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OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest                    Volume 99 : Issue 413

Today's Topics:
  #1 HAMILTON COUNTY - PART 25            [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE]

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X-Message: #1
Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 11:29:07, -0500
From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER)
Subject: HAMILTON COUNTY - PART 25


HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF OHIO By Henry Howe, LL.D., 1898

                        HAMILTON COUNTY - part 25

                        EXPOSITIONS.
        The Industrial Expositions of the city had their origin in the
annual fairs of the Ohio Mechanics' Institute, the first of which was held
in Trollope's Bazaar building, in 1838. These fairs ceased owing to the
civil war. In 1869 the Wood Growers' Association of the Northwest gave a
Textile Fabric Association which lasted four days, and was such a great
success as to lead, through the exertions of Mr. A.T. Goshorn and his
associates, to uniting the three great organizations -the Board of trade,
the Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Mechanics' Institute, in a plan to
give "the Cincinnati Industrial Exposition of Manufacturers, Products and
Arts in the year 1870.
        Each of these bodies was represented by a committee of five members
chosen for their zeal and peculiar capacity. They received no salary
although their services involved much labor and time. To be an exposition
commissioner was thought to be a distinguished honor. An exposition
organized in this way could only be a public trust. There were to be no
profits, no dividends to anybody. As a financial basis a guarantee fund was
subscribed of $24,000. The form of subscription was a note by the guarantor
for the amount of his individual guaranty, payable to the Exposition
Commissioners only in case the receipts of the Exposition failed to pay
expenses, and then only in proportion to the amount of deficit. The city
banks advanced money on these notes.
        The Exposition was held in a massive building erected for the
National Saengerfest of the same year. With additions the exhibiting space
covered seven acres. This entire space was filled with interesting
exhibits, and the exposition was open from September 21 till October 22.
Admission 25 cents. When it closed it was found that over 300,000 visitors
had passed through its gates; that the receipts had been about $54,000,
leaving a small surplus over all expenses.
        Not only was the city, delighted with the great success but a wide
interest was aroused throughout the country, whence visitors were drawn by
the thousands to the great exposition. For the four following years
expositions were held, and so far successful that no assessments were made
on the guarantors.
        "No exposition was held in the year 1876, on account of the great
Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia; but it was a high compliment to the
Cincinnati plan and management that, as early as the year 1872, the
Philadelphia Commissioners visited the great Cincinnati Exposition of that
year, studied its details carefully, and afterwards chose for the important
office of director-general of their exhibition A.T. Goshorn, then the
President of the Cincinnati Board of Exposition Commissioners."
        Meantime Music Hall had been built as one of the outgrowths caused
by the exposition, all the people uniting to this end, even the
school-children giving concerts with their massive child choruses in aid of
the enterprise.
        In 1888 was inaugurated "The Centennial Exposition of the Ohio
Valley and Central States," for the support of which a guarantee fund of
$1,050,000 was subscribed by the people of Cincinnati. Honorary
Commissioners were appointed from thirteen States, including their
respective governors, thus giving national significance to the event, which
was intended also to celebrate the settlement of the Northwest Territory.
Buildings occupying a large part of Washington Park and spanning the canal
were erected, which in connection with the permanent Exposition Buildings
furnished a floor area of about thirty-two acres.
        In this was gathered a magnificent collection of manufactured
articles, products of the soil and works of art, illustrating the mighty
progress of a century. Congress appropriated $250,000 towards a national
exhibit of some of their rarest and most valuable archives, which were
placed in charge of government officials.
        The Exposition was opened July 4, 1888, by a great daylight
procession, much of it illustrative of the early history of the country and
its wonderful progress. The streets were thronged with hundreds of
thousands of people, all bearing testimony to the manner in which the
popular heart was responding to the demands of the celebration.
        The Exposition continued over 100 days, and the entire enterprise
was a grand industrial and artistic success, reflecting great credit and
honor upon the citizens of Cincinnati, Exposition Commissioners and exhibitors.
                                CLUBS AND CLUB LIFE.
        Cincinnati abounds in clubs, social, literary and scientific. It
being largely a collection of suburban towns, difficult of access one
directly with the other, gathered around a central town readily accessible
from each, has tended to the establishment of clubs. The Historical and
Philosophical Society is located on Garfield Place. It has a Museum of
Natural Curiosities, a Historical Library of 7,000 volumes and over 40,000
pamphlets, many of them rare and containing a mine of information on the
early history of this region. A club of a similar character is the Natural
History Society, located on Broadway. This society has quite an extensive
museum, and it stimulates an interest in the natural characteristics of the
surrounding country. Connected with the club is a section devoted to
photographic work which makes excursions to the various points of beauty
and interest about the neighborhood. These have resulted in a collection of
beautiful views, which, supplemented by plates obtained by exchange with
similar societies, furnish the material for an annual exhibit of remarkable
variety and excellent workmanship. Lectures are given of a popular
character on scientific subjects which are free to the public at large. The
society has regular meetings at which papers are read and discussed. The
Unity Club supplies a regular course of Sunday afternoon lectures, open to
the public at a nominal fee. These are usually given in the Grand Opera
House, where are heard during the winter some of the best lecturers in the
country. Through the efforts of Librarian A.W. Whelpley, they are largely
attended, and have become a permanent feature in the life of the city. The
Unity Club comprises both sexes and has varied objects. Its membership is
vary large and far reaching. Throughout the winter on Wednesday evenings a
regular course of exercises is carried out. One night it is a lecture by
some member on some literary subject, the next night a debate, the
following an amateur dramatic performance, or an opera, and so on
throughout the years. These lectures are so arranged that they form a
connected whole on some subject, each member being assigned a particular
branch of the topic under study for treatment.
        Then there are the Ladies' Musical Club, a Press club composed of
journalists and four large purely social clubs. Two of these, the Allemania
and the Phoenix, are limited entirely to those of Jewish extraction. The
Queen City Club has the handsomest building, and here are gathered the men
of wealth of the city. It has attached a ladies' apartment, which is
enjoyed by the wives and daughters of its members. Billiard rooms and card
rooms are plenty, and its table excellent. Within the club is another club,
the Thirteen Club, with thirteen members which seats itself and dines on
the Thirteenth hour of the Thirteenth day of each month. The Ananias Club,
devotes itself entirely to dining. The object of this club is good
fellowship and the promotion of truth. It numbers among its members
newspaper men, lawyers, doctors, artists and musicians. It has no
Constitution and only one officer, whose business it is to attend only to
his own. At its dinners, which are only occasional, there rests in the
centre of the table the original hatchet used by G. Washington in his
famous cherry tree difficulty, surmounted by the skull of Ananias, which is
alike original -the identical skull which he used when living. The annual
meeting is always held on Washington's birthday; of course, his first and
only one.
        The Country Club has a very comfortable place near Carthage, with a
convenient club-house and large grounds, where can be had tennis, shooting,
or any sports that suit the fancy. It is sufficiently far from the city for
the pleasant drive for the members and their friends. The University club
is composed entirely of college graduates, and about all the principal
colleges in the country are represented. As with the Queen City Club a
large number of its members lunch here regularly.
        Two other characteristic clubs are the U.C.D. and the Literary
Club. The U.C.D. is a club organized of ladies and gentlemen in 1866 on
Mount Auburn, for the reading of essays, music and theatricals.
        The Literary Club is the oldest of the kind in the country. At the
first meeting were Judge Stanley Matthews and A.R. Spofford, Librarian of
Congress. The club was devoted to the discussion of various topics, social,
literary, theological and political, the reading of essays and a monthly
newspaper; also recitations. Rutherford B. Hayes was elected a member in
1859, and on March 9th of that year, acting as chairman, he decided in the
negative on the merits of the question: "Has the agitation in the North on
the slavery question been an advantage?" On the merits of the question the
club also voted in the negative. The same year the club discussed and
decided in the negative, "Are there any causes at present existing from
which we have reason to fear a dissolution of the Union? Among its members
have been many prominent men beside those here mentioned. Buchanan Read,
Salmon P. Chase, Fred. Hassaurek, O.P. Morton, James Beard, Generals
McClellan and Pope, John W. Herron, John M. Newton, W.F. Poole, Ainsworth
Spofford, Moncure D. Conway, Henry Howe, Chas. Reemelin, J.B. Stallo, Donn
Piatt, E.F. Noyes, Alphonso Taft, etc. At the outbreak of the war the club
organized itself into the Burnet Rifles, about 60 in number; a larger part
of the members became officers in the Union army. The club is very
flourishing, with an increased membership.

        -continued in part 26

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End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #413
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