Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission Part 69

Agreeable to your request, the report has been forwarded to the Exposition Company for its action, with a copy of the resolution pa.s.sed by the Commission.

Very respectfully, THOMAS H. CARTER, _President_.

MRS. FREDERICK M. HANGER, _Secretary of the Board of Lady Managers, Administration Building, City_.

Extracts from this report are embodied in the final report of the committee on woman's work, which is as follows:

September 30, 1902, the women appointed by the National Commission as lady managers for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition were called by the National Commission to meet in St.

Louis and effect an organization of the board of lady managers.

At this meeting the board of lady managers was organized and Mrs. James L. Blair elected president.

The first permanent committee appointed by the new president was a committee on woman's work. The ladies appointed on this committee were: Miss Anna L. Dawes, Miss Helen Gould, Mrs.

Marcus Daly, Mrs. M.K. de Young, and Mrs. Mary Phelps Montgomery, chairman. Two members of this committee were not present at the meeting. The president of the board impressed upon the chairman of the committee that a large share of the board's work must of necessity be performed by the committee on woman's work. The chairman of the committee asked the president of the National Commission for special instructions in regard to the plan and scope of the work of the board of lady managers.

The president of the National Commission replied that the board of lady managers must outline their own policy and perform their own work to their best judgment. There was no work performed by the committee on woman's work at this meeting.

The second meeting of the board of lady managers was held in New York City, November 17, 1902. The chairman of the committee on woman's work asked to have added to this committee Mrs. John M.

Holcombe, Mrs. Edward L. Buchwalter, Mrs. Daniel Manning, and Mrs. Richard Knott. The chairman of the committee called a meeting at that time, to which call only Miss Anna L. Dawes and Mrs. Daniel Manning responded. At this second meeting of the board of lady managers in New York the president of the board instructed the committee on woman's work to proceed to St. Louis not later than March, and there receive instructions from the National Commission in regard to the line of work they should take up at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. It became apparent at this meeting that it would be necessary to specialize the work of the board of lady managers, thus relieving the committee on woman's work of much responsibility and labor.

The chairman and Mrs. Daniel Manning, as members of the committee on woman's work, spent January, 1903, in the city of Was.h.i.+ngton, and during their stay endeavored to acquaint themselves with the work performed by women in each and every vocation in life.

In accordance with the instructions of the president, Mrs.

Blair, at the meeting held on November 17, the committee on woman's work met at the Southern Hotel, in St. Louis, March 10, at 11 o'clock, Mrs. Montgomery, chairman. There were present besides the chairman Mrs. Manning, Mrs. Holcombe, and Mrs.

Buchwalter, three members being unavoidably prevented from coming, viz: Miss Gould, Miss Dawes, and Mrs. Knott.

The interest that this committee felt in developing on broad lines their part in the exposition is shown in the following extracts taken from my report, which was not read, however, until the meeting of the board held April 28, 1903:

According to appointment, the committee on woman's work met the executive committee of the Exposition Company at the Laclede Building, March 11, 1903. Mr. Corwin H. Spencer, acting and first vice-president and chairman of the executive committee, presided, and stated: "These ladies are here, gentlemen, upon my invitation, and have some matters they wish to discuss with you."

Mrs. Montgomery, the chairman of the committee on woman's work, then said:

"Ever since we became members of the board of lady managers we have been somewhat in the dark as to what we could and might do to contribute to the success of this great exposition, and we thought perhaps if we came and talked to you gentlemen upon the ground that you could throw us a little light.' We, of course, want to work in harmony with everything that has already been outlined, and we feel that we are a very weak body, but we want to add our efforts to those of the officers of this exposition, and we came to ask you to please tell us how we can help you, and to instruct us upon the line which we are to take up. We feel that women of this country have become a very great factor, but we also feel that the time has pa.s.sed when we are to have a separate exhibit of what women can do, and we thought perhaps in some way we might be able to work in unison with the executive committee and the various other committees of the exposition."

Several subjects were brought up by members of the committee on woman's work, such as the organizations of the country, the congresses at this exposition, the dates of meetings, and provision for the care of the women in attendance. It was suggested by a member of the committee that in the largest audience that the exposition would have the majority would be women. The company had already taken steps to provide a place of meeting, so arranged that meetings could be held without admission fee.

At this meeting a motion was made, and carried by the executive committee, "that the director of exhibits, Mr. Skiff, be instructed to formulate a programme suggesting the way in which the board of lady managers can a.s.sist in inducing congresses to come to the exposition."

The chairman of the committee on woman's work then called attention to the fact that almost the first thing done after the organization of that committee was to ask that immoral dances be excluded from the exposition, to which no reply had been received. During the discussion which followed Mr. Stevens read copy from his records, showing that a letter had been sent by him to the president of the board of lady managers, reading as follows:

"MADAM PRESIDENT: I am directed by the executive committee to reply to your letter conveying the resolution adopted by the board of lady managers on the subject of concessions. The resolution was duly referred by the executive committee to the director of concessions and the committee on concessions, with request for careful consideration. The report of the director and the committee on concessions has been received. The director and the committee express the belief that, under the conditions imposed in all the contracts the concessions will be so regulated as to render it impossible to present any amus.e.m.e.nt that can be cla.s.sed as indecent or improper.

"Very respectfully, WALTER B. STEVENS, _Secretary_."

The committee on woman's work then stated to the executive committee that this letter had never been read before the board at their meeting.

The matter was then considered of sending several members of the board of lady managers abroad to exploit woman's work and to excite an interest in woman's congresses throughout the world.

The chairman stated that she had a letter from Mr. Francis saying he would send one with certain conditions, and the committee wanted to know if that decision was final and what the action of the executive committee would be on that point. It was suggested that three women from the board should be sent abroad--one from the East, one from the West, and one from the Middle States--and the chairman of the executive committee said that, if agreeable to the ladies, that committee would have the matter taken up as soon as President Francis returned. The executive committee was a.s.sured that if it would outline a programme by which the board of lady managers could render a.s.sistance to this great exposition they would be very glad; they wanted to help do what the heads of the exposition had laid out to be, done, and if there was anything that women could do, let them do it.

The meeting then adjourned, and the committee on woman's work met with Mr. Skiff, the director of exhibits. In response to an inquiry in regard to the question whether his committee had taken the initiative in regard to educational and international congresses, Mr. Skiff replied:

"The exposition simply patronizes and a.s.sists without the expenditure of money these stated congresses and conventions.

Those bodies already organized are in a hospitable way invited here, and their executive management is aided more or less in a hall in which they can meet a committee to receive them; but they conduct their own conventions.

"Now the international congresses are an entirely different thing. They are patronized by the exposition. An appropriation of $150,000 has been made for that purpose. Dr. Simon Newcomb is president of the congress. There is no race or s.e.x in a universal exposition; it is the productive use of a man as a unit. We have had great difficulty in convincing the scientific people that so great a thing should come from so western a point. We are going to do a very fine thing in a very large way.

The delegates will be selected and all expenses paid from their homes and return, and whatever product of their thought they present here at these congresses will be bound and fixed in type. I can not say we are working on any plan; it is developed.

The congress is my idea. I am the director of exhibits, and it did not seem proper for the director of exhibits officially to approve the proceedings and the signatures of an office of an international congress. So I suggested that Director Rogers report to President Francis, so that I use President Francis's name. In the meantime I have been appointed a member of the advisory board on account of my position as a director of the inst.i.tute in Chicago. There is no opportunity for organizations to partic.i.p.ate in that international congress. There you come in as individuals; but man or woman if they are great will be invited. It is all one congress; it will only last one week. We have not selected the exact date. It occupies a week; it is divided into sections. Some days in the Congressional Hall there may be 25 or 30 sections all working at the same time on different subjects. It is a magnificent programme. Meetings of these stated organizations are entirely different. The only point about meetings of these clubs and organizations is that, whether they are officered by men or women, or both, some one in behalf of the exposition must make their way as easy as possible for them and see that days do not collide."

A member of the committee made the request that some provision should be made for the care of trained nurses at the exposition, and Mr. Skiff stated that the War Department was contemplating a field hospital. "They want two things. I do not know what the outcome will be. If you ladies could proceed sufficiently to get these ladies interested in the trained nurse idea--to offer the services of a certain number of 'changed' nurses (you understand, double the number, so that they can change)--I have no doubt that Doctor Laidley will be glad to avail of their services."

In answer to the questions as to the time the jurors would be appointed, and whether he had a list of the things on which women are to be appointed, and how long before they would be known, Mr. Skiff replied:

"The jurors will be appointed the first week of the exposition, and the list of things on which women are to be appointed will depend on whether the work is done in whole or in part by female labor. We will know as soon as we get a catalogue. We can not tell what the exhibits will be until they are exhibits. The pamphlet of cla.s.sification will be of invaluable a.s.sistance to you, ladies, in your work. The jurors are to be paid $7 a day and traveling expenses."

In response to the inquiry whether the board should not begin to look out for the women that would be capable for that sort of work, Mr. Skiff said:

"They will develop. There are 108 cla.s.ses; a committee on each cla.s.s would be 1,200 jurors. We are not working women's exhibits up any more than men's. It takes care of itself. We do not specially promote, except in this way: An officer of a department, if he understands his work, is given a cla.s.sification. That is his bible. He makes up his mind what is possible to do in the way of an exhibit. They build up an exhibit. In that way they find it necessary to touch what we call 'individual promotion' on their broad lines. For instance, in education, deaf, dumb, and blind; charity, philanthropy, and education of mind; conveyance of thought; social economy, the model city; machinery, that cla.s.s of machinery that is most ingenious; electricity, electric therapeutics, electric magnetism; transportation, aeronautics, Santos Dumont, etc.; forestry, fish culture, etc. They can add, and on broad lines develop, the highest type of the condition of the times."

Replying to the question whether an exhibit of laces by a woman could be insured, Mr. Skiff stated: "We have no money for insurance; we have no people to go on bond; she is an individual exhibitor, and must get in her own exhibit in a general way."

On the following day, March 12, I received from Mr. Stevens the following letter, accompanied by a record of 1903 conventions of organizations composed of women:

ST. Louis, U.S.A., _March, 13, 1903_.

MADAM: In pursuance of the conference held by your committee with the executive committee of the exposition the 11th instant, the acting president, Mr. Spencer, directs me to send to you the accompanying list of conventions and delegate meetings of women to be held in the near future. It is desired to obtain action by these bodies the coming year to meet in St. Louis during 1904.

The acting president instructs me to say that if your committee or the board of lady managers will a.s.sist in obtaining such action it will be highly appreciated.

The exposition management, with a view to encourage the holding of conventions and congresses, has arranged to have several halls, the use of which can be given to conventions without cost to them. Two or three convention halls will be so located with approaches as to enable delegates to the conventions to reach them without pa.s.sing through the gates of the exposition. It is also the purpose to afford hall room free to such bodies as may desire to hold meetings downtown.

The acting president directs me to say, further, that from a very thorough canva.s.s made of the city, and from information in the possession of the exposition management, it is believed that good accommodations can be a.s.sured at reasonable rates during the exposition. It is the purpose of the exposition to maintain an information service, which will enable delegates to secure accommodations by mail previous to their arrival here.

In other ways the exposition management will endeavor to make the holding of conventions a prominent and satisfactory feature of the World's Fair. If the board of lady managers will join in the invitation to these bodies of women to hold their 1904 conventions at St. Louis the board can help very materially. If the members of the board of lady managers can attend some of these gatherings of 1903, and by personal effort and representation a.s.sist in bringing the conventions here the following year, the management will be pleased to have them do so.

Very respectfully, W.B. STEVENS, _Secretary_.

Mrs. MARY PHELPS MONTGOMERY.

Record of 1903 Conventions of Organizations Composed of Women.

International Congress of Nurses, New York City; International Board of Women and Y.M.C.A. Conference, Cleveland, Ohio; Daughters of Liberty, National Council, Philadelphia, Pa.; Daughters of St. George, Columbus, Ohio; Daughters of Veterans'

National Convention, Cleveland, Ohio; Ladies' Aid Society of the United States, Providence, R.I.; P.R.O. Sisterhood Supreme, St.

Louis, Mo.; Ladies' United Veteran Legion National Convention, Brooklyn, N.Y.; National Council of Women, New York City; Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, Chicago, Ill.; National League of Women Workers, Syracuse, N.Y.; Women's and Young Women's Christian a.s.sociation, St. Louis, Mo.; National Congress of Mothers, Detroit, Mich., May 5-8; Daughters of the Revolution, General Society, New York City, May 10; King's Daughters and Sons, St. Louis, Mo.; Knights and Ladies of Honor, St. Louis, Mo.; Knights and Ladies of Security, St. Louis, Mo.; International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, St. Louis, Mo.; P.E.C. Sisterhood, St. Louis, Mo.; Spanish-American War Nurses, St. Louis, Mo.; United Daughters of the Confederacy, St. Louis, Mo.; Woman's Christian Temperance Union, St. Louis, Mo.; Woman's Relief Corps, St. Louis, Mo.; Council of Jewish Women, St.

Louis, Mo.; National American Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation, New Orleans, La.; Ancient Sons and Daughters of Jerusalem, Kansas City, Mo.; Ladies of the Maccabees, Port Huron, Mich.

In a letter from Mr. Howard J. Rogers, in charge of congresses, which will be appended to this report, he says: