These and many other topics will increase public knowledge, 

 the desire for learnings interest children and adults in the 

 world of water around us. The New England Aquarium will made 

 a most significant contribution to the educational and recre- 

 ational needs of the community, and will, by its scope and 

 intention, be an influential force on all thinking communities. 



AQUARIUMS TODAY 



Three quarters of the earth's surface is water. We humans 

 depend on water for life and livelihood. Omnipresent water 

 is fascinating but difficult to explore. The function of the 

 New England Aquarium is to make known the world of water. 



Evidence of the need of a public aquarium is the great popu- 

 larity of this type of institution in other parts of the world. 

 Over 400 public aquariums are in existence today. 33,000,000 

 attend these institutions annually. Experience has shown that 

 an aquarium has an almost magnetic power to attract visitors 

 both local and from afar, and that aquariums enjoy a far greater 

 attendance than comparable institutions of similar size. 



Over three million school children have passed through elemen- 

 tary school in this region since the old aquarium closed in 1954, 

 They have not had the opportunities of children in other cities. 

 Boston, with all its cultural and educational institutions, and 

 with its rich heritage of maritime history, is today one of the 

 only major cities without an aquarium. 



