40 



Miss Prances 11. Miner, instructor, wlio was granted a 3-car's 

 leave of absence, beginnint^- ()ctol)er 1, 1*'37, for tbc ]un"|)ose of 

 making a survey of chikb'cn's gardening for tbe National Recrea- 

 tion Association, returned to ber position at tbe Garck-n on (Oc- 

 tober 1. 



Airs, iriiitnev Merrill's a])pf)intnient as I'^ield Secretary tcrini- 

 nated as of July 31. on wliicb date tbe position was abolisbed. 

 Mrs. Merrill's work began on January 1. k)32. as secretar}- of 

 tbe Membersbi]) Committee of tbe Woman's Auxiliar}'. Sbe con- 

 tinued as an officer of tbe .Auxiliarx- until julv 1, 1933. wben sbe 

 ])ecame a regular member of tbe Botanic (larden personnel as 

 b'ield Secretary 



I\ri:i\riu'.RSiiiP 



" Tn the old days it was sufficient, in tbe case of many ])riyate 

 ])bilantbropies, to have tbe conbdencc of a relatiyelv small group 

 of wealtby and socially pronu'nent ])atr()ns. ddiis is still vitally 

 important. But today |)riyate i)bilanthroi)ies simply cannot exist 

 without the support of the gix-ers of small amounts. . . . In the 

 future, as large fortunes are divided and subdivided through taxa- 

 tion, tbe sui)])ort of tliose of moderate means will assume even 

 greater importance." ' 



Nothing could be more certain, and membersbi]) in our museums 

 and botanic gardens affords an attractive and efficient method for 

 those of smaller as well as of larger means to give such insti- 

 tutions both moral and linancial su])])ort. Ivecognizing tbe inevit- 

 able result of tbe present metbod and intent of taxation, a trustee 

 of one of our older universities lias raised tbe (juestion : " How 

 sball we survive tbe coming millennium of e([tialitarian destitu- 

 tion?" There is no obvious complete answer, 1)ut the -[ilan of 

 membership in our botanic gardens and museums is a very satis- 

 factory partial answer for tbem. provided enough persons res])ond 

 to tbe ()[)portunity. But tbe ])lan will remain hopelessh' inadequate 

 so long as the best known nietbods of promoting meinhership 

 result in only about 500 members for an institution having an 

 annual attendance of more tban 1,628,000 in a citv of nearly 

 3,000,000 po])nlati()n. Such are the ligures for the Brooklyn Bo- 



^ John Crosby Briiwn. Pri\^atL' t^iving and public speiuling. .lllanlic 

 Moulhly. June, 19.1S. p. 31C 



