656 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1. 



to go through that whole place, and see what 

 is going on, and see how it is managed— not 

 particularly that you may find fault with it, 

 but that you may be able to speak understand- 

 ing!} 7 about these things connected with so 

 many of our pleasure-resorts. You certainly 

 should know exactly what you are talking 

 about and discussing." 



Now, may God help me to be fair and hon- 

 est, and not let even my prejudices against 

 the liquor-traffic lead me to exaggerate. The 

 pavilion was a beautiful large building with 

 porches and verandas, and seats for hundreds 

 of people — may be thousands. There were 

 fountains, and beds of flowers, and foliage 

 plants, around it. There was plenty of nice 

 drinking-water for all who preferred to drink 

 it. Then there was lemonade, ice-cream soda, 

 and other things of that sort. In connection 

 there was a dining-room and a lunch-room, 

 with a bill of fare that was exceedingly rea- 

 sonable for such a picnic-ground. 



At first I did not quite understand the very 

 reasonable prices. Well, back of the dining- 

 room there was an elaborate array of modern 

 arrangements for furnishing lager beer, and, I 

 suppose, any other kind of beer in any quan- 

 tity the crowd might demand. Once more 

 may God help me to be truthful and careful. 

 Every thing was clean and orderly. The men 

 and women who were drinking were well 

 dressed and respectable-looking ; and one 

 would be almost tempted to think the thing 

 was not so bad after all, where it is carried on 

 under proper restrictions. They were doing 

 a very large business when I happened to 

 drop in. The scene was painful to me ; but 

 remembering my promise to my young rela- 

 tive I pushed on." It became more and more 

 painful as I proceeded. I thought of the 

 work of the Anti-saloon League, and of the 

 prominent position I have occupied in it ever 

 since it was started. I wondered if it was my 

 duty to encourage such a place by my pres- 

 ence and by walking through it quietly, just 

 as I was doing. More than once I turned 

 and retreated; then I walked in again. Pretty 

 soon I began to see familiar faces. The 

 thought then occurred to me that some of our 

 Medina people would say I was just going 

 through there to spy out which one of my 

 friends and neighbors drank lager beer in an 

 open saloon. I felt guilty and troubled, and 

 I went away. 



I do not think there were many of our 

 townspeople who visited this part of the 

 excursion-grounds. I did not see anybody 

 showing any signs of intoxication around 

 there. The management was so perfect, very 

 likely nothing of the kind would be tolerated. 

 I did not see any intoxication anywhere on 

 the grounds. I did not see any rudeness. I 

 do not know that I heard anybody speak a 

 profane word. 



I noticed in the program, just before start- 

 ing, that all the entertainments during the 

 day were to be free of charge, and this feature 

 commended itself to me. There are many 

 places nowadays where they advertise great 

 attractions ; but when you get there it takes 

 quite a pile of money to get through it all. 



A year ago, in company with a niece in her 

 teens, we took a wheelride over to Akron. 

 As it was at the time of the street fair (and 

 this, you know, is advertised as being entirely 

 free to every bod}') we thought we would look 

 it over. First we found we must pay a nickel 

 apiece to get into the inclosure ; but a nickel 

 is so small nobody makes a fuss about it. 

 Then we had to pay a nickel apiece more to 

 store our wheels ; then ten cents each to see 

 the trick rider on a velocipede. Of course, 

 we would be interested in that. Then the 

 menagerie was 15 cents apiece ; and, finally, 

 to get out of the street fair we had to pass 

 through a "midway." Now, some of the 

 midway shows cost 25 cents apiece ; but we 

 did not go into any of them ; and before we 

 went out my young friend said, "O Uncle 

 Amos ! let's get out of this horrid place. I 

 do not see what anybody wants to be here 

 for." Well, I felt just about as " Rene " did. 

 We were soon out in the free air of the coun- 

 try, speeding along where every thing was 

 pure and honest and good. You see the man- 

 agers had planned this thing so that every- 

 body was obliged to pass through the filth of 

 midway in order to get out of the trap 

 they found themselves in. Oh dear me! I 

 did not intend to write up street fairs just 

 now ; but since I have gone and done it I 

 think I will let it remain. Let us now go 

 back to the great pavilion on that beautiful 

 pleasure-ground. 



I told you the entertainments were to be all 

 free. I supposed, when I read the program, 

 that the dollar ticket purchased before start- 

 ing included admission to all the entertain- 

 ments. About two o'clock in the afternoon I 

 saw people crowding into the audience room 

 of the pavilion. By getting on a chair and 

 afterward stepping up higher on to a table I 

 was enabled to see over the heads of the great 

 crowd ; and I saw something I enjoyed so 

 much I shall take pleasure in telling you 

 about it. A gymnast was performing upon a 

 trapeze. He made his bow to the audience. 

 I soon found he was not only a gymnast but a 

 humorist, and an expert in both lines. When 

 he made his bow to the audience there was 

 something mechanical and awkward in his 

 manner. When he sprang up into the air and 

 grasped the bar above his head he seemed to 

 be still awkward ; and when he climbed, with 

 considerable exertion, so as to sit astride the 

 bar, he still gave one the impression that he 

 was a green hand at the business. Finally he 

 stood up on the bar. I noticed this bar seem- 

 ed to be a stout brass rod, or perhaps a steel 

 rod covered with brass. He had on light 

 low-down slippers ; and while I was noticing 

 how loosely his slippers rested on this brass 

 rod he seemed to lose his balance, swing his 

 arms in a sort of helpless way, apparently, 

 and finally tipped over backward ; but just 

 when everybody expected to see him crack 

 his head on the hard board floor, by some 

 unknown power his loose slippers seemed 

 glued to that brass rod, and his feet glued to 

 the slippers. His head went straight down, 

 and in some wonderful way his body swung 

 clear around, and came right up on top of the 



