Oct. 1896. Annual Report of the Director. hi 



building, including the basement and main dome is continued. The 

 annual report of the Captain of the Fire Department conveys every 

 indication of an efficient service in this important direction. The 

 guard service has been very satisfactory during the year. So satis- 

 factory in fact, that no changes have been made either in members or 

 methods. There has been no complaint filed against the guard from 

 the many thousands of visitors. The discipline and orderliness 

 of the building has been carefully maintained, and no thefts 

 reported/ 



Personal Property and Intrinsically Valuable Material. — A list of 

 the office furniture, desk supplies, of all tools, appliances, and acces- 

 sories so far purchased by the Museum, has been taken from the 

 vouchers and records, as a basis for the personal property inventory, 

 which it is proposed to make each six months or year as circum- 

 stances may dictate. These lists were checked by the head of each 

 department or division on whose account the material was purchased. 

 The items unaccounted for will be erased from the inventory and here- 

 after new purchases will be added as made, and it is believed this sys- 

 tem of searching for property of this character, will cause all con- 

 cerned to exercise more care in its custody. The intrinsically valuable 

 exhibition material has also been checked from the records, with sat- 

 isfactory results, although it is contemplated to re-check the material 

 in Higinbotham Hall in February when the services of an expert in 

 jewels will be available. 



Admissions. — -The admissions for the year have diminished about 

 98,000, and this decrease seems to have affected all of the classes of 

 visitors. There are several minor reasons for this falling off, but 

 the emphatic cause is that people who the first year visited the 

 Museum under the impression that it was a miniature World's Fair, 

 have discovered their error, and being uninterested in the real scope 

 of the Museum, have passed their vacation hours in pursuits that 

 promised greater amusement and excitement than was furnished by 

 the Museum. This is especially illustrated by the fact that there 

 have been no great crowds on any one day, as was often the occur- 

 rence the first year. Visitors to the Museum now come for edification, 

 instruction and study. There is one point, however, to which special 

 attention should be directed in this connection, and that is the sharp 

 decrease in the attendance of school children and students. Of 

 course no record is kept of those school children and students who 

 attend on the free days, as no tickets are issued and there are no 

 means of distinguishing one visitor from another. But it is fair 



