Leipsic Fair

Toward Leipsic rumbled a special train carrying an old man whose worst enemies sarcastically admit that he has become almost a god on earth. A cloud of escorting airplanes flew overhead, and the train rumbled on. Crowds cheered as it entered the great Leipsic station. Wearily Paul von Hindenburg descended and passed with tired majesty through a mob whose enthusiasm would barely let him pass at all.

"Old Paul von Hindenburg" he was called before the War, when he was on the army pension list. "Hoch! Hoch!! Hoch der President!!!" roared the crowds last week. Dutifully, imperturbably, impressively the old soldier rode to the site of the Leipsic Spring Fair.

Hindenburg Boot. At the fair the first sight to greet him was the "Hindenburg Boot"--17 feet high, with a sole six feet long, equipped with a barbed spur-wheel two and a half feet in diameter. Six Doebeln shoemakers had taken seven months to construct it from the hides of ten oxen. Touched, the Herr President expressed his appreciation of the compliment thus paid him. It was constructed with still another purpose in view however--to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Doebeln Cobblers' Guild.

The Fair. Observers opined that this traditional "sample fair" has visibly begun to lose its prestige because of the increased preference shown by foreign buyers for purely private dealings, not necessarily in the spring when the fair is held.

Motors. The German automobile manufactuers, having just held a show at Berlin from which all foreign makes were excluded, did not even trouble to send their cars to Leipsic. In consequence, the U. S. makes, which were nearly all well represented, completely dominated the show.

Mulcting. Much annoyance was occasioned by the outrageous profiteering of local hotel people and tradesmen. Correspondents opined that the municipal tramway company set a bad example by raising its fares 25% during the exhibition.