Vol. V] EVERM ANN— DIRECTOR'S REPORT FOR 1914 27 



and other insects ; curious animals of other groups ; attractive 

 minerals, growing plants, and aquariums with interesting 

 animal and plant life; colored transparencies of beautiful native 

 flowers, all selected and arranged with reference to the telling 

 of an interesting story, of teaching a definite lesson. 



And there will be in this Children's Room a Children's Read- 

 ing Room in which will be found a library of the interesting 

 and reliable nature books and helps to nature study. 



And there will be in charge of this Children's Room a well- 

 educated, kindly, sympathetic woman, who knows animals and 

 plants ; who knows the specimens in the museum and the live 

 things in the park about it ; and who, above all, knows and loves 

 children ; a woman who can wisely direct the observation and 

 the reading of the children so that they may correlate their 

 reading with what they have seen in the museum or in the 

 open, and thus increase rather than stifle their love of animate 

 things, as our public schools almost invariably do. It will be 

 arranged so that children of the different grades will come to 

 this room at different hours, and receive the instruction and 

 help adapted to their respective needs. 



And all this will be done and done soon. I confidentlv believe. 

 It will be done because it so evidently appeals to us all as being 

 the right thing to do, the right sort of education and training 

 to give our children. It will be done, because the beauty of it 

 all, for the little children's sake, will appeal to someone who 

 has prospered in this world ; someone with a kindly heart, who 

 loves children, and who wants to help them to become the men 

 and women they should become; and some day that man will 

 come forward and, out of his abundance, he will make it pos- 

 sible for the California Academy of Sciences to do this splendid 

 work for the children of California, not only of today but for 

 those of the years to come. 



