I congratulate the authorities upon the idea of opening this Congress. How many world-expositions have already been held without an attempt having been made to exhibit the spirit that has created this world of beautiful and useful things? It was reserved for these to find the form in which the highest results of human thought--Science--presented in the persons of her representatives, could be incorporated in the compass of the World's Fair. The conception of this International Congress of all Sciences in its originality and audacity, in its universality and comprehensive organization, is truly a child of the "young-American spirit."... After this Congress has come to a close and the collection of the lectures delivered, an unparalleled encyclopedia of human knowledge, both in extent and content, will have appeared. We may say that this Fair has become of epochal importance, not alone for trade and manufactures, but also for science. These proud palaces will long have disappeared and been forgotten when this work, a _monumentum aere perennius_, shall still testify to future generations the standard of scientific attainment at the beginning of the twentieth century. Short acknowledgments were then made for Russia by Dr. Oscar Backlund, of the Astronomical Observatory at Pulkowa, Russia, and for Japan by Prof. Nobushige Hozumi, of the Imperial University at Tokio, Japan. The last of the Vice-Presidents to respond to the addresses of welcome was Signor Attilio Brunialti, Councilor of State for Italy, who after a few formal words in English broke into impassioned eloquence in his native tongue, and in brilliant diction and graceful periods expressed the deep feeling and profound joy which Italy, the mother of arts, felt in participating in an occasion so historic and so magnificent. Signor Brunialti said in part: