Am.  .lour.  Pharm.) 
October,  1899.  J 
Editorial. 
487 
EDITORIAL. 
FAIRS  AND  EXPOSITIONS. 
The  word  fair  is  derived  either  from  the  Latin  forum,  a  market-place,  or 
ferics,  holidays.  Fairs  were  originally  meetings  of  buyers,  and  sellers  with 
their  merchandise,  either  at  stated  times  (on  holidays)  or  at  fixed  places  (mar- 
kets) for  purposes  of  trade.  Fairs,  however,  were  not  wholly  given  over  to 
business,  but  contained  certain  departments  for  amusement  and  relaxation.  It 
is  supposed  by  some  that  fairs  were  an  outcome  or  offshoot  of  the  feast  days  of 
the  church.  It  is,  however,  likely  that  the  latter  borrowed  the  term  from  the 
Romans,  and  that  "  fairs  are  probably  coeval  with  commerce  itself,  since,  espe- 
cially before  the  era  of  railways  and  steamboats,  some  rallying  point  of  the 
kind  was  necessary  for  the  interchange  of  commodities.  Such  commercial 
gatherings  were  known  in  most  of  the  states  of  antiquity,  especially  in  the 
provinces  of  Rome." 
The  fairs  of  Germany,  Russia,  France,  Turkey,  India  and  England  may  be  said 
to  have  been  among  the  great  educational  institutions  up  to  within  the  last  cen- 
tury. To  these  gatherings  were  brought  not  only  the  merchants  and  financiers 
of  all  lands,  but  here  were  also  to  be  found  skilled  mechanics  and  stu- 
dents of  every  kind.  Here  was  a  common  meeting  place  for  the  interchange 
of  thought  as  well  as  products  of  skill.  Here  were  opportunities  for  wider 
visions  and  an  examination  into  the  resources  of  the  minds  of  all  nations,  as 
well  as  the  resources  of  the  natural  conditions  of  these  countries  and  acquired 
skill  of  their  workmen.  These  fairs  cherished  and  preserved  an  international 
spirit  in  thought  and  commerce  and  wrought  a  gradual  change  upon  all  the 
labors  of  the  minds  and  hands  of  all  the  nations  that  were  represented. 
It  was  but  natural,  with  the  construction  of  roads  and  canals  and  the  develop- 
ment of  commerce,  that  the  main  features  of  the  fairs  were  made  subsidiary  to 
the  social  features  and  amusements,  and  they  came  to  be  regarded  in  the  nature 
of  festivals  and  were  made  holidays.  Fairs,  particularly  in  England  and  France, 
came  to  be  more  or  less  of  the  nature  of  "shows,"  or  a  kind  of  circus,  and, 
as  a  result,  in  these  countries  they  have,  it  is  said,  almost  entirely  disappeared 
or  given  way  to  markets  for  specialties.  The  fairs  which  are  still  continued  in 
Europe  and  considered  to  be  of  greatest  importance,  are  those  held  three  times 
a  year  in  Leipzig.  The  Easter  "  Messe  "  (or  fair  )  at  Leipzig  is  considered  the 
most  important,  and  still  brings  thither  people  from  nearly  all  parts  of  Europe. 
The  fairs  at  Nijni-Novgorod  are  also  famous,  attracting  the  merchants  of  Eu- 
rope and  Asia.  The  largest  fairs  probably  of  modern  times,  bringing  together 
the  largest  number  of  people  and  merchandise  of  greatest  value,  are  those  held 
at  Hurdwar,  on  the  Ganges. 
According  to  the  historian  Prescott,  we  find  that  on  this  continent  fairs  were 
held  in  the  principal  cities  of  Mexico.  In  the  United  States  the  term  fair  is 
used  to  include  a  variety  of  exhibitions,  which  are  either  in  the  nature  of  com- 
petitive exhibitions  or  festivals  for  charitable  purposes.  The  agricultural  fairs, 
so  popular  in  the  United  States,  were  originated  by  E.  Watson,  who  induced 
the  New  York  Legislature  to  appropriate  $io,coo  for  six  years,  to  be  expended 
for  premiums  on  agricultural  products  and  manufactures.  Besides  State  fairs, 
it  has  been  estimated  that  nearly  one-half  of  the  counties  give  annual  fairs. 
Besides  these  agricultural  fairs,  there  have  been  other  exhibitions,  as  those 
