REPORT OF NATIONAL, MUSEUM, 1919. 31 



librar}^ by his son, J. Pierpont Morgan, jr. Many of these were 

 printed privately in numbered editions, and for tliis reason are rare 

 and vahiable. Acknowledgment is due to the heirs of Dr. Eichard 

 Rathbiin for the gift of his valuable library relating to museums 

 of the world and to natural history subjects, and to the University 

 of Michigan for donating the 12 volumes which have been published 

 of the humanistic series. Others contributing valuable material 

 were Dr. Charles D. Walcott, Mr. B. H. Swales, Mr. William Schaus, 

 Dr. O. P. Hay, Dr. C. W. Eichmond, Dr. W. IT. Dall, Dr. Mary J. 

 Eathbun, Mr. Austin H. Clark, and Mr. W. E. Maxon. 



MEETINGS AND CONGRESSES. 



The auditorium and committee rooms in the Natural History 

 Building were not available during the first six months of the year. 

 Shortly after the signing of the armistice, however, the auditorium 

 was vacated by the Bureau of War Eisk Insurance. As soon as 

 it could be repainted and the chairs replaced, the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution inaugurated a series of free popular illustrated lectures 

 on alternate Saturday afternoons between 4.45 and 5.30 o'clock, the 

 lecturers and their subjects being as follows: 



January 18 : Dr. Charles D. Walcott, " Photographing in the Canadian 



Eockies." 



February 1 : Dr. Charles G. Abbot, " Sun Rays in Many Lands." 

 February 15 : Dr. J. Walter Fewkes, " The Indian as a Stone IVIason." 

 March 1 : Dr. George P. Merrill, " Meteorites and Shooting Stars." 

 March 15 : Prof. William H. Holmes, " The Story of our Local Aborigines — 



Historic and Prehistoric with Demonstrations of their Instrument Making." 

 March 29 : Dr. L. O. Howard, " Harmful and Beneficial Insects and How 



the National Museum Helps in their Study." 

 April 12 : Mr. F. L. Lewton, " The Story of Silk." 

 April 26 : Mr. F. V. Coville, " Why the Wild Flowers are so Wild." 



As soon as the auditorium was available the meeting facilities 

 afforded by the Museum were in demand by Government depart- 

 ments and scientific societies, as in previous years. 



The Department of Labor used the auditorium on the evenings of 

 January 9, 10, and 14, for lectures under the training section of the 

 United States Employment Bureau, Doctor Meeker speaking on 

 gathering and interpreting statistics, and Doctor Prosser on train- 

 ing of the handicapped; and on the morning of May 8 for a con- 

 ference on child welfare standards, with an illustrated lecture, under 

 the auspices of the Children's Bureau. On the evening of the latter 

 date the scientific and technical Federal employees occupied it for 

 the purpose of forming an organization with a view to joining the 

 Federal Employees Union. 



The hall was granted the Department of Agriculture on the after- 

 noon of Februarv 11 for the use of the Forest Service for a lecture 



