PROGRESS OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRArillC SOCIETY 



255 



trary, based on geology or the vivid presenta- 

 tion of the great physical features of the earth 

 on which depend all civilizations, customs, 

 avocations, sciences, and literatures, easily be- 

 comes one of the most fascinating of studies, 

 or even of mere cursory skits of reading. 



"Strange to add, in its bearing on such af- 

 fections of the heart as ardent love of country 

 and patriotic pride in its great foreordained 

 destinies, here is an agency the force of which 

 cannot be overstated. Indeed, the modern in- 

 novation of hatching chickens by incubators 

 instead of hens is simply nowhere compared 

 with the system of hatching patriots of the 

 stamp of William Tell by geological geography, 

 as exemplitied in the faith and works of the 

 National Geographic Societv of Washington, 

 D. C. 



"This is no wild paradox. In truth, have 

 not the gravest historians insisted that the rea- 

 son why there is no such thing as the existence 

 of patriotic sentiment in China is solely due 

 to the fact that the human heart is incapable 

 of loving 400 million fellow creatures one 

 knows nothing about? They are a pure nu- 

 merical abstraction to a man. Of their lives, 

 languages, aspirations, joys, and sorrows he is 

 ignorant of every concrete item, unless that 

 they all wear the national pigtail ; and so, even 

 this dangling appendage is not potent enough 

 to bind the people together in the chords of 

 universal love. 



"Just the same used to be asserted of the 

 United States of America. The States were 

 too big, too broadly dispersed, too divergent 

 in interests, for any one to be capable of lov- 

 ing their multitudinous populations as fellow 

 countrymen. All this, however, at any rate in 

 the eyes of the National Geographic Society of 

 Washington, is now rapidly being done away 

 with. It is getting eflfected through a vivid 

 appeal to the visual imagination which is en- 

 abling us all to see, in the mind's eye, our 

 whole country at once and as a whole. The 

 stupendous national enterprises already com- 

 pleted, or about to be inaugurated, are fast 

 annihilating all lines of geographical division, 

 and enlisting the minds and hearts of the scat- 

 tered millions in vast undertakings in which 

 all share a common interest and common pride." 



In conclusion, you will permit me to 

 call your attention once more to the fact 

 that, notwithstanding the wide range of 

 geographic subjects included in the maga- 

 zine, covering archeological, geological, 

 political, and historical themes, the stan- 

 dard of accuracy of fact has always been 

 maintained. It is the reputation of the 

 magazine for its unquestioned reliability 

 and impartiality that is largely respon- 

 sible for its popularity. 



The great success of the year would 

 not have been possible without the cor- 



dial cooperation and help of the assistant 

 editor, Mr. John Oliver La Gorce ; the 

 assistant treasurer, Mr. F. B. Eichel- 

 bergcr ; the assistant secretary, Mr. 

 George W. Hutchison, and all the other 

 members of the office force, to whom 

 grateful acknowledgment is hereby made. 

 Respectfully submitted, 

 Gilbert H. Grosvexor, 



Director and Editor. 



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 



The year 1912 shows a large increase 

 in the membership of the National Geo- 

 graphic Society and a general improve- 

 ment in its condition and work. 



The number of members December 30. 

 191 1, was 102,051 ; the number added 

 upon their own application from Janu- 

 ary 2 to December 31 was 59,161 ; the 

 losses by death, by resignation, by non- 

 payment of dues was 5,876. There was 

 also a net gain of 8,029 "^ the number oi 

 subscribers, making a net increase of 

 58,514 members and subscribers during 

 the year and the total membership, in- 

 cluding life members and subscribers on 

 December 31, 1912, 160,565. 



Fifty-five new life members were 

 elected during the year, making the total 

 life membership 505. 



The membership is distributed through- 

 out all the States and Territories of the 

 Union, and includes about 3.100 in the 

 District of Columbia and between 1,300 

 and 1,400 in the Philippines, Hawaii, 

 Porto Rico, and Alaska. The member- 

 ship in foreign countries is 3,550, and 

 represents 50 different countries, includ- 

 ing most of the European countries. 

 Egypt, India, China. Japan, Australia. 

 New Zealand, and the various Central 

 and South American countries and sev- 

 eral West Indian islands. 



The membership in Canada is 1.550. 

 in Mexico 550. in Cuba 350, in Europe 

 2,300, Central and South America 350. 



In January. 19 12, Mr. James Bryce. 

 the British Ambassador, was elected an 

 honorary member of the Society. 

 Respectfully submitted, 



O. P. Austin, 



Secretarv. 



