ATTENDANCE AT THE PARR, The managers of the Fair, and indeed all the inhabitants of the city are feeling much elated over tive rapid increase in attendance during the past few weeks. The we ending is the culmination, and when the gates close to-morrow night on the last day of the week, the record will show that more than a million people have paid admission since last Monday morning.—If that average can he maintained frame now to the end of the Fair, the outcome will be one. To-day is Hinois Day, and is the State of which Chicago is the Inngest city, and there is much State pride in the enterprise, the numbers in ttenduneo to-day are about 250,000, and is consequently the biggest day of the Fair so far, except Independence Day, thes fourth of July. During July there was a falling-off of the numbers attending the Fair, and there were some who were discouraged at the prospect. But many things combined to be responsible for the unfavourable showing, most of which have been corrected. At the same time, oxpenses have been reduced materially, and in every way the financial status is improved. "Among other things, the rail-Way companies are now beginning to de whit they should have done long ago, and are cutting rates so that one may come any distance and stay any reasonable length of time, by paying a rate of one fare for the round trip. For three months the roads went on in the belief that the people would come any way, and that they might as well got: full fares from them. That was found to be a mistake, and since the rates were cut, the trafic lias more than trebled.
Another thing that has added much to the attendance has been the effort towards "circussing" the Fair. This word, which is coined for the occasion, is applied to every thing in the nature of popular amusement, originated for the purpose of attracting the crowd. Some of the things which have been tried are far from dignified, but all are effective, and as one has said, if one does not like the efforts to popularize, there are enough other things within the Fair that he need not be at a loss to find something to fill his time, away from the circus. Most rin of something of an international character. Probably the best of these have been the international swimming and canoe races. The interior waterways or lagoons of the park furnish an excellent place for such tests, where thousands of spectators can be accommodated with points of observation, The swimming races have been repeated on several occasions. Each time there have been so entries that there had to be "heats" in order to accommodate all the contestants. On one occasion the Dahomeyans were the first to decide a heat, the South Sea Istnders the second, the American Indinns the third, the Turks the fourth, the Javanese the fifth, the Esquimaux the sixth, and the Arawak ud other South Amicrican Tndians the ast. Then the winners of the heats raced for the final prize, which was a twenty dollar gold piece, and it was won by an Avrawak Indian amid great enthusiasm. Tu the canoe mees all sorts of odd ernst, paddled by natives of all these centries competed, and on one occasion an Tro Indian was the winner, in a birchbark canoe, and again an Ksquimaux in his kayak,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.