48 Report of the President 



set of Professor Bickmore, which he presented to the Mus- 

 eum, is unique. These slides are especially valuable to illus- 

 trate topics of geography, history, travel and natural science. 

 Under the present arrangement the Board of Education bears 

 the cost of distributing the slides to the teachers and the 

 expenses incident to the preparation of catalogues, lecture sets 

 and manuscripts for the teachers. Museum messengers deliver 

 the slides, and call for them at the end of the loan periods. 

 The slides are loaned separately, in groups or in lecture sets. 

 The lecture sets are accompanied by full descriptions of the 

 slides so that teachers may prepare the lecture with a mini- 

 mum of effort. 



The use of the slides has been limited by the fact that 

 many schools are not equipped with class rooms which can be 

 darkened, or do not possess stereopticon lanterns. There are, 

 however, 35 schools in the city which are making frequent 

 and regular use of these slides. 



In 19 14 the Museum offered to open ten local lecture cen- 

 ters in selected schools provided the City would meet the nec- 



, T essary expenses connected with the delivery of 



Local .Lecture . 



Centers t ^ ie ^ ectures - While the Board of Education 



heartily approved of this proposition and rec- 

 ommended its acceptance, the City did not provide the neces- 

 sary funds, and this comprehensive plan of extension had to 

 be abandoned. The need of this kind of educational work 

 was so apparent that, in spite of the failure of the City to pro- 

 vide financial support, the Trustees authorized the Curator of 

 Public Education to arrange for courses of lectures in three of 

 the public schools, namely, the Washington Irving High School, 

 Public School 64, Manhattan, and Public School 39,* Bronx, in 

 all of which the lectures were considered part of the regular 

 school instruction and were given by members of the Museum 

 staff during school hours. During the year, 30 lectures have 

 been given in the local lecture centers and the attendance 

 aggregates more than 32,800 pupils. The establishing of local 

 lecture centers in the schools is an important practical method 



* The autumn course in the Bronx was given in Public School 3, instead of Public 

 School 39. 



