THE AWARDS SYSTEM. 



The system of awards adopted at the Columbian Exposition was a 

 development of the "American system," so called from its fundamental 

 idea of non-competitive exhibits being first put into use at the Centen- 

 nial Exposition of 1876. 



The act of Congress, approved April 25, 1890, gave to the World's 

 Columbian Commission jurisdiction over the appointment of judges 

 and examiners and the awarding of all premiums. A joint commission 

 was appointed, consistnig of Messrs. A. T. Britton, B. B. Smalley, W. 

 F. King and John Boyd Thacher, of the World's Columbian Commis- 

 sion, and Messrs. J. W. Ellsworth, Benjamin Butterworth, C. H. 

 McCormiek and E. T. Jeffrey, of the World's Columbian Exposition, 

 to report on the subject of awards. Before reaching their decision, 

 the committee carefully considered the views of the directors-general 

 of the Philadelphia and Paris Expositions and of several recognized 

 authorities on the subject in this country. All substantially concurred 

 in recommendations which were embodied in the following extract 

 from the report of the joint committee to the Columbian Commission : 



First. " The committee are unanimous in reporting that awards 

 should not be competitive. This exposition was designed to show the 

 development of the resources of the United States and the progress 

 of civilization in the New World in comparison with all nations who 

 might wish to participate. It was thought that it should be put in its 

 results npon a higher plane than simply to indicate the relative merits 

 of the competitive exhibits of Smith and Brown. It was believed that 

 it should indicate some independent and essential excellence in the 

 article exhibited, and that it should record some advancement in the 

 state of the art represented by snch exhibit. 



" To that end the committee recommend that awards shall be granted 

 upon specific points of excellence or advancement, formulated in words 

 by a board of judges or examiners, who shall be competent experts, 

 and the evidence of these awards shall be parchment certificates, accom- 

 panied by bronze medals." 



Second. " Tlie awards of these boards of judges or examiners will 

 thus constitute an enduring and historical record of development and 

 progress as represented by the exhibits in question ; the parchment 

 certificates will, by sulBcient terms of identification, evidence the award, 

 and the bronze medal will serve to the exhibitor as an enduring memento 

 of his success. Those exhibits which in the opinion of the juries and 

 examiners do not possess sufficient excellence or intrinsic development 

 to warrant awards will simply be schediiled in the general catalogue of 

 the exposition." 



Third. " It is recommended that there should be but one class or 

 kind of medal and that they should be made of bronze." 



The report of the joint committee was adopted by the commission 

 November 24, 1890, and on the 3d of August, 1892, Congress approved 



