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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 passed 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 assist 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 amusement that can be classed 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.