ADDRE!SS OF THE PRESIDENT 405 



the Society a special body of members to be known as Fellows, to be 

 selected from the general membership of the Society for their special 

 knowledge of matters relating to geographic science. These Fellows 

 should form a small body of picked persons and should hold meet- 

 ings to promote the advancement of geographic knowledge. 



In spite of our large membership, we are in so poor a condition 

 financially that we have no invested funds to promote the objects of 

 the Society. We live, as it were, from hand to mouth, and have even 

 had difficulty in making both ends meet. This condition of affairs 

 is dangerous and threatens the existence of the Society. In order 

 to give it stability it must have funds, and without a surplus it can- 

 not hope to do much toward promoting geographic research. 



I would urge upon the Board the importance of taking immediate 

 steps to create an invested fund for the Society, and I would propose 

 to utilize our lectures for this purpose. 



Lecture courses in Wasliington and other cities could, I am sure, 

 be mads to yield a profit to the Society. The proceeds could be 

 turned over to a committee for investment to form a fund for the 

 promotion of geographic research, and the income could be applied 

 as directed by the Fellows of the Society. 



These recommendations, of course, are revolutionary in character, 

 and should not be adopted without full time for mature considera- 

 tion and discussion. I bring them forward now in order that the 

 members of the Board may think them over carefully so as to be 

 prepared to carry them into effect at the Annual Meeting of the So- 

 ciety in May, 1901, if they think best. 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE CONSIDERATION 



At the present time active members have the privilege of attending 

 all lectures free of charge, and have also the privilege of bringing a 

 friend. Thus it has hapi^ened that our audiences have been com- 

 posed in consideral)le part of persons who are not members of the 

 Society. Such persons, I think, might very i)roperly be asked to 

 pay. I would therefore suggest that during our next lecture season 

 the membership ticket should admit only one person instead of two. 



In order tliat tliere should not be too sudden a change in this re- 

 spect, I would suggest that each member of tlie Society should have 

 the privilege of purchasing a season ticket, admitting one person, for 

 the sum of three dollars (which represents that proportion of the 

 active membership fee which is intended to cover lectures). In the 



