| OCR Text |
Show NOT FLOCKING 1 ST. LOUIS' Fair Atfaface M Op , h Expectation, Far Short of What It Should Be, Says Commission. Commis-sion. Letter Sent to President Francis Asking- Him to Call Conference to Consider Matter. ST. LOUIS, July 21. Because-, they believe the fair is not being properly exploited by the pres9 InMhls and other countries the National commission has caused a letter to be addressed to President Presi-dent Franci9 of the exposition. The letter is signed' by Thomas H. Carter, president of the Commission, and says: "I respectfully call your attention to the apparent need for an extension and enlargement of the publicity feature of the exposition. Within the range of the general circulation of the papers published In this city all features of the fair have been made known; but, unhappily, the journals of thla city, like those of all other cities, enjoy general circulation only In a limited area. Beyond Be-yond the line of the special influence of the local press the extensive proportions pro-portions and interesting details of the fair do not appear to the commission to have been known to the general public, pub-lic, to the extent or in the manner cak culated to Inspire the interest and secure se-cure the- attendance warranted by the extra merits of the great educational force here installed. In the opinion of the commission this delinquency "does not arltw from any lack of devotion to the public welfare by the press of the country at large. Attendance Is Light. "The, buildings are completed, the ex-hlblts'are ex-hlblts'are installed and the exposition hati been ln progress for substantially three-sever.tha of Its allotted period. The fulth of the management Jn the merits of the fair has been justified by the approving judgment of all who have entered the gates, but the dally attendance attend-ance has been far short of what It should be from any point of view. "Unhappily, the magnificent proportions propor-tions nnd the numberless attractions of the exposition do not seem to be fully understood by the masses of the people throughout the United States, whence attendance must be chiefly expected. The results obtained from the territory commanded by the prees of St. Louis warrants the belief that the unsatisfactory unsatis-factory conditions prevailing would be overcome if tho country at large could beadequately advised of what Is to be seen, learned and enjoyed within the grounds. Newspapers "Will Aid. "The newspapers of the respective Stato9 will, without doubt, cheerfully give space to descriptive matter directly direct-ly relating to the exhibits and achievements achieve-ments of their readers. The Exposition company could well afford to aid ajid assist in the preparation of descriptive matter accompanied by plate matter relating re-lating to different localities because It is evident that creation of interest In any locality will contribute to the general gen-eral purpose. But it is not the Intention to attempt to detail the many ways of securing publicity which would undoubtedly un-doubtedly evolve from a general conference con-ference by representatives of all the Interested In-terested forces. Conferenco Suggested. "Tt Is far from the Intention of the committee to Interfere with the operation opera-tion of any of your matured plans, but it is respectfully submitted that the failure of expected and necessary attendance at-tendance at the exposition Is a matter of such extreme Importance as to command com-mand every available force ln directing the attention of the people of the whole country to the attractions and merits of the exposition. "Should It comport with your Judgment Judg-ment to call the conference suggested, the National commission will be pleased to co-operate with you." |
