REPORTS. 



CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT. 



The uufavoiable weather on the first day of the Fair was the 

 cause of a little anxiety on the part of your committee, lest the 

 children might not get their articles in, and in consequence their 

 department fall far short of its usual attractiveness, if not prove 

 almost a failure. But we were not a little surprised, and of 

 course agreeably so, to Audits success fully equal to that of last 

 year, the articles on the table numbering sixty-five, and the 

 number of contributors, thirty-nine. 



There is now from year to year steady progress in the number 

 of articles entered in this department, and we would suggest 

 that a little more space be allowed the children, as the exhibi- 

 tion of musical instruments now occupies so much of the room 

 formerlj' given them that their articles are crowded and cannot 

 be shown to advantage, and the Children's Department now 

 seems to compare less favorably with former years than it really 

 should. 



We would also suggest, as we have done before, that the 

 space granted be marked in some noticeable way, so that peo- 

 ple who are interested in children's work may easily tell where 

 to find it, and how far its limits extend. 



We are glad to report the yearly increase in interest on the 

 part of the children, and that so large a number of those who 

 contribute are residents of our own town. 



