194 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



faith and without any idea of the harm that might ensue as a 

 result of it. 



That the Association, the museum, and the city are separate 

 entities, and that their interests are mutual only under certain 

 conditions and along certain well-defined lines of contact, evi- 

 dently need to be explained. In view of these facts the suggestion 

 was made to me some time ago that a brief statement of per- 

 tinent facts accompanied by explanations would be advisable, in 

 order that mistakes of administrative policy might be avoided and 

 that our members may be properly informed and be thus enabled 

 to correct any erroneous ideas or statements to which their atten- 

 tion might happen to be called. In compliance with this sugges- 

 tion I have assumed the responsibility of preparing such a state- 

 ment with explanations and comments. 



RELATION BETWEEN THE ASSOCIATION AND THE MUSEUM 



The museum, i. e., the actual collections of specimens and the 

 contents of the library, represents, in so far as their accumulation 

 and utilization is concerned, only one of the functions of the Asso- 

 ciation ; but it is the only one that the city helps to support by an 

 annual budget appropriation. The Association manages its other 

 affairs entirely independent of financial assistance from the city 

 and pays from its own treasury whatever expenses are incurred, 

 and may engage in any or all activities specifically mentioned in 

 or not prohibited by the terms of its charter. 



Section 2 of the charter states that the purpose of the Associa- 

 tion shall be " to promote intellectual activity and intercourse and 

 to encourage an interest in the sciences, arts and history ; to col- 

 lect and preserve objects of scientific and historic interest, espe- 

 cially such as relate to Staten Island ; to establish and maintain a 

 public museum and reference library ; to provide facilities for re- 

 cording and publishing scientific and historical information; to 

 preserve from needless destruction such plants and animals as are 

 harmless, and to protect objects and places of natural beauty, of 

 scientific and of historic interest." 



The Association, therefore, could exist and be in a position to 

 perform most of its functions , without any museum or place of. 



