1012 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



FAIRS FROM AN EDUCATIONAL STANDPOINT. 



farmers' tribune. 



When we enter into conversation with a person who has traveled 

 extensively, we naturally feel like doffing our hat and give him respect- 

 ful attention. Travel broadens the mind; it gives a person a know- 

 ledge of life that better fits him to take his place in the world. The 

 benefits he receives are not due to his traveling from place to place, 

 but to the things he sees and learns while traveling. 



It is not possible for everyone to spare the necessary time or to go 

 to the necessary expense to visit a very large portion of the country 

 surrounding him. Hence, in order to bring to those who can not 

 afford to travel and see the things they want to see, fairs and expo- 

 sitions have been inaugurated. By bringing the products of more 

 than ordinary interest from large areas together at an exposition or 

 a fair, a visitor can see more in a few days than he could possibly see 

 in a full year of travel if obliged to travel about in order to reach 

 them. Further, the fact that the products on exhibition are grouped 

 enables the visitor to see them together and to make comparisons, and 

 in that way a more definite idea can be secured than can be obtained 

 under other circumstances. It is safe to say that the state fairs and 

 expositions annually held throughout the great west are among the best 

 educational features offered the public. The best proof that the people 

 appreciate these institutions is seen in the wonderful attendance which 

 they receive. 



