of the House, representing the two bodies of Congress, and other distinguished visitors and citizens.  It was a most brilliant and interesting gathering, and not only rounded out the opening day with satisfaction to all, but inaugurated the series of entertainments that were to be afterwards given in the building of the board of lady managers.

    In the argument of President Francis before the appropriation
    committee, in January, 1903, when asking Congress to make the
    additional loan, he said: 

“We are the nation’s hosts, as we understand it.  We propose to entertain distinguished people from every section of the globe. * * * Bear in mind we are entertaining the guests of the Government, we think we are benefiting the commerce of the country; we think we are doing a patriotic service in commemorating a great event and bringing all classes into closer relations, cementing the ties that bind the different sections of the nation, affording our people opportunity to see something of the people and customs and the resources of our possessions, and, on the other hand, affording opportunity to those people to become acquainted with this great country.”

At the meeting of the board on March 2, 1904, after the board of lady managers had obtained the appropriation from Congress that placed it within its power to meet the requirements of its position, President Francis was asked what he thought would be the pleasure of the executive committee that the board do with the funds so obtained, as no expression had been received from the company as to what special duty it was anxious, or would like, to have the board perform, to which President Francis replied, that he “had not given the matter thought, but that the board would want to do some entertaining; that the ladies were well adapted to that; they were experienced in that sort of thing and knew how to go about it.  That he did not see much they could do with the money aside from entertaining.”

And thus the board of lady managers authoritatively took its place in the great exposition, in the complex mechanism of which it was but a single factor, and assumed the responsibility of doing its share of the entertaining on behalf of women at the exposition.

What form of government is there at the present time that is not dependent upon the household of the executive and the homes of the officials for the social success of an administration?  An exposition on the enormous scale of that which existed in St. Louis partook in its management for the time being of the nature of a government; an executive and official household was an essential and important factor because the representatives of all nations were to be entertained.  As in this World’s Fair, the highest recognition was given to women, it was but reasonable that women should be appointed to take the place set apart for them, and to perform such duties as would