THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



328 



valuable time was used m discussing this 

 subject of a programme, the appointing of a 

 committee to arrange it and deciding in re- 

 gard to the hours when it should be carried 

 out. I do not care to discuss as to who was 

 to blame, perhaps the blame does not rest 

 wholly upon one pair of shoulders, but it cer- 

 tainly is a mistake to bring together such a 

 body of men and women without a pro- 

 gramme all ready to work from. Another 

 point : some cannot, or do not wish to, be 

 present at all the sessions. If there is a 

 printed programme they can manage to be 

 present when those topics are discussed in 

 which they are particularly interested. The 

 last two meetings of the North American 

 have been advertised as three-day meetings. 

 Each time the programme has been rushed 

 through and adjournment brought about the 

 evening of the second day. I know that the 

 adjournment at Chicago was to meet at noon 

 the next day at the bee and honey exhibits on 

 the fair grounds, and I know that many of 

 the bee-keepers went there at that time, but 

 the gathering was simply a sight-seeing 

 crowd and not a convention as we under- 

 stand the word. I had business that kept 

 me in the office of the Louisana Hotel all of 

 the forenoon of what was advertised to be 

 the last day of the convention, and the clerk 

 really lost patience in explaining to belated 

 travellers who came in that the convention 

 was over with and they would find the bee- 

 keepers on the fair grounds. Bee-keepers 

 from a long distance had not counted on 

 trains being belated to the extent they were, 

 but consoled themselves with the thought 

 they would enjoy at least one day of the con- 

 vention, only to be bitterly disappointed. If 

 we cannot hold a three-days meeting and 

 have it profitable, enjoyable and desirable, 

 then let's not attempt it. but let us live up to 

 what we advertise. 



Another thing : there was a motion made 

 to go sight-seeing in the forenoon and have 

 a convention in the afternoon, the plea being 

 made that this arrangement would be less 

 tiresome. Had this plan been adopted it 

 would have been a death-blow to the conven- 

 tion. I have seen a convention practically 

 destroyed by skipping one session that the 

 members might go in a body and visit some 

 institution. At some meetings there seems 

 to be a class of bee-keepers who are more in- 

 terested in sight-seeing or in going home 

 than they are in convention work, and they 

 are not easy until the convention has been 



broken up or the time for holding it has been 

 shortened. If these people care more for 

 something else, why can't they let the con- 

 vention go on without them, that is, why not 

 go about their sight- seeing or go home, and 

 not try to compel others to join them ? Let 

 us have a programme and live up to it, and 

 when the convention is over we can go sight- 

 seeing if we wish. If there will not be time 

 for this after the convention is over then go 

 before. Do as Bro. Root has done. You 

 know a great deal of fun has been poked at 

 him because he visited green houses instead 

 of staying by the meeting ; but I believe he 

 has never tried to break up conventions that 

 he might visit green-houses. 



What about the fair? Well, imagine a 

 mile square covered with concrete pavement. 

 At appropriate distances large and beauti- 

 fully constructed buildings of white. These 

 buildings have the appearance of great so- 

 lidity, but they are simply frame-works of 

 iron covered with " staff," a kind of plaster. 

 In one pillar perhaps three feet in diameter 

 and thirty or forty feet in height, I saw a 

 hole as large as a man's head that had been 

 broken in, and the coating of plaster was 

 not more than an inch in thickness. The 

 buildings are so well proportioned and so 

 well arranged in reference to one another 

 that their great size is not apparent. It was 

 only when I walked toward a building that 

 its size became apparent. It seemed quite 

 near when I started but receded as I ap- 

 proached—after walking three or four min- 

 utes it still seemed as far away as when I 

 started. Then there were the lagoons upon 

 which sailed the gondolas, ana the electric 

 launches darted hither and thither, and the 

 numerous water fowl made merry. Then 

 there were the immense fountains that 

 foamed and spouted, and the electric foun- 

 tain with its streams of many hues. Over- 

 looking the main lagoon stood a gilded 

 figure of Columbia sixty feet in height. At 

 twilight is the most witching scene. Sweet 

 chimes are played from the bells in the tow- 

 ers and the daylight and electricity vie with 

 each other, or perhaps it would be more cor- 

 rect to say they combined in filling the 

 grounds with a peculiarly soft, clear, glow- 

 ing, golden light. There kept running 

 through my mind the expression of a Mich- 

 igan editor that "if he didn't know better 

 he should think he was in heaven." 



The fair is really an epitome of the whole 

 world. What an education it would be to 



