ASSOCIATION OF FAIR MANAGERS. 185 



event an individuality that will command attention of the home people 

 and at the same time advertise to strangers in attendance the resources 

 of the neighborhood; hence, for lack of population from which to draw 

 sufficient gate receipts, rural fairs will always be at a disadvantage under 

 our American lair system. For them the European system is much better. 

 Unendowed fairs can not compete with State endowed fairs. There 

 is another question which intimately affects all county fairs at the pres- 

 ent time, and concerns still more their future usefulness and perma- 

 nency. It is the trend of commerce towards larger capitalization of busi- 

 ness interests, in the merging of railroads and banks, larger factories 

 and larger farms. Department stores have closed up the smaller stores, 

 and in like manner the big fairs attract attention from the little ones. 

 Whether we like it or not the spirit of concentration and monopoly is 

 in almost everything. Certainly in all the States the disparity between 

 the State fairs and the county fairs is growing more noticeable every 

 year. Take, for instance, the Indiana State Fair, which has an annual do- 

 nation for premiums of .$10,000, and even this amount is not sufficient for 

 every needed requirement of our State Fair. The U. S. Congress has do- 

 nated $5,000,000 to the St. Louis fair; they now ask for a loan of $4,000,000 

 more. The Illinois Legislature within the past six years appropriated 

 about one-half million dollars for the equipment of their State fair and 

 premiums therefor. The State of Ohio gave a like amount for this same 

 important purpose, and the people of those States are well pleased with 

 this investment of public money. They are proud of their State fairs, and 

 well they should be. Their buildings are large enough for conducting 

 every department— except speed— under cover from bad weather. Cement 

 walks connect the buildings and are also under roof, they have clean toilet 

 rooms for all. and every natural convenience. Tlaere are buildings capa- 

 ble of entertaining 50,000 visitors independent of rain or storm. Conse- 

 quently no mere local fair can compete with State supported institutions. 

 As the one increases its facilities, the other relatively decreases in popular 

 esteem. Just as the private colleges of thirty years ago unless privately 

 endowed, have all given place to State colleges supported by the State, 

 .so it may l)e stated as a safe proposition that it is only a question of 

 time until all ilic county fairs dependent upon gate and jirivilege receipts 

 and luiaided by public money and public lands will pass out of exist- 

 once. They can not always cover repairs, 3 per cent, insurance rates, 

 premiums, advertising, salaries, etc., all dei)("ndciit uiuin llic uncertain 

 chance of four days of favorable weather. It is too much like plaj'ing a 

 game of chance. The exclusive gate receipt only association jnay have 

 si'.cceodod in past years, and a few of them still pay expenses. 1)ut in the 

 near future they v,\\l all go into retirement. 'I'liis leads to the sugges- 

 tion that in localities, as before stated, where tlie population is sparse 

 and scattered, their fairs of the future will be somewhat after the fash- 

 ion of the old fair days of England and France that liave been hold for 



