ADDRESSES OF WELCOME. 
39 
opening of its sessions, and these are the reasons why I repeat once more : 
May the union of these two words be blessed—*¢ International ”—*¢ Kdu- 
rational ’ ) 
ADDRESS. 
BY B. BUISSON, DELEGATE OF THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, OF 
FRANCE. 
J 
”» 
Ladies and Gentlemen : In the absence of M. Compayré, I think it is 
itting that a word of thanks to this congress and the authorities who have 
organized it should be said this evening. I regret the illness which pre- 
vents M. Compayré from being here, for he was anxious to express to you, 
in the name of the cause of public instruction of France, how much inter- 
est we take in the work of this congress, and how we delight to study 
your beautiful exposition in Jackson Park. You may be sure, ladies and 
gentlemen, that M. Compayré desires to extend to you our sympathy and 
appreciation of this beautiful work of yours. I also bring you here warm 
and hearty messages of sympathy from the great body of teachers of 
France. They are a modest and very hard-working, pains-taking body of 
men and women, devoted sons and daughters of our republican institu- 
tions ; which means that they are very great admirers of your grand 
Republic of the United States, or, I should rather say, of your forty-four 
republics in the New World. I may add that, in admiring your Republic, 
they cherish some hope that your example will help us to bring about the 
realization of that dream of our great national poet, Victor Hugo—I mean 
the federation of the United States of Europe in imitation of the United 
States of America. 
Of course I am traveling away from the programme, and I must come 
sack to the subject of the congress and to your beautiful exposition. It is 
;00 early yet for us to try to pass judgment on it, but we may already say very 
smphatically there never has been any exhibition of education so large, 
30 beautiful, as the one which we may see at Jackson Park. I believe that 
never before have the organizers of an exposition given so much room to 
education, and treated it with so much honor and so much interest. 1 
oelieve that this great increase of favor on the part of the organizers of expo- 
sitions toward education brings a new and increased duty to the educators. 
We must answer this question in confidence which is shown to us by the 
general public. We must try to show that we are ready to make education 
more and more adapted to the wants of the times, to make 1t more and more 
practical ; to fit and equip the children for the struggle of life. We must 
fry to make education the means of bringing the children and the men 
and women more and more together in federation and fraternity. But I