The Press., 1893-11-02
ADDRESS,,

ADDRESS,
 Given by Mrs. George H. Knight, of Lakeville, president of the women's board of managers for the state of Connecticut, Connecticut day, Jack son Park Chicago, October 11th, 1893.
 Ever since congress recognized women as an important factor in the success of this great worlds fair, we have heard very often that Mss was woman's opportunity now was the time to convince the world that her one talent had really alsoays been ten, and to make sure that liberty and equality should hereafter mean something besides sounding phrases for her. But we found in Conn. that this did not mean emancipation, scarcely even opportunity for women. The men who could secure and maintain the first free charter were not made of the stuff which held women in bondage, and Connecticut women have not needed to wait for the Columbian year, nor for an act of congress, to find their gifts recognized and encouraged.
 For various reasons we were somewhat late in making beginning, and when we found ourselves a full-fedged board of managers we had something less than a year before us in which to formulate and carry out definite methods of work.
 From the first our watchword might truly be said to have been cooperation, not alone with each other as board of managers, but especially with the women of the national board at headquarters, whose ground work gave promise, even at that early day, of the wonderful reality which all the world has come to see and stayed to praise.
 We began this work by doing our best to make it certain that resting place for little children would be established in Jackson Park, becoming the first state to guarantee our share of fund which had to be all pledged before permission could be gained for the erection of the children's building, which has proved itself both a rest and an inspiration to those who have shared it's benefits.
 Next we decided to make it possible for every woman in Connecticut to exhib- it any work in which she excelled, by as- I suming for each one the entire expense exhibits during the period of the fair, we guaranteed everything but the acceptance of all work sent out under our direction. We also tried to bring within the reach | s,, midst an opportunity to visit the exposi- tion in a safe and reasonable way, by placing as many shares as possibls in the woman dormitory; and here, too, we led all the other states by being the first tc dispose of the amount of stock allotted to us,-an amount which was perhaps more than doubled afterwards.
 Our list of exhibits to the various de l partments is extremely small. We die
 not begin early enough to secure mucl
 work of the kind which must be prepared
 with great detail and nicety, to compet'
 with exhibitors who were professional
 nor did we need to depend upon the hane
 crafts to make place in the front ranks
 for the work of Connecticut women.
 In literature our place was already as
 sured, for besides the works of Mrs. Sig
 ourney, Rose Terry Cooke, and host O
 others, we had the wonderful book
 "Of her who worldwide entrance gave To the log cabin of the slave;"
 And if it is true that "the pen is mightie
 than the sword," then we can justly clain
 that the women of Connecticut have don,
 more and better work than many regi
 ments of soldiers; for if we had had noth
 ing besides the exhibit of Uncle Tom Cabin, with it's forty-two translations int
 other tongues, showing the tribute whicl
 many lands have paid to this foremos woman of genius, Connecticut could chal
 lenge every other state, every other coun try even, to equal this example of woman
 work.
 In making this exhibit of literature w secured as many autograph copies o l books from various authors as was possi ble, and in our collection are includes , many rare and curious things which tn !, five-minute limit of this report will no permit me to describe. We confined our selves entirely to collecting the work c women born in Connecticut, real daugh l ters of the state; and as many of thes , had sown their work broadcast, here a lii tie and there @ little, in magazines an t papers, never gathering together withi l txun hor of nrnf , and pleasure, we determined to hon
 or these also by putting as many as possi l ble into the permanent form of @ book f The result is our "Selections from tn al Writings of Connecticut Women," mos = ably edited by Mrs. J. G. Gregory of Nol walk, we'll printed and handsomely bound , with both cover and frontispiece the dt f sign of Connecticut woman. In this 1T s stance also we stand alone as the onl t state which has so honored her writers ( short stories, and our Connecticut boo eI has place among the valuable and raI g things in the library of the woman's built l ing.
 Besides this exhibit of literature an ? the exhibit of Mrs. Stowe's books, whic h stand by themselvees in cabinet, W have contributed six carved panels ( B wood toward beautifying the library, eac r one the work of a Connecticut woman, n number equalled by but one other state d while we make one of the three state h which have decorated and furnished 8 . entire room in the woman's building < "The Connecticut Room," which in d. s sign and workmanship stands easily in tf y front ranks among so much that is arti U tic, is the production of 8 New Haven w
 man, Miss Elizabeth B. Sheldon, who's ol faithful and beautiful work has brougl : not only deserved credit to herself, bl l alco tn tha ctata 1uhich has tha h0nnr