
B8 
cent letter to the director, “the real trouble is to induce the people 
to accept the good things they provide for themselves.” 
The shortest and most convincing answers to that question and 
doubt are the figures of attendance given above (p. 00), particu- 
larly those for classes and lectures. The total attendance of 80,- 
783 at our own classes, visiting classes, lectures, and conserva- 
tories, represents, on conservative estimate, over 40,000 different 
individuals, This takes no account of the half million or more 
entrances registered at our entrance gates. People may go to a 
botanic garden for a variety of legitimate and commendable 
reasons, but we here emphasize the fact that the more attractive 
we made the Garden, botanically, the greater our attendance 
becomes, and the more rapidly it increases. We have never made 
any attempt, beyond opening our gates, to induce the general public 
to come, except on two or three occasions when we have inserted 
in the daily papers a reading notice of some course of instruc- 
tion for which a fee was charged. Special attention is here 
called to the report of the curator of elementary instruction (p. 
oo) that, in October, applications were received from public- 
school teachers for talks to over 2,000 children more than we 
could care for. 
Of course figures of attendance always involve some duplica- 
tion, for the same individual may attend more than once. Bui 
as an argument against the validity or significance of statistics of 
attendance this fact is irrelevant, for the value of botanic gardens 
and museums (or even of parks) is not to be measured solely 
by the number of different individuals who attend once, any more 
than in the case of schools, churches, or rapid transit lines. The 
value to a community of having such institutions is derived largely 
from the fact that they are freely and easily accessible at all times, 
and may be visited by the same person over and over again. 
botanic garden, in particular, offers something new and interest- 
ing at almost every month, and must be visited several times a 
year if one seeks to enjoy its fullest advantages. This applies 
both to the various lectures and classes, and to the ever-changing 
panorama of foliage, flower, and fruit, as well as to those who 
seek in beauty and variety of surroundings physical and mental 
