REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR AND EDITOR OF 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY 



FOR THE YEAR 1914 



THE year 1914, notwithstanding 

 the business depression through- 

 out the United States, which was 

 especially severe in the publication and 

 magazine world, has been the most suc- 

 cessful in the history of the National 

 Geographic Society. 



We did more for research and explo- 

 ration than we have been able to do in 

 previous years.* We have put more 

 money into our Magazine per member 

 than ever before. AA'e added to our re- 

 serve fund twice as much as in any previ- 

 ous year, and in fact every activity of the 

 Society has progressed in a gratifying 

 degree. 



The net gain in membership and sub- 

 scription during 19 14 was the largest 

 numerical increase in the history of the 

 Society, being 103,157. The per cent of 

 increase was 48.2 per cent, the largest in 

 recent years, with the exception of 1912. 

 The per cent of increase in 1913 was 

 45.6; in 1912, 57.3: in 191 1. 38; in 1910, 

 39; in 1909, 38: in 1908, 24. 



The total membership on December 31, 

 1914, was 337,446.1 California still leads 

 in proportion to her population, with a 

 membership of 25,000. The membership 

 in New York is 55.000; Pennsylvania, 

 30,000 ; Illinois. 24,000 : Massachusetts, 

 26,000; Ohio, 18,000. 



In the 1914 volumes the National 

 Geographic Mag.\zink published 74 

 pages in four-color work ; 64 pages in 

 photogravure ; three large maps in colors, 

 one of Central Europe (the most com- 

 pact and useful map of the scene of Eu- 

 ropean war yet published), one of Mex- 

 ico, 17 X 241^ inches, and one of Alaska, 

 and more than 1,200 really wonderful 



*An account of the important Peruvian ex- 

 plorations of the Society was published in the 

 February. 1915, Magazine. 



t The membership as this Magazine goes to 

 press is 380,000. 



illustrations in black and white, printed 

 on a fine grade of coated paper. All 

 this, with a series of authoritative and 

 interesting articles, the members of the 

 Society have received for $2.00. 



AN extraordinary SHOWING 



The total income of the Society for 

 the year 1914 was $837,324.38, which is 

 an increase of 52.5 per cent over the 

 previous year. But notwithstanding the 

 greater outlay for the Magazine and the 

 purchase of material not yet used and 

 the purchase of furniture and equipment, 

 amounting to $18,000, all of which are 

 charged to expenses, the Society had a 

 surplus of $148,000, of which $20,500 

 was devoted to research and the balance 

 of $127,500 added to our sinking or re- 

 serve fund. 



This showing, extraordinary for a sci- 

 entific society, is even more remarkable 

 when we remember that the Society has 

 had no endowment ; that it has never 

 asked its membership for a dollar beyond 

 the payment of annual dues, and that its 

 ^lagazine, which is now an immensely 

 valuable asset, has been built up, unlike 

 other periodicals, without the investment 

 of any capital. 



When the Society was young and poor 

 and without funds to pay for the services 

 of an editor and manager. Dr. Alexander 

 Graham Bell for five years contributed 

 the salary of the Editor, making a total 

 gift of $6,000 to the Society for this pur- 

 pose. This is the only money that was 

 put into the Alagazine outside of the 

 membership fees. I do not include the 

 advertising receipts, because no revenue 

 was realized from this source until the 

 Magazine had been put on its feet. 



THE DAYS OF BEGINNING 



The Editor is now concluding his six- 

 teenth year of service. He can well re- 



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