REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 



SINCE the last report of the Secretary was rendered to this 

 Academy, the attention of onr members has been so called 

 to the great visitation of sorrow imposed upon the whole civilized 

 world, and the demands upon us for a strenuous and material 

 support for the warfare now being waged on behalf of humanity 

 and righteousnes, that we have been compelled, in a measure, 

 to forego some of the activities appertaining to the more peaceful 

 avocations of our responsibilities. 



Our Directors, however, have carefully conserved the sta- 

 bility of the Academy and, though at times embarrassed by the 

 disturbed condition of public affairs, they have conducted our 

 proceedings in such a manner that all have felt that though our 

 ship of intellectual progress may have been buffeted by the storms 

 of timidity and disquiet, it is safely anchored in a harbor of 

 peace and safety. 



This may be evidenced by the statement that, by successive 

 elections, they have been retained as our executive officers, there 

 having been but one change. Nearly a year ago, Mr. Thomas L. 

 O'Brien devoted himself to the service of our Covmtry and now 

 he is in France, a soldier of the Engineer Corps of the United 

 States Army. At our last annual meeting, Mr. Mars F. Baum- 

 gardt was elected to the position in which Mr. O'Brien had 

 theretofore so ably officiated. 



Our meetings have been attractive, not only to our members 

 but to the public who have always been cordialy welcomed, and 

 the discourses which have been delivered were not only educa- 

 tional and instructive but eminently popular and interesting. 

 As showing the broad field of discussion embraced, I give their 

 subjects, to -wit: 



The Economic Results of Explosions in Agriculture. 



The Volcanos of Aetna and Vesuvius and their Environ- 

 ments : 



The Illumination of the Panama-Pacific International Ex- 

 position : 



The Collecting of Butterflies. 



Visual Education in Museums. 



The Hawaiian Kingdom and the Islands of the South Pa- 

 cific. 



The Early Days of California and the Misions. 



The Historic Background of the Great War. 



One of our meetings was devoted to the social amenities 

 and the banquet table, at which, with pleasing descriptions, were 

 exhibited upon the screen photographs of flowers, plants, moun- 

 tains, valleys, water falls, canons and lakes in California, Ore- 

 gon, Wyoming, Arizona, the Yellowstone Park and the Grand 



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