THE

form.

THE CHILDREN'S BUILDING.

plan and scope of the Children's Building, which at its inception was but vaguely outlined, has crystallized into definite

The Children's Building is intended to be, primarily, an educational exhibit. As the Transportation Building exhibits all the marvellous improvements in methods of transportation, from the cumbrous cart drawn by oxen, to the palace car equipped with every luxury and convenience the genius of man can devise, so the Children's Building aims to exhibit the most improved methods adopted in the light of the nineteenth century for the rearing and education of children.

It is intended that the exhibition shall be as complete as possible, commencing with the infant at its earliest and most helpless stage. This department will be in charge of Miss Maria M. Love of Buffalo, a member of the Board of Woman Managers of New York. Miss Love will carry on a model crèche. A large, light, and airy room will be devoted to the crèche. In this will be demonstrated the most healthful, comfortable, and rational system of dressing and caring for young children.

Short lectures will be given upon their food, clothing, and sleeping arrangements, and in connection with the crèche will be an exhibition of infants' clothing of all nations and times, their cradles and other furniture.

As the child grows and its mental faculties develop, the kindergarten succeeds the crèche; in the gracious atmosphere of its intelligent training the child-nature expands and develops symmetrically. This department of child-life will be demonstrated in the most complete manner by the International Kindergarten Association.

The kindergarten under their management will be fitted up in the ⚫ most attractive manner. All the latest apparatus necessary to the best exposition of the work will be provided by the Association. Little children developing daily their intellectual and moral faculties unconsciously, by means of most fascinating entertainments, will be an object lesson of great practical value to the mothers and others having the care of children.

Closely allied to the kindergarten is the kitchengarden. Miss Emily Huntington of New York, the founder of this system of education will conduct a kitchengarden, where classes of little folks will be taught the useful arts of homekeeping-in so interesting and delightful a manner will sweeping, dusting, bedmaking and cooking be taught, that what might otherwise be an irksome task to children becomes a most delightful recreation.

For older children there will be a slojd, supported by Mrs. Quincy Shaw, and conducted by Miss Pingree, both well-known workers in the charities of Boston. Here will be an exhibit of woodcarving.

Physical development will be ably illustrated by Charles Bary, President World's Fair Commission North American Turner-Bund. His interesting classes will inspire many a lad to seek after that physical perfection that was the pride of the Greeks and Romans.

Mrs. Clara Doty Bates, chairman of the committee of literature for children, of the Congress Auxiliary, has charge of the library, and will fit it up tastefully, providing a full supply of children's literature. A large number of portraits of the most eminent authors of children's books will adorn the walls. Here will be found the books of all lands, and in all languages, their newspapers, periodicals, etc.

A request sent out by the Board of Lady Managers to foreign countries, asking contributions of children's literature, met with a prompt response.

Pennsylvania will equip and maintain a department in the Children's Building showing the wonderful progress that has been made in teaching very young deaf mutes to speak. Miss Mary Garret, secretary of the Home for Teaching Deaf Mutes to Speak, will be in charge of this department. Daily demonstrations will be given.

There will be conducted a department of Public Comfort in connection with the Children's Building, intended especially for the benefit of children. Infants and small children will be received, and placed in the care of competent nurses, who will provide for all their wants while their mothers are visiting the various departments of the Exposition.

For the amusement of visiting children there will be a large playground on the roof; this will be inclosed with a strong wire netting, so the children will be perfectly safe. The playground will be very attractive, ornamented with vines and flowers. Within the inclosure butterflies and birds will flit about unconfined. Here, under cover, will be exhibited toys of all nations, from the rude playthings of Esquimaux children to the wonderful toys which at once instruct and amuse. These toys will be used to entertain the children. This department will be maintained by the Illinois Woman's Exposition Board.

The building will have an assembly-room, containing rows of little chairs, and a platform from which stereopticon lectures will be given to the older boys and girls, about foreign countries, their languages, manners and customs, and important facts connected with their history. These talks will be given by kindergarteners, who will then take the groups of children to see the exhibits from the countries about which they have just heard. Mr. T. H. McAllister of New York has generously donated the use of the most approved stereopticon for this purpose, and the services of an operator of the same for the entire Exposition. This audience-room will also be available for musical, dramatic and literary entertainments, which will be carefully planned to suit the intelligence of children of varying ages

THE

EXHIBITS BY WOMEN.

HE Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and the Cotton Centennial in New Orleans, were greatly aided by the participation of able committees of women, which created what they termed the "Woman's Department," wherein was installed a collective exhibit of all the interesting and meritorious work by women that could be brought together. This Woman's Department proved so useful and attractive that the co-operation of women in exposition work was recognized as a valuable addition, and in consequence, the original Act of Congress providing for the celebration of the quadro-centennial, created an official organization known as "THE BOARD OF

LADY MANAGERS." When this Board first assembled to organize its work for the Columbian Exposition, it was found that, though the previous work had been most effective, the impelling law of progress demanded a different plan of action for the coming Exposition. Established precedent had to be thrown aside and new methods of usefulness created. This proved to be necessary because of the strong sentiment among those most interested, against taking the exhibits of women from the general buildings and placing them apart in a "Woman's Department." Women who were doing the most creditable work in the arts and industries strenuously opposed such a separation, and insisted that their exhibits should be so placed as to compete with the best and most successful productions in all departments of classified exhibits without regard to sex distinction. As in some classes of work women are not credited with having arrived at a degree of excellence equal to that of men, a competition among women only would result in the award of premiums to articles which would not necessarily have been successful if entered in a general competition. In an international competitive exhibition, the object is to honor the highest grade of work only, and thereby give it an international reputation, and added commercial value. This intention might, therefore, be entirely defeated, in case of a competition restricted to women only.

It was thus found that not only would the best of women's work be withheld from a "Woman's Department," but the loss in amount would be equally disastrous. A moment's consideration of the facts shows that a vast proportion of the labor of the world is performed by men and women in conjunction, whose work is consequently indistinguishably blended in the finished product. We could not, if we would, separate the warp from the woof of the fabric over which men and women have toiled side by side. To exhibit what women accomplish alone would result in so meager and unjust a representation of their usefulness as to do them great discredit. The first important decision, therefore, of the Board of Lady Managers, was against having a "Woman's Department" to contain a separate exhibit of the work of women.

This Board, having been created by the general Government, and given by Congress, the National Commission, and the Directory,

unusual powers and duties, felt impelled, because of these enlarged opportunities, to undertake a plan of work correspondingly broad. By the various enactments of these bodies, the lady managers were made co-ordinate officers with the Commission in every department of the Exposition. To the Board, all applications by women are made for space for exhibits, buildings, etc. They were given the appointment of members of the Jury of Awards, and, in general, entire charge of the interests of women in connection with the Exposition, as well as the absolute control of the Woman's Building.

It was decided, in view of the powers conferred upon it, that the main functions of the Board should be

First. To secure after careful investigation, and by solicitation when necessary, the adequate and complete presentation in the general Exposition buildings of all the creditable work being done by women in every line of industrial, scientific, and artistic work.

Second. To secure statistics and all interesting data connected with their exhibition in the various departments, to the end that a comprehensive idea may be given of the large proportion of the heavy work of the world, which is being performed by the weaker sex, together with an approximate idea of its variety, excellence, and commercial value.

Third. To interest itself in all applications from women and from manufacturers representing women's work, and to see that they are accepted, whenever possible.

Fourth. To see that women's exhibits are assigned satisfactory locations in the different departments.

Fifth. To appoint the proportion of jurors to which the Board is entitled in every department in which women are contributors, in order that an intelligent and discriminating jury service may be secured.

Sixth. To forward in every way possible the interests of women in the Exposition.

One of the cherished ideals of the Board is to remove the present erroneous and injurious impression that women are doing little skilled labor, or little steady and valuable work, and that they consequently are not to be taken seriously into consideration when dealing with industrial problems; that they never learn to do anything