40 Report of the President 



The principal loss has apparently been in the younger and 

 the less well-to-do groups of visitors, those who are directly 

 affected by the increased cost of the very necessities of life and 

 those who have made real sacrifices to purchase War Savings 

 Stamps or to contribute to Red Cross work. Light is thrown 

 on this by the conditions in the National Association of Audu- 

 bon Societies, where junior membership has dropped not 

 merely by thousands but by tens of thousands, due to competi- 

 tion in schools as to which should contribute most to war work. 



That the loss is not among the well-to-do or out-of-town 

 visitors is indicated by the sales of Guides and Handbooks, 

 especially during the latter part of the year, when many sol- 

 diers were passing through the city, and the sales of Guides 

 were largest. 



STATISTICS OF NUMBERS REACHED BY THE MUSEUM 

 AND ITS EXTENSION EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM 



1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 



Board of Education Lectures 52,761 41,970 34,421 32,790 21,624 



Lectures to School Children 

 and Classes visiting the 

 Museum for Study 65,785* 61,437 58,842 57,463 21,484 



Meetings of Scientific So- 

 cieties and Other Meetings 



and Lectures 32,939 22,542 28,495 25,549 20,928 



Total 151,485 125,949 121,758 115,802 64,036 



Attendance in Exhibition 



Halls 657,458 794>*39 725,9^7 786,151 627,302 



Total Attendance for all Pur- 

 poses 808,943 920,088 847,675 901,953 691,338 



Lectures to Pupils in Local 



Centers 32,800 37,400 38,525 19,575 



Numbers reached by Circu- 

 lating Collections 1,273,853 1,238,581 1,118,322 1,104,456 817,610 



Grand Total 2,082,796 2,191,469 2,003,397 2,044,934 1,528,523 



Special exhibits are uncertain forms of attraction, nor does 

 direct advertising do much to swell the numbers of visitors; 

 newspaper articles do much more, as is shown by inquiries for 

 certain things. 



Early in the year, the Committee on Public Information was 

 reorganized, and Mr. George N. Pindar was made Chairman. 

 The other members of the Committee were the Director, the 

 Assistant Secretary, and Miss Jessie M. Davies as Secretary. 



* Includes pupils, estimated at 15,000, attending lectures in the Local Centers. 



