Convention—Are fairs humbugs? 
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In one class the judges will go for quality, in the other for size; 
and by a different construction the following year the whole thing 
may be reversed. Too much care cannot be taken in making the 
premium list so plain that these errors will not occur. Others often 
come from too much work for committees, bad arrangement of ar¬ 
ticles, working while the crowd is great, finding an entry but no 
list or person able to explain, articles entered in the wrong class, 
entry cards in the exhibitors’ pockets, sweet potatoes and cabba¬ 
ges entered as ‘pears^ preserved fruits in -water, articles purchased 
or stolen and entered as grown by exhibitor, grain bags half filled 
with foul seed carrying off first prizes, exhibitors exchanging speci- 
menSj even without the knowledge of the owner, in certain cases. 
Entry by numbers, in some departments, brings ten fold more la¬ 
bor upon committees, and is of no benefit; the admission of tardy 
exhibitors after the “ books are positively closed.” These and very 
many other objections to the usual manner of making awards, tend 
to confirm in the minds of many that “fairs are humbugs.” 
All these things happen when honest judges strive to make just 
awards. Add to these objections the errors of inefficient and in- 
interested judges, and how much more truly the cry of “ humbug.” 
Many get premiums they have not earned; many fail to get them 
who are justly entitled to them; and this will always be the case. 
But this premium question should not be the great object of our 
exhibitors. Let us lay aside this matter of dollars, and get up one 
grand exhibition, on the true merits of the case, and let the honors 
pay the bill. Especially would this be commendable in the present 
condition of our treasury. The unfavorable weather during the 
time of a fair may cause a partial failure to pay premiums, but nev¬ 
er should it result in such a total failure as was the case at Osh¬ 
kosh last year, when the promise was pro rata. 
It is impossible to get up a programme that will suit everybody, 
but what are the tendencies when the executive board spend so 
many hundreds of dollars on horse racing, and so few cents on 
many important branches of industry? While gambling and beer- 
guzzling are prominent features of our fairs; while the Sabbath is 
disregarded, and open fair is held under any circumstances; while 
these things continue, fairs to the better portion of the community 
are becoming anything but commendable. 
Fairs must be so attractive that they will be a financial success; 
