REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 6 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 



The act establishing the Smithsonian Institution in 1846 included 

 in its functions the promotion of art as well as science. Heretofore 

 this phase of the Institution's activities has remained somewhat in 

 abeyance owing: to the lack of means to further it, but within the 

 last few years a tremendous impetus has been given the art feature. 

 At the beginning of the past fiscal year the National Gallery of Art, 

 formerly administered as a part of the National Museum, became a 

 separate unit under the Smithsonian Institution, and Congress pro- 

 vided a small appropriation for its maintenance. This important 

 step will do much toward the development of Washington as an art 

 center, and will undoubtedly bring much desirable material to the 

 national collections, already valued in money at several million 

 dollars. The Freer Gallery of Art, a unit of the National Gallery, 

 was brought practically to completion during the year, and work 

 is going forward on the installation of the Freer collection. This 

 beautiful building and the unexcelled collection of American and 

 oriental art which it contains are, as noted in previous reports, the 

 gift to the Nation, through the Smithsonian Institution, of the late 

 Mr. Charles L. Freer, of Detroit. 



It is an unpleasant duty to here record again the pressing need 

 of the Institution for a larger endowment. Although several gener- 

 ous contributions have been received since the founding of the 

 Institution, few material additions to its endowed funds have ever 

 been made. Despite the greatly enlarged field of its scientific activi- 

 ties, despite the ever-increasing demands for scientific information 

 from individuals throughout the country, its income has remained 

 substantially the same. Almost daily the Institution is forced to 

 forego opportunities for valuable explorations and scientific re- 

 searches on account of lack of means, and it is hoped that some far- 

 sighted benefactor, recognizing the advantageous position and un- 

 excelled facilities of the Smithsonian Institution for carrying on 

 valuable researches in every branch of science, will provide an en- 

 dowment sufficient to enable it to carry on this work in the " increase 

 and diffusion of knowledge among men." 



Bequests. — As noted in a previous report, an important bequest 

 was made to the Institution under the terms of the will of Mrs. Vir- 

 ginia Purdy Bacon, of New York, probated April 14, 1919, which 

 will do much toward extending our knowledge of the fauna of the 

 world. 



That portion of Mrs. Bacon's will relating to the Institution reads 

 as follows : 



(f) To Smithsonian Institute the sum of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), to 

 be used in establishing a traveling scholarship, to be called the Walter Rath- 



