher than
that offered by the manager. Before the
contract is finally signed fully fifty letters
have passed between the two.
But this preliminary Is not what causes
tbs worry to the manager. It Is whether
the shows will keep their contracts and be
on hand at the specified time. Of all the
attractions on a midway very few are
reliable shows that Is, responsible. Should
they desire to break the contract, tbey
can do so, aad If a suit for damages is
brought the plaintiff has nothing to gain
for nine times out ot tea ths show does
not even own Us tent.
Cnnse ef Ores' Hairs.
"That Is what makes one gray-headed,"
aald Mr. Moore, "whether tboae you have
signed contracts with will come. A
theatrical troupe can break a contract
within two weeks of the time of the show.
but after that date thty are responsible
But ths shows that make np the greater
part of the midway usually are not re
sponsible. One makes a contract; five days
17 kSS
YWf. 1 3&
atII
XI A F2BTL.
u
So.
before the time of the show's announced
arrival It hasn't showed up; two days
before It hasn't showed up, and then it
takes most of the last season's profits
trying to locate them by telegraph. A
man's reputation is at stake every time he
manages a street fair and It usually
takes three months to recover from ths
worry Incident to Its organization."
Squabble Over Space.
One of the important things the manager
has to do is to allot each show its place
In the fair grounds. He has to keep sepa
rated those shows of like character.
Should a pony and dog show be in hailing
distance of an animal show a rough house
Is sure to start between the show people
and the fair manager. He has to look out
for that. He bas so many feet of space at
his disposal and bas to plan It so as to get
as many attractions as possible on the
ground and yet leave sufficient room for
the people and the free attractions. In
writing to the manager of an attraction
be requests the number of feet the show
will require. The manager ot the fair
then places a stake where the center pole
of the tent la to go and the center pole
goes there and the tent occupies Just as
much space as the contract called for.
And the manager Is there In person to see
that It does. He bas to place the band
so that Its muslo will not be ruined br
the muslo of the midway. Last year this
was not done at the Ak-Sar-Ben carnival.
This year the band is entirely removed
from the Midway music and there is no
clash of tunes.
Educating" the Beglunrrs.
But the trouble incident to the getting
and the placing ot the attractions Is noth
ing compared to the trouble getting the pur
chasers of booths settled and started out
right. These usually are persons who
have had no experience in such matters and
depend wholly on the management of tbe
fair to set them right and manage tbelr
business. If they have engaged a twenty-
foot space they generally start to enclose
thirty-foot space. Then the discord
comes when the fair management sets tbem
right Show managers know what a con
tract means and they get what the con
tract calls for and that Is all, and they
are satisfied.
Pony Moore, who has charge of tbe car
nival, has deviated from the old ordinary
street fair and bas given the people a
miniature exposition. He had experience
at Buffalo aad Omaha during their exposi
tions and understands how to go about the
business. When he first undertook the
management of the carnival be secured
twenty-three attractions for the midway.
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10
-S.
.' r-r-- r
imiiiioiiiiii
mmm Douglas
Anticipation
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Joseph Trli k, W. J. Trick. Miss E. M. Ry
r.clds, speclui agenta.
AH but three of these were on hand, to
begin the show, and he was fortunate
enough to secure others for the vacant
places. It is not so difficult to secure at
tractions as it Is to secure the right kind.
From the time the fair is first announced
until It is finished there are those who are)
seeking to secure concessions. On onei
occasion recently a party called on Mr.
Moore and offered to put up several bunJ
dred dollars to secure a concession. Be
fore tbe conversation was finished the man
wanted to borrow a quarter to get dinner.
Many such apply and expect to make enough
out ot the show to pay tbe fair manage,
ment after tbe carnival la over. Frequently
tbe fair management makes a contract to
get tbe first hundred dollars taken In or as
much money at will pay for the concession.
By his large acquaintance with show peo
ple and bis reputation among tbem Mr.
Moore has had no trouble In securing good
attractions, under responsible managers.
1
