93 
1888, and provision was made for the numerous “departments,” 
under which the work of its present Department of Education is 
now conducted. 
Under the guidance of Prof. Franklin W. Hooper, who was 
appointed Director in 1889, the activities of the Institute ex- 
panded, and its membership and influence increased until it be- 
came one of the most potent influences in the educational life of 
Brooklyn. By the death of Professor Hooper, in August, 1914, 
the Institute was deprived of the leadership of the one to whom, 
more than to any other, it is indebted for all it has been able to 
accomplish for popular education. 
At the time of Professor Hooper’s death the activities of the 
Institute had become organized about three clearly defined 
centers: the department of public lectures and concerts, under 
the immediate supervision of Professor Hooper, and the 
Museums, and the Botanic Garden, each under its own director. 
In January, 1915, the board of trustees undertook the work of 
reorganizing the Institute along lines indicated by past experi- 
ence, and by the status of organization which then existed de 
facto. This involved the abolition of the office of Director of 
the Institute, and the formal recognition of three coordinate de- 
partments, as referred to above, with three directors, independent 
each of the other, and reporting directly to a governing com- 
mittee of the trustees. 
The new constitution, embodying these features, was adopted 
on January 14, 1915. The Articles and Sections relating espe- 
cially to the Botanic Garden are as follows: 
“ ArTIcLE [| 
“ Objects 
“ Section rt. The purposes of said corporation shall be the 
establishment and maintenance of Museums and Libraries of 
Arts and Sciences, the encouragement of the study of the Arts 
and Sciences and their application to the practical wants of man, 
the advancement of knowledge in science and art, and in general 
provision for popular instruction and enjoyment through its col- 
lections, libraries and lectures. 
