B U R E A U O F E D U C A T I O N. Conducted under the auspices of the Woman's Board of Managers. President, Mrs. A.J. Sawyer, Lincoln. Vice-President, Mrs. Thomas L. Kimball, Omaha. Second Vice President, Mrs. William Dutton, Hastings. Third Vice-President, Mrs. Frank Johnson, Crete. Secretary, Mrs. Frances M. Ford, Omaha. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. Mrs. W.P. Harford, Chairman, Omaha. Mrs. A.J. Sawyer, Lincoln. Mrs. Kate McHugh, Omaha. Mrs. Thomas Kimball, Omaha. Mrs. J.R. Reed, Council Bluffs. Mrs. W.W. Keysor, Omaha. Mrs. D.C. Giffert, West Point. BOARD OF MANAGERS. First Congressional District, Mrs. A.J. Sawyer, Lincoln; Mrs. A.W. Field, Lincoln. Second Congressional District, Mrs. Angelina Whitney, Elk City; Miss Helen Chase, Papillion. Third Congressional District, Mrs. D.C. Giffert, West Point; Mrs. Nettie Hollenbeck, Fremont. Fourth Congressional District, Mrs. J.B. McDowell, Fairbury; Mrs. Frank Johnson, Crete. Fifth Congressional District, Mrs. William Dutton, Hastings; Miss L.W. Fyffe, Hastings. Sixth Congressional District, Mrs. M.A. Huntr, Broken Bow; Mrs. J.H. Kerr, Ansley. Omaha,----Miss Anaa Foos, Miss Kate McHugh, Miss Alice Hitte, Mrs. O.S. Chittenden, Mrs. S.R. Towne, Mrs. W.W. Keysor, Mrs. W.P. Harford, Mrs. E.A. Cudahy, Mrs. Stella R. Feil, Mrs. T.L. Kimball, Mrs. Euclid Martin. South Omaha,--Mrs. E.B. Towle, Mrs. A.Am. Munro. Council Bluffs,--Mrs. J.R. Reed, Mrs. S.C. Key. _____________________ The Woman's Club of Omaha, deeply interested in the Exposition, desired that woman should have charge of some distinctive branch of the work, and aid in the general plan, and on February 2nd, 1897, Mrs. Z.T. Lindsey and Mrs. W.P. Harford, as a committee from the Woman's Club met with the Executive Committee to consider the subject and plan for woman's participation. After a second meeting a plan was agreed upon as follows. .pa P L A N O F O R G A N I Z A T I O N. _________________ Section 1. That the women be given charge of the Bureau of Education in it various branches, Viz: The exhibits of the work of public school, kindergartens, manual training and industrial schools, schools for the deaf, blind and feeble minded, art schools, reform schools and all schools of special instruction, and that they also have charge of a series of Congresses on various scientific and philosophical lines during the months from June to November 1898. Section 2. That this Bureau of Education be in the hands and under control of a Board of Managers of twenty-seven (27) in number, as more particularly specified in Section II, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of the Exposition; eleven (11) of said managers shall be chosen from Omaha, two (2) from South Omaha, two (2) from Council Bluffs and twelve (12) from Nebraska outside of Omaha and South Omaha. Section 3. That the local members of the Board of Managers be elected at a mass meeting of the woman of Omaha, that the members from South Omaha and Council Bluffs shall be elected at a mass meeting of the women in said cities, called for that purpose, each of said meetings to be called by the secretary of this Board to be held in said cities on Saturday February 13th, 1897, at 2 o'clock P.M. Section 4. That from each Congressional District in the state, two (2) members of the Board of Managers shall be elected at a mass meeting of the woman of each district, for that purpose. Section 5. That the Congressmen from each Congressional District shall designate where the said mass meeting shall be held and, if desired by the women of said district, the Board of Directors of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition will send a woman from Omaha to said district to fully explain the ends and aims of the Exposition. Section 6. That the said Board of Managers may elect its own officers and adopt rules governing its actions. Section 7. That two (2) women from each state outside of Nebraska, be selected to form an Advisory Council, auxiliary to the Board of Managers. Section 8. That the Advisory Council be selected by the Board of Managers from names suggested to the Board by the different State Federations of Clubs and other educational organizations. Section 9. That the members of the Board of Managers and of the Advisory Council do not receive remuneration. Section 10. That in the work of the various departments and committees of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, where the services of women would be valuable, that they be asked to render such service. Section 11. The powers of said Board of Managers shall be complete for the purposes above outlined, subject, however, to the approval of the Executive Committee of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, and to provide for this approval the Secretary of the said Board of Managers shall transmit a report of the proceedings of their meetings to the Secretary of the Exposition, who shall thereupon lay the same before the Executive Committee for their approval. Mr. E.E. Bruce, Manager Dep't of Exhibits, Trans-Mississippi & Int. Exposition. Dear Sir: I beg leave to submit herewith the report of the Bureau of Education, Dep't. of Exhibits. The operation of the plan of organization resulted in the selection of the Board of Managers as first given above. The resignation of Mrs. McIntosh from the Board, was accepted and Mrs. N. P. Feil was elected to fill the vacancy. An Advisory Council, as provided in the plan of organization, was appointed early in the summer of 1897, but it was found to be an adjunct of no very practical importance. Acknowledgments are due, however, to Mrs. Alice Babb of Iowa, Mrs. C.L. Scott and Mrs. M.G. Slocum, Mrs. T.K. Gray and Mrs. Carrie L. Backus of Minnesota, Mrs. Emory of Montana, Mrs. James Baird of Texas and Mrs. Ellen M. Henrotin of Illinois. WORK OF THE BUREAU The work delegated to the Bureau has been conducted under four general divisions, viz: Educational Exhibits, Collective. Individual. Women's Work. Congresses. Girls' and Boys' Building. There will be reported seriatim. EDUCATIONAL EXHIBITS Collective The work of securing educational exhibits was found to be more difficult than had been expected, owing, probably to two reasons. First, experience in former expositions had demonstrated to teachers that the work of preparing educational exhibits of value, was great, while the interest of the public in that class of exhibits was small. Second, the charge for space was unfavorable to exhibits having no commercial value, and as this was a new feature in our exposition, the objection to it from educational institutions, was loud and deep. Nearly all such institutions were solicited, however, by correspondence and in many cases personally or by delegation, and exhibits were secured from Columbia University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California and from several business colleges. Special mention should also be made of a collection from the Chicago Art Institute. The largest collective exhibits were made by state institutions and paid for from state appropriations. The exhibit made by Nebraska included the public schools from Kindergarten to university and every institution for dependent or defective classes as well. Colorado made a similar exhibit. Kansas displayed work from grades below university. Missouri emphasized original work from university students and that done in schools for the Negro, the latter notably from the industrial standpoint. Oregon, Montana and Los Angeles Co., California, made representative exhibits. As an extra incentive, the Bureau gave, in addition to the exposition award a special diploma to the best state exhibit, to ten of the best county exhibits, and to the best exhibit from each of the thirty-two classes, including various grades, special schools and institutions for dependent and defective classes. The number of these awards was thirty-three. The manual training exhibit from the Omaha High School in active operation, in charge of Mr. John Wigman, Professor of Manual Training, was of special interest and drew much attention to it. A fine exhibit of Ceramic products from Colorado and Nebraska was greatly admired, and interested many patrons. INDIVIDUAL In order to give pupils whose schools were not exhibiting, an opportunity to present their work, a plan was devised for individual competition in composition, history, penmanship, nature study, drawing and manual training. A premium list arranged by a committee consisting of Mrs. Sawyer, Mrs. Keysor and Mrs. Reed, was printed in pamphlet form and distributed in schools and teacher's institutes and through the correspondence of state and county officials. Members of the Board presented the plan in their various localities at teacher's meetings, and to individual teaches, and the secretary supplemented their efforts by a systematic correspondence with school officials, but the scheme failed to incite interest, and the exhibits were few in number, and for the most part inferior in quality. The number submitted in each subject is as follows: Drawing 128 Penmanship 98 Composition 68 Manual Training 21 History 12 Nature Study 3 Total 320 An entry fee of 25 cents has been charged and gold, silver, and bronze medals had been promised as awards, but since the whole number of entries was less than the number of medals required to meet the provisions of the premium list, the committee decided to refund the entry fee and to give a diploma to exhibits of merit. This diploma is a facsimile of the exposition diploma, except that it is much smaller. About 200 awards have been made. CONGRESSES There was no branch of work entrusted to the Bureau which was accepted with so much enthusiasm as that given to congress work. Having been inaugurated at the organization of the Bureau, it was conducted through the preliminary stages by the Executive Committee and turned over Sept. 2nd, 1897 to a congress committee consisting of Mrs. Keysor, Mrs. Sawyer and Mrs. Reed. A little later Mrs. Feil was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mrs. Keysor, and Mrs. W.H. Hanchett and Mrs. T.K. Sudborough were added to the committee. These ladies served until July 9th, 1898 when the resignation of Mrs. Feil and Mrs. Hanchett were accepted and Mrs. Towne and Mrs. Martin were appointed to fill the vacancies. The organization of the congresses included a committee of arrangements and a local committee, the former to have the planning of the program, and them latter to be a committee of ways and means. Both these committees were appointed by the congress committee, which was successful in securing the services of experts as chairman in every case. The congresses were, however, planned with great difficulty, owing to the fact that it was impossible to secure when a provisional appropriation from the exposition as a whole, or for any one of them in particular, and also, because favors shown to certain congresses were denied to others. these conditions were responsible for the loss of several congresses for which plans had been formulated and considerable work done. Among such congresses were those of labor, temperance, social economics, literature and Trans-Mississippi history. The congress of Christian Activities was also dropped on account of the removal from the city of the chairman when it was too late to supply his place. The abandonment of this congress which had been planned with sufficient breadth to include all form of religious work, was a distinct loss, but it was compensated for by several other congresses, as none below. A R T. -- Chairman, Mr. Lorado Taft, Chicago. Local Chairman, Mr. Paul Charlton. This congress occupied the greater part of three days and comprised six sessions. The programs consisted in the main, of illustrated lectures on art topics, which were given by some of the best known critics and artists in the west. M U S I C. -- Chairman, Mr. Homer Moore, Omaha. Local Chairman, Mr. Martin Cahn. Twelve sessions extending over four days were held and the programs contained the names of over thirty musical artists and composers. Indian music day was one of the features of this congress, and on that occasion Miss Alice Fletcher of Harvard University, Mr. Francis LaFlesche of Washington and Prof. J. H. Filmore of Pomona, California, gave the results of original investigations among the American aborigines, while a group of Omaha Indian illustrated their addresses by native songs. American Music day gave opportunity for the presentation of American music and the discussion of its possibilities. Wagner day was devoted to the music and the theories of Richard Wagner, and the program included a discussion of his works illustrated by the stereopticon. The musical congress, planned on a large scale, was accordingly expensive, although the artists participating, made no charge for their services, requiring only that expenses be paid. The orchestra was also a heavy item of expense, and the action of the exposition in making orchestral concerts free to exposition visitors, destroyed the commercial value of the orchestra on which the congress had counted when contract was made. Railroad transportation proportionate to that given other congresses, was not provided, and street entrance to the auditorium though granted in other cases was denied in this. It happened therefore, that while the congress was able to pay the Exposition $850.00 on its contract for the orchestra, it was unable to meet many of its bills from artists participating in the programs. The deficit, however, having been met by the exposition, is more than covered by the surplus from the Girls and boys' building fund, which has been left with the Exposition. MONETARY. -- Chairman, Hon. J. Sterling Morton, Neb. City Local Chairman, Dr. Geo. L. Miller. This congress occupied three days and held five sessions. It was participated in by many of the foremost financiers of the Unites States, and the papers presented constitute an important contribution to monetary science. SINGLE TAX. -- Chairman, Mr. Louis D. Post, Chicago Local Chairman, Mr. W. D. Becket. Six sessions occupied two days. The programs represented some of the best known exponents of the single tax theory. RELIGION. -- Chairman, Rev. Jenkin Lloyd, Chicago. Local Chairman, Mr. Thomas Kilpatrick. The Liberal Congress of Religion covered four days and held nine sessions. Its programs were of broad and general interests, and such representative men as Dr. Thomas, Dr. Barrows and Rabbi Hirsch of Chicago, President David Starr Jordan of Leland Standford and Prof. Hanford Henderson of Brooklyn, were heard. This was the most largely attended of all the congresses. The Women's congresses included the following: NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN. -- Chairman, Mrs. May Wright Sewall, Indianapolis Local Chairman, Miss Mary Fairbrother. Five days, ten sessions. TRANS-MISSISSIPPI CONGRESS OF WOMEN'S CLUBS. -- Chairman, Mrs. Belle M. Stoutenborough, Plattsmouth Local Chairman, Mrs. Philip Potter. Three days, eight sessions. SUFFRAGE DAY. -- Chairman, Miss Susan B. Anthony, New York. Local Chairman, Mrs. Cornish. One day, two sessions. W.C.T.U. DAY. -- Chairman, Mrs. S. T. Walker, Lincoln. Local Chairman, Mrs. M. G. Andrews. One session. MOTHER'S CONGRESS. -- Chairman, Mrs. Theo. Birney, Washington. Local Chairman, Mrs. H. H. Heller. Two days, five sessions. JEWISH COUNCIL OF WOMEN. -- Chairman, Mrs. H. J. Solomon, Chicago. Local Chairman, Mrs. A. Polack. Two days, six sessions. The Trans-Mississippi Teacher's Convention, the Library Congress and Congress of Charities and Corrections were carried on under other auspices, but much clerical work and all of the circularizing was done at the secretary's office. The Omaha Woman's Club as its gift to the congresses furnished a suitable meeting place in its club rooms in the First Congregational Church. Several conventions not under the auspices of the Bureau were held there. The entire number of sessions for which the club provided being 103. GIRLS' AND BOYS' BUILDING Preliminary. There was no building on the exposition grounds in which so many persons were interested as that devoted to boys and girls. Plans suggested at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Bureau June 5th, 1897, and formulated on June 17th were immediately approved by the exposition, and were laid before the Board of Managers at its meeting of July 1st. It was decided to raise funds as far as possible from school children and a descriptive leaflet was circulated among the teachers of Nebraska and neighboring states as they assembled during the summer in county institutes. This method served to introduce the project and early in the fall a definite canvass was undertaken by local patronesses who collected the school contributions in their respective towns. About a hundred such workers were enlisted. Three special incentives were offered to individuals and schools contributing to the building fund. First, A certificate showing a picture of the building was offered to all contributors of one dollar or more. A design submitted by Miss Lydia McCague was chosen for these certificates, and 1737 of them have been awarded. Second, The name of individuals, towns and schools contributing ten dollars or more were promised a place of honor on the honor roll. This roll of honor was exhibited in the hall of the building. Third, It was agreed that the pictures decorating the building should be awarded at the close of the exposition to the schools making the largest contribution per capita one-half to be given to rural schools. At the solicitation of Mrs. W. W. Keysor, gifts of pictures to the number of thirty one were made by the following: Braun Clement Co. New York. Berlin Photo Co. New York. Hanfstanxel Co. New York. Prang Educational Co. Boston. Elson & Co. Boston. Soule Photo Co. Boston. Miss Sarah McSheahe, Omaha. One of these pictures, being deemed unsuitable for school use, was given to the Omaha Public Library, and the remaining thirty were divided between rural and other schools. Desiring to extend the award of pictures still further the Board purchased, at the close of the Exposition, nineteen additional ones, and these have been given for the most part, to village schools. In February a single edition of a boys' and girls' newspaper known as "The Hatchett" was issued and sold for the benefit of the building fund. The net receipts of this venture were about six hundred dollars. R E S U L T S. At a meeting of the executive committee, March 18th, the architect, stated that in order to complete the building by June 1st it would be necessary to begin at once, and the secretary reported the funds on hand as insufficient to meet the architects estimate. In this dilemma the committee asked for credit from the exposition, which was granted, and the building was immediately begun. It was completed June 15th and was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies on the 4th of July. Among the features of this building was the creche, operated under the jurisdiction of the Bureau, and conducted by Mrs. A. Moore and five assistants. Upwards of 2,000 children were cared for here while their parents viewed the exposition and the institution after the first month became somewhat more than self supporting. "The International Doll Collection" sent from Boston and exhibited by Miss Arabel Kimball for the benefit of the Omaha creche, and the "Model School Room" presented by the Prang Educational Co. were important exhibits, and the restaurant operated in the upper gallery by Mrs. Geo. Tilden was the most fruitful source of income. Besides the above there were thirteen exhibits and concessions in the building, exclusive of the children's exhibits and which was displayed upon the walls and in the reading room. The hall was used daily for cooking lectures and four children's entertainments were given there. It was also the rendezvous for eleven children's excursions and was in constant use with the reception and toilet rooms, as a place of public comfort. The committees connected with the building were, BUILDING COMMITTEE, Mrs. T. L. Kimball. Mrs. A. Monroe. Mrs. E. A. Cudahy. OPERATING COMMITTEE, Mrs. T. L. Kimball. Mrs. W. P. Harford. PICTURE COMMITTEE, Mrs. W. W. Keysor. Mrs. J. B. Crabtree. Mrs. E. M. Reed. The surplus of receipts over expenditures was $937.82, which by action of the executive committee, was given to the exposition . WOMAN'S WORK. By request of the Department of Exhibits, the Bureau, immediately after its organization undertook the charge of a class of exhibits known as Woman's Work. It was understood, however, that such exhibits were not to be placed apart as had been the case in other expositions and that there was to be no classification as regards sex. The work of women was therefore to be found in all the exhibit buildings, and this report will be concerned with those exhibits only for which the Bureau of Education is directly responsible. There were two working exhibits of foods and household utensils conducted by Mrs. Mac Murphy in the Agricultural Building and one by Miss Ranche in the Boys and Girls Building. These included daily demonstration lectures, which were well attended. The exhibits of art needle work and ceramics was placed in the Liberal Arts Building, and special mention is due the Nebraska Ceramic Club for an attractive showing of hand painted china. The Colorado women made a fine display of art needlework and ceramics, and the booth occupied by the Missouri woman contained a similar exhibit. The headquarters of the Nebraska Federation of Women's Clubs contained club literature and programs and thus served as an exponent of women's work of a different kind. All these booths were furnished in a manner that made them attractive as rest places, but their location in a gallery was unfortunate. Ceramic art and needlework have heretofore enjoyed similar advantages to those given fine arts, but here a radical distinction was made, and while fine arts was given free space on the ground floor, with all expenses paid, ceramic art was obliged to pay for space in a gallery and furnish its own fittings. This fact was invariably stated by artists when declining to exhibit, and to it is undoubtedly due the failure to secure a representative exhibit of china painting. In concluding this report it is proper to say that the work of the Bureau of Education differed from that of other divisions, in that it had to do with non-commercial and somewhat intangible matters. The Girls and Boys' building had a success which may be measured in terms of dollars and cents, but woman's work, congresses and Educational exhibits cannot be judged from a material standpoint. We trust therefore that whatever approval be given us in your mind will rest upon the fact that we helped to make the exposition symmetrical and dignified. Respectfully submitted, Frances M. Ford, Secretary Bureau of Education.