106 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



1876 showed to the world what we were doing in the way of manufacturing 

 and production in all lines. 



That exposition of 1876 had live exhibits, and it was really the last ex- 

 position to have live exhibits. Later they came in with dead material — 

 that is, material not in operation. And this, you see, educated the world 

 as to what we were, the point to which v/e had advanced in our civiliza- 

 tion, and it stimulated in our own people a desire for many more decor- 

 ative features in our homes. And here is a very important fact about 

 what they did do. Up to that time the decorations in our homes were 

 somber — the parlor was locked up except when company came to the 

 house, and the rest of the home was of the same general character. The 

 Philadelphia Exposition was garish, it had color, and today in our homes 

 we find large gilt frames, which are nothing more or less than the out- 

 come of that exposition. It was a stimulation; it was not for the best, 

 maybe, but it was certainly for something better than we had. 



Our homes shouldn't be somber; we should be happy, and our colors 

 should be light, and those colors all affect us psychologically. 



In fair ground planning, which is a part of my subject, the same thought 

 should be followed and put into execution. By that I understand it to 

 mean the proper arrangement of buildings on the grounds. Among other 

 things, they should be arranged so that all of the buildings that are of 

 allied interest should be very closely grouped together. And for that we 

 have a practical reason. If you have a man intensely interested in live- 

 stock, and there is where he is going to spend most of his time, he can do 

 that most conveniently if all of your livestock buildings are close to- 

 gether. Another thing, when you have him down there you have him out 

 of the way of cross traffic; and the better you can distribute your crowd 

 and distribute your interests, collecting into a group the allied interests, 

 the better your traffic is going to be. 



At the state fair grounds in our traffic we have one of our greatest prob- 

 lems. The streets appear narrow when crowded with vehicles during 

 the fair, but go out there when the crowd isn't there and the streets ap- 

 pear very wide. They are wide. As you all know, the point of greatest 

 congestion is in front of the grandstand, for there traffic is continually 

 being held up by pedestraln cross-traffic, and I know in the plans that we 

 have been working on during the past year — but which have not been 

 presented because some thought they might appear a little radical — still, 

 I believe these things are solved. Some streets are being built anew, and 

 some are to be widened, and the pedestrian traffic on others restricted. It 

 is sometimes necessary to make radical rules governing traffic, and so we 

 will inaugurate one-way traffic for automobiles on some streets, and others 

 will be closed to vehicles in times of greatest pedestrian cross-traffic. 



Here is an example: When the amphitheatre lets out it is almost im- 

 possible for people to get down Grand avenue in their automobiles, but 

 if there was an underground viaduct there, this vehicular traffic could 

 go on unimpeded, and that is very essential. 



But where it is a maximum utility, you must plan and you must arrange 

 your buildings. And while I am absolutely in favor of you getting the 

 maximum state aid in every way, if it were in my power to restrict it, 



