till lu'ad aldll : it will a<la|il itself to ils ciuiroiinu'iU ; it will 

 draw rich juices t'roin the earth ; it will appropriate chemical 

 elements from the atmosphere : it w ill utilize the very energy of 

 the snnheams : and in the wonderfnl chemical laboratory which 

 nature has pniNided. il will co-ordinate, convert anfl combine 

 these elements to form IiIum" and build u]) trunk' and branch and 

 twig, leaf and bloom and fruit, performing its full round of 

 existence as foreordained from the beginning of creation. And 

 this tree, grown to ample proportions, so that the birds of the 

 air find shelter and nesting-i)lace in its branches, and men find 

 grateful shade under its spreading arms, — this tree shall not 

 pass away when we wdio are standing about today must pass, — 

 this tree will stand here fifty, a hundred, perhaps five hundred 

 years hence, and will bear testimony for a people long past and 

 forgotten. Thus, with this simple twig are we united in the 

 great mystic bond of existence, and thus do w^e appeal to the twig 

 as the stronger, the more enduring form of life to speak for us 

 when we can no longer speak for ourselves ; when our genera- 

 tion and the next and the next shall have been swept into 

 oblivion. This great mystery of existence, this great riddle of 

 the universe has been beautifully set forth by Tennyson in his 

 apostrophe : 



Flower in the crannied wall, 



I pluck you out of the crannies ; — 

 Hold you here, root and all, in my hand. 

 Little flower, — but if I could understand 

 \\'hat you are, root and all, and all in all, 

 I should know what God and man is." 



At the Annual ^Meeting of this Academy on May 28, 1918, 

 ;Mr. ^lars F. Baumgardt was elected a Director, and at a subse- 

 quent meeting of the Directors he was chosen one of the Vice- 

 Presidents. 



In June, 1913, Mr. Baumgardt was graduated from the 

 School of Optical Engineering by Columbia University, and, 

 locating at his home in Los Angeles, he has achieved an ad- 

 vanced position and remarkable succes in treading the path of 

 this more modern branch of the sciences. 



Mr. William A. Clark, son of Senator Clark, in the spacious 

 grounds surrounding his beautiful home on West Adams street, 

 has caused to be erected an Astronomical Observatory of capa- 

 cious dimensions and picturesque design. It is veneered with 

 brick and its dome revolves fifty feet above its base. 



The entire furnishing, control and management of this 

 Observatory and its valuable contents have been entrusted to 

 ^Ir. Baumgardt, who has made a collection of appliances, instru- 

 ments, maps, charts, engravings and photographs such as per- 



34 



I 



