Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-08-10
KANSAS WOMEN AT THE FAIR.
Something About the Kansas Build
ing and It's Contents.

AHb anu lbo
Special REFLECTOR Correspondence.
CHICAGO, July 29.-I am sure the
readers Of the REFLECTOR will enjoy q
Kansas woman's description OF wom-
ans work In the Kansas building at
the Worlds Fair.
Now II was to have been expected
that the women Of Kansas would make
intelligent efforts to obtain for them
selves adequate representation In every
department Of woman's activity. In
Kansas, be IL remembered, are many
such departments, woman there being
set free Of the men, made Independent
of the men In ways not yet established
in most Of the States. In this writing
there will be no judgment passed upon
Kansas politics and aims, but such as
they are the women chiefly have made
and maintained them. Their influence
has made II impossible for Legislators
to materially change those policies or
to lower those aims at times when cyl
IDENTITY a majority Of the men have
been doubling or disheartened.
The ladies' reception room is the
place Of rendezvous for all Kansas
women visiting the fair, and other
women Of artistic tastes from different
quarters are constantly dropping in
there. The decorations and furnish.
ings are wholly by women Of the
Columbian clubs Of Kansas. Here the
women Of the State seem to assert the
appropriations IS OF the sunnower to
become the national floral emblem. by
some competent women OF Leaven-
worth splendid frieze, all Of suDnow-
ers, has been painted In oils; a deep
frieze, extending all round the large
room-a very effective Sand beautiful
thing.
A sunnower clock is on the west
wall. The case is of tlack walnut on
which is laid a sun1ower dial, yellow
as the flower itself, and outside the
dial are dozen just opening buds,
seeming to be about to spill their glor-
ious color on wall and floor. 1t is a
work Of ingenuity and taste, cut out of
a single piece of wood and carved by n
woman. The women Of Kansas appar.
emily employ much time, us they do
much skill, in wood carving, for on
every hand are good examples of this
kind of work. A fine mantlepiece In
this room IL made of wood that IL
native TO Crawford county, dressed and
graved by women and the thing round
the fireplace IL hand decorated after
true sketches from nature. The center
table Is an almost painful example Il
the minute rs applied to cabinetmaking
it is not larger than seryiceable
table for the reception OF visiting cards
but IT contains 2 800 bits of wood, all
of which were cut, shaped and put in
place by woman. There are -four
chains in sunnower patterns, or with
sunfower decorations. One Is chair
Of state. on which 1t is suspected that
Mrs. Lease has her Office -coveting eye.
Here is also fine medallion raised
In gilt upon wood and paneled with
oil paintings commemorative of the
soldiers who lost their lives in the war
of the rebellion, II was designed ana
executed under the supervision of Mrs.
Ida Wilson Moore Of Abilene in behalf
of the W. II. G. of Kansas. What
space was left has been made interest
ing by exhibiting in II photographs OF
some Of the finest dwellings in many
of the villages of the State.
| Outside this reception room are
other rooms in which is no article that
was not contributed by the women,
Even the education room Is full Of
the results Of woman's work, and is in
charge of u woman. Painted chiLa, OF
course, is in profuslon. A card table
aud basket, made OF rye straw by MIS-,
George Il. Wright, of Delphos
deserves mention. Mention must, too
be made of Il pastel by Henrietta Brlgg,
Wall, which she entities "The Amer.
can Woman and Her Peers" 1t is
intended az punishment to the men
but II IL not a success. II is destitute
of art and OF truth, aud is quite toe
coarse to be the work of n lady. Il
may be doubted If Mrs Nichols, were
she living, would approve of IL in It's
, present place.
Next to this picture is one Of The
pioneer woman Of Kansas. She IL
'lnlwart Of frame; has u line firm face
stands before the arched dug-out aud
looks out uIO1 the vast, empty plain
regrellul but r,s Ilult; IN her hand is 4
pail, and In a moment she Will star
Tor tho well that she hopes Is not yet
dry. II is m impressive painting
The sutjeot compe'enly handled, II
would be great painting Near by II
u crayon drawing, representing Mrs
DruellA Wilson, Of LevTence, VIII,
organized the first W. Q. 4. u. in Kan
,as, ard presided over lhe first ten
nerance convention, and wrote tn
resolution declaring for prohibition
Also n crayou portrait Of MIS-. Nj. T.. d
Gppr of Hutchinson the lruuiuu TEN