5i 4 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



THE PEOGEESS OF SCIENCE 



THE AMEBIC AN MUSEUM OF 

 NATURAL HISTORY 



The extraordinary development of 

 universities in the United States is 

 paralleled by the growth of its mu- 

 seums. In Washington, New York, 

 Chicago and Pittsburgh, four museums 

 of natural history have in a compara- 

 tively brief period taken their places 

 among the leading institutions of the 

 world, and in many other cities there 

 are important and growing museums. 

 Many of these museums, like the uni- 

 versities, are interesting demonstra- 

 tions of the possible achievements of a 

 democracy. On the one hand, they are 

 supported in almost equal measure by 

 taxation and by private gifts, on the 

 other hand, they are devoted not pri- 

 marily to the preservation of stuffed 

 animals, but to education, research and 

 public service. 



The forty-fifth annual report of the 

 American Museum of Natural History 

 in New York City illustrates these re- 

 marks. The city has provided land 

 and buildings worth many million dol- i 

 lars and approved a plan of develop- 

 ment of unexampled magnitude. The 

 city also provided last year $200,000 

 for maintenance. Then for exploration, 

 research and the increase of the collec- 

 tions about $250,000 accrued from pri- 

 vate endowment and gifts. The annual 

 gifts are about equal in amount from 

 the trustees and from members and 

 friends, who number some 3,500. 



The illustrations here reproduced 

 show the museum and its approaches, 

 though it should not be assumed that 

 such crowds enter the museum every 

 day in the year. The total attendance 

 in 1913 was 866,633, of whom 138,375 

 were primarily present for lectures and 

 scientific meetings. Part of the attend- 

 ance in the galleries was due to the 

 flower exhibition of the Horticultural 



Society and other temporary exhibits, 

 which Dr. Lucas, the director, holds do 

 not result in any real profit to a mu- 

 seum. We should suppose, however, that 

 while such exhibits and the large num- 

 ber of lectures and scientific meetings 

 may not greatly increase interest in the 

 natural history collections, they enlarge 

 the functions of a museum in a desir- 

 able manner. 



This holds still more for the expedi- 

 tions and research work. As in the 

 university the professor earns his sal- 

 ary by teaching but is expected to ad- 

 vance knowledge, so in the museum the 

 curator must care for the display of the 

 exhibits but he should also be engaged 

 in scientific research. So long as so- 

 ciety provides no way of paying di- 

 rectly for the results of investigations 

 having no immediate commercial value, 

 these must be undertaken by universi- 

 ties and scientific institutions. This 

 should be regarded as part of their 

 function, but in any case it is justified 

 by the fact that the professor or cu- 

 rator will do the work of teaching or 

 caring for collections better if ha is en- 

 couraged to engage in research and 

 publication, and under these circum- 

 stances better men can be secured for 

 the positions. 



Though the museum has been un- 

 fortunate in losing two of its most dis- 

 tinguished investigators, Professor Boas 

 of Columbia University in anthropol- 

 ogy and Professor Wheeler of Har- 

 vard University in invertebrate zoology, 

 it produces each year an important 

 series of contributions to scientific 

 knowledge. Last year the sum of $2V 

 000 was spent on publications, partly 

 technical researches, of which Dr. P. 

 G. Elliot's "A Review of the Pri- 

 mates" is the most noteworthy, and 

 partly on popular publications, includ- 

 ing the excellent "Museum Journal." 



