Public Education 47 



REPORTS OF THE CURATORS 



PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE MUSEUM 

 AND IN THE SCHOOLS * 



George H. Sherwood, Curator 



The educational work of the Museum has suffered from the 

 exigencies of the year. The thoughts of staff, teachers and 

 pupils have been concentrated on the great struggle, and it has 

 been difficult to take up subjects not directly connected with it. 

 In spite of these distractions, however, the important connec- 

 tions between the Museum and the public schools have been 

 maintained. This is true of all branches of the work — circulat- 

 ing nature study collections, the lectures to school children, the 

 education for the blind, the loan collections for the libraries 

 and the circulation of slides in the schools. 



The statistics for the year are less impressive than in pre- 

 vious years. This, however, is to be expected, as the ex- 

 treme cold weather of the winter and the epidemic of in- 

 fluenza in the fall interfered with the normal activities of 

 the children, while direct war work has required the atten- 

 tion of members of our staff. 



Through its cooperation with the Y. M. C. A., the depart- 

 ment has made a valuable contribution to war work. Last 



year, we undertook the preparation, by mem- 

 War Work bers of the scientific staff and other explorers, 

 Department °^ a sei "i es °f "Exploration Tales for Soldiers 



and Sailors." Each "Tale" consisted of about 

 sixty slides accompanied with a manuscript dictated by the ex- 

 plorer himself. Two sets of each lecture were loaned to the 

 Y. M. C. A. for use in the encampments at home and abroad 

 as well as on the transports. The initial cost has been borne 



Under the Department of Public Education (see also pages 181 and 182). 



