Report of the President 



49 



of Museum Extension, for it is a significant fact that the 

 majority of the pupils who hear these lectures cannot afford the 

 carfare necessary to visit the Museum to hear similar lectures. 



Because of the current interest in these new features of 

 the Museum's educational program, the importance and extent 

 of the long-established methods of cooperation 

 Circulating with the sc h 00 ls are apt to be overlooked. The 



C 11 tions circulating collections of nature study speci- 



mens have been supplied to the schools as usual ; 

 671 collections have been in circulation and 473 schools are 

 on the distribution list. The statistics supplied by the teachers 

 show that 1,238,581 children were reached by this method of 

 Museum Extension. The complete statistics in comparison 

 with former years are given in the following table: 



Statistics Relating to the Circulating Collections 



Number of Collec 

 tions in Use. 



Number of Schools} 

 of Greater New V 

 York Supplied . . ) 



Number of Pupils \ 

 Studying the Col- > 

 lections ) 



1909 



435 

 419 



922,512 



1910 



390 



334 

 839,089 



1911 



512 



486 



1,253,435 



1912 



537 

 491 



1,275,890 



1913 



597 

 501 



1,378,599 



1914 



675 

 470 



1,273,853 



1915 



671 



473 

 1,238,581 



The lectures for school children given at the Museum 

 maintain their popularity. This in itself is convincing evi- 

 dence of their practical educational value, for all 

 ecmres Q f t ^ em are gi ven after school hours and attend- 



for School r , , , ., . « « 



Children ance ° ^ ot teachers and pupils is wholly volun- 

 tary. In all, 68 lectures have, been given in the 

 auditorium, and the records show an attendance of 50,852. 

 Therefore, through its lectures, including those given in the 

 local lecture centers, the Museum has reached upward of 

 80,000 pupils, or nearly double the number of any previous year. 



