52 



Report of the President 



been extended to the schools of all boroughs throughout the 

 year, although we were unable to make transfers as frequently 

 as in other years because our messengers were called for mili- 

 tary service. Consequently, the statistics for the year are con- 

 siderably below the average. The comparison with preceding 

 years follows: 





1914 



1915 



1916 



1917 



1918 



Number of Collections in \ 

 Use S 



Number of Schools in ) 

 Greater New York > 

 Supplied ) 



Number of Pupils Study- ) 

 ing Collections ) 



675 



570 



1,273,853 



671 



473 

 1,238,581 



704 



439 



1,118,322 



712 



446 



1,075,076 



629 



419 



790,346 



As in the case of the nature study collections, the lectures for 

 pupils, supplementing the class-room work in geography, his- 

 tory, and natural science, have been given for so 

 Lectures many years that many teachers now regard them 



Children as an integral part of their instruction. A spring 



course of 23 lectures and a fall course of 8 

 lectures were given at the Museum, at which the total atten- 

 dance was 10,343. The effect of the extreme cold weather of 

 last winter and of the influenza epidemic in the fall of 1918 is 

 very noticeable in the attendance records. Furthermore, the 

 activities of the children in selling thrift stamps and in doing 

 other war work and the great amount of war work done by the 

 teachers outside of school hours have been contributing factors 

 in the reduced attendance at the lectures. Courses were given 

 in three local lecture centers, namely, Washington Irving High 

 School, in cooperation with Miss Rosemary F. Mullen, Head of 

 the Department of Biology ; at P. S. No. 64 Manhattan, in co- 

 operation with Louis Marks, Principal; and at P. S. No. 42 

 Bronx, in cooperation with Eugene B. Gartlan, Principal. In 

 all, 17 lectures were given in these three centers with a total 

 attendance of 15,075. In addition to these, Dr. Fisher and 

 Miss Thomas gave five lectures, on special request, in other 

 schools. The attendance at these special lectures was 4,500. 



