SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 131 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The Chairman: Gentlemen, we will come to order. We have a 

 lengthy program for this afternoon and will start in the afternoon session 

 and later take up the unfinished business that we had left this morning. 

 The first this afternoon is an address of welcome by Hon. John Mac- 

 Vicar, mayor of the city of Des Moines. I have the pleasure of intro- 

 ducing to you Mr. MacVicar. 



ADDRESS OF WELCOME. 



Mr. President and Gentlemen of this Association: The reason they 

 admit me at all to make a welcome address at such conventions as this 

 is that I do not occupy a great deal of time in trying to tell you about 

 the things you know so much about and about which I know so little. 



I am. not going to tell you how great a town we have here. We are 

 somewhat circumspect, but still I think we can give you everything that 

 you ought to have while you are here, and if you had more it might i:e 

 worse for you. You may judge from the newspaper that you read that 

 there is nothing lacking here in the way of hospitality, but you must not 

 take too much stock in what the newspapers publish on the situaiion m 

 Des Moines. 



We are mighty glad to have you here. We are interested in your 

 organization. We have our state fair here, but we occasionally go out 

 to some of the other counties where we attend the county fair, and if 1 

 would counsel you at all in your work it would be to not overlook those 

 entertainments that we have had from our boyhood days, like the lady 

 with the charmed snakes and the trained fleas. 



We are glad to have you here, and congratulate you on the appearance 

 of your organization. We know you realize the importance of this or- 

 ganization. We trust you will enjoy your stay, and we know we will 

 enjoy your company and hope you will come again. 



The Chairman: We appreciate the kind words of Mr. MacVicar and 

 assure him it is a pleasure to meet in Des Moines. It is our capital city 

 and we enjoy coming here. 



We have with us this afternoon Miss Margaret C. Walker who desires 

 to say a few words on bird culture and the advisability of various fairs 

 offering premiums for bird houses. The idea is the care and protection 

 of birds and I am sure you will all be pleased to hear a few words. 



Miss Walker addressed the convention for a few minutes, advocating 

 the care and protection of bird life and the stimulating of interest in the 

 construction of bird houses for our song birds in the way of offering 

 prizes for the best constructed bird houses by county and district fairs 

 thruout the state. 



The Chairman: 1 would suggest to Miss Walker that if the com- 

 mittee of the Federation of Women's Clubs has some definite plan as to 

 what prizes to offer and what styles of bird houses should be considered, 

 tliey submit their plans and suggestions to the secretary of the associa- 

 tion. He will gladly mail them to the secretaries of the various fairs. 

 I would suggest that this meeting take some action in this matter. 



