THE HISTORY OF THE CONGRESS 3 



scientific circles within a reasonable traveling distance. Something 

 more than a repetition of the stereotyped form of conference was 

 admitted to be necessary in order to arouse interest among scholars 

 and to bring credit to the Exposition. 



This was the serious problem which confronted the Exposition of 

 St. Louis. No exposition was ever better fitted to serve as the ground- 

 work of a congress of ideas than that of St. Louis. The ideal of the 

 Exposition, which was created in time and fixed in place to com- 

 memorate a great historic event, was its educational influence. Its 

 appeal to the citizens of the United States for support, to the Federal 

 Congress for appropriations, and to foreign governments for coopera- 

 tion, was made purely on this basis. For the first time in the history 

 of expositions the educational influence was made the dominant 

 factor and the classification and installation of exhibits made con- 

 tributory to that principle. The main purpose of the Exposition was 

 to place within reach of the investigator the objective thought of 

 the world, so classified as to show its relations to all similar phases 

 of human endeavor, and so arranged as to be practically available 

 for reference and study. As a part of the organic scheme a congress 

 plan was contemplated which should be correlative with the exhibit 

 features of the Exposition, and whose published proceedings should 

 stand as a monument to the breadth and enterprise of the Exposition 

 long after its buildings had disappeared and its commercial achieve- 

 ments grown dim in the minds of men. 



DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONGRESS 



The Department of Congresses, to which was to be intrusted this 

 difficult task, was not formed until the latter part of 1902, although 

 the question was for a year previous the subject of many discussions 

 and conferences between the President of the Exposition, Mr. 

 Francis; the Director of Exhibits, Mr. Skiff; the Chief of the Depart- 

 ment of Education, Mr. Rogers; President Nicholas Murray Butler 

 of Columbia University, and President William R. Harper of Chicago 

 University. To the disinterested and valuable advice of the two last- 

 named gentlemen during the entire history of the Congress the Ex- 

 position is under heavy obligations. During this period proposals had 

 been made to two men of international reputation to give all their 

 time for two years to the organization of a plan of congresses which 

 should accomplish the ultimate purpose of the Exposition authorities. 

 Neither one, however, could arrange to be relieved of the pressure of 

 his regular duties, and the entire scheme of supervision was conse- 

 quently changed. The plan adopted was based upon the idea of an 

 advisory board composed of men of high literary and scientific 

 standing who should consider and recommend the kind of congress 

 most worthy of promotion, and the details of its development. 



