82 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



doubt that this building will stimulate the development of the collections, 

 by providing a secure repository for valuable objects, which would other- 

 wise not be given. The accession of at least one such important series 

 of natural objects has already been forecasted. 



The hope of making the collections of the Association at the same time 

 secure and available for public instruction, was evidenced some years 

 after their accumulation was commenced, by an attempt to obtain a build- 

 ing, for which some subscriptions were made at the time, but we had no 

 leaders of sufficient force to carry the movement through. More recently 

 the collections have been so housed as to be efficient in public instruction, 

 but they have not been safe, and their increasing importance rendered the 

 need of a fireproof building acute. The enlightened liberality of Mr. 

 Willcox through his generous contribution, which made the present at- 

 tempt successful, is a monument on the line of increasing usefulness of 

 this organization, which will always be pointed out as one of his most 

 efifective beneficences. That we may trust to others in the future, on the 

 principle that example is better than precept, to emulate him and further 

 develop this building on this excellent location, I believe there can be 

 no doubt. 



This institution, thus satisfactorily housed, is worthy of liberal private 

 and public support; a station has been established for the diffusion and 

 for the conservation of knowledge and of information. 



The president introduced Dr. Arthur HoUick, the director of the mu- 

 seum and the second of the three men who signed the original call in 

 1881. Doctor Hollick spoke as follows : 



Our president has introduced me as the director of the museum ; but 

 on this occasion I prefer, personally, to think of myself merely as one 

 of the three young men (myself. Doctor Britton, and Mr. Davis) who 

 issued the call for the meeting, thirty-six years ago, at which was or- 

 ganized the Natural Science Association of Staten Island. It was the 

 organization of this association on the 12th of November, 1881, that made 

 possible the laying of this cornerstone. So to me the greatest significance 

 that attaches to these exercises today is that they commemorate, only a 

 few days in advance, the thirty-sixth anniversary of the organization of 

 the old association. And it occurs to me as somewhat remarkable that 

 the three founders should be, not only alive and well, but present on this 

 occasion and still active in the affairs of its successor, the present Staten 

 Island Association of Arts and Sciences. Thirty-six years have been a 

 long time to wait and to work, generally under discouraging conditions; 

 but I feel today that we can forget all this and say that the result achieved 

 •at last has made our work and our sacrifices seem well worth while. 



The president said that it had been his intention to call upon Mr. Wm. T. 

 Davis, the third of the men who signed the original call in *i88i, but that 

 he had decided to refrain from doing so in deference to the wishes of Mr. 



