icipation in the art and
educational exhibits of the exposition has the Riksdag in a
communication of May 22, 1903, with reference to the arrangements of
expenses of the State budget, eighth section, communicated the
following:

The Riksdag had considered the advisability that Sweden be
officially represented at the Universal Exposition in St. Louis
1904, especially as this could be supposed as being in line with
the desire of the Swedes residing in the United States and
serving to strengthen the ties that still unite them with their
Fatherland, and in accordance with the expression of the chief
of our ecclesiastic department in the minutes of our ministry
had the Riksdag embraced the opinion that the official
participation of Sweden should embrace the departments of art
and education, in which sections our country seems to have
especially good possibilities successfully to compete with the
greater countries of culture.

In a letter to the Academy of Fine Arts, incorporated in the
minutes of our ministry, the three societies of artists had
expressed the desire that from the collections of art belonging
to the State works of art should be contributed that might be
required in order that the exposition in question should give a
complete illustration of the development of art in our country.
In consequence of this, the Riksdag had considered it necessary
to point out the fact that as it has occurred that works of art
contributed from the collection of the States to be exhibited at
other places at the return of the same were more or less
damaged, and that as in consequence of the transport that would
be necessary in this case absolute guarantee for the restitution
of these works of art in an undamaged condition could hardly be
had, doubts seemed to meet as to such a contribution as had been
suggested by the societies of artists.

Calling attention to what has just been pointed out, the Riksdag
stated that the Riksdag, with consent to our proposition in
question regarding the participation of Sweden in the art and
educational departments of the Universal Exposition in St. Louis
1904, had appropriated on an extra budget for the year 1904 the
sum of 120,000 kronor.

Having had this presented before us, we have, accepting on
Sweden's behalf the above-mentioned invitation as far as