People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 September 1893 — PLAYING WORLD’S FAIR. [ARTICLE]

PLAYING WORLD’S FAIR.

That Is a New Game and the Children Have Lots of Fan with It. , “Playing world’s fair” is now a favorite amusement of the smaller boys and girls of Chicago. Many of them have seen for themselves the beauties of the exposition, including the bizarre glories of the Midway Plaisance. All these things the little ones try to reproduce in woodsheds and attics and under back porches. Toys and pictures and lanterns and anything else that can be made to simulate some feature of the exposition is set up in the “fair” and an an admission fee varying from five pins to one cent is collected from neighboring “kids” who are not favored with full-term passes by the directors. A West side mother recently observed great agitation among her little flock and on inquiry was told they had a world’s fair in the basement, and that she “might come in for a cent.” She paid no more attention to the matter till in the afternoon her little boy, aged seven, ran in with glowing cheeks and told her to come quick and see their Midway, and that Jennie and Millie—a neighbor’s little girls—were dancing like the Persians at the fair. There was enough in this to alarm the young matron, and, apparently responsive to the boy’s urgent invitation, she permitted herself to be led to the basement, where she was horrified at what she saw. Jennie and Millie, little tots of about six years of age, were perched on a dry-goods box doing duty as a stage, and, clad only in single garments, were going through motions that would have been most shocking in their suggestive depravity were it not for the baby innocence of the performers. A most enthusiastic audience of about their own age applauded the tiny dancers, all equally ignorant and innocent. Without provoking inquiry as to why she did it, the mother managed to stop the “dance” and to obtain from the children a promise that they would not repeat it. Cautious questioning developed the fact that a large boy who lived in the neighborhood and who had seen the Midway dances had told the little fellows who were getting up the play fair that the Midway was the best part of the exposition, and had told them how to reproduce the scenes and had taught the little girls how to imitate the contortions of the oriental dancers. —Chicago Herald.