36 ANNUAL EEPOET SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1916. 



The most serious phase of the situation now confronting the Mu- 

 seum, however, results from the wholly inadequate facilities for sys- 

 tematically developing the collections illustrative of the industrial 

 arts. Comprehended under the fundamental act, partly organized in 

 1880, greatly enriched from the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876, and 

 with a steady growth through all subsequent years, this important 

 department, whose principal aim is popular education on technical 

 lines by means of exhibits visualizing conditions and processes as 

 well as products, is filling to such an extent every foot of available 

 space that the halls present rather the appearance of gross storage 

 than of orderly and classified arrangement. Public sentunent, ex- 

 pressed through many channels, demands better progress than here- 

 tofore in carrying out the purposes of this department, but the 

 difficulties in the way are by no means confined to limitations of 

 space, since the more immediate embarrassments arise from an 

 insufficiency of funds for employing the necessary skilled assistants 

 required for working up and preparing the exhibits, which includes 

 the construction of many models. 



The department of the fine arts is even more poorly provided for 

 than any of the other Museum branches, as it is occupying borrowed 

 space which is already so crowded as seemingly to forbid further 

 contributions, and while this condition lasts there can be little 

 hope for advancement. There is, however, one bright feature to 

 mention in this connection — the decision to immediately begin the 

 erection of the building for the Charles L. Freer collections of 

 American and oriental art, the plans showing a beautiful granite 

 structure, the completion of which will bring to the Institution much 

 the largest donation it has ever had, one of the most notable gifts 

 of its character in the world's history. Put to no expense for either 

 building or collections, it is hoped that the example set by Mr. Freer 

 will lead to more liberal consideration on the part of the Govern- 

 ment of the needs of the National Gallery of Art, for which no ap- 

 propriations of any kind have ever yet been made. 



During the past year many valuable additions were made to the 

 collections generally, new and instructive features were incorporated 

 in the exhibition halls, and a wider public interest was stimulated 

 through an exceptional number of meetings and of special exposi- 

 tions of scientific and art objects held at frequent intervals in th^ 

 convenient quarters provided for such purposes. 



COLLECTIONS. 



The total number of specimens acquired during the year was ap- 

 proximately 243,733. Received in 1,525 separate accessions, they were 

 classified and assigned as follows: Department of anthropology, 

 29,493; zoology, 120,303; botany, 40,631; geology and mineralogy, 



