﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  President. 
  2 
  3 
  

  

  PUBLIC 
  EDUCATION. 
  

  

  Department 
  of 
  Public 
  Instruction. 
  — 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  

   an 
  ever 
  increasing 
  demand 
  for 
  the 
  nature-study 
  collections 
  

   which 
  the 
  Museum 
  loans 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  schools. 
  To 
  satisfy 
  all 
  

   these 
  requests, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  necessary 
  to 
  procure 
  new 
  material 
  

   and 
  to 
  prepare 
  additional 
  collections. 
  There 
  are 
  now 
  450 
  

   cabinets 
  available 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  The 
  collections 
  have 
  

   been 
  supplied 
  to 
  325 
  schools, 
  and 
  the 
  data 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  

   teachers 
  show 
  that 
  725,000 
  children 
  have 
  profited 
  thereby. 
  

  

  The 
  methods 
  of 
  distribution 
  have 
  been 
  greatly 
  facilitated 
  

   through 
  the 
  purchase 
  of 
  an 
  electric 
  delivery 
  wagon. 
  

  

  This 
  method 
  of 
  supplying 
  nature-study 
  material 
  to 
  the 
  

   schools 
  has 
  attracted 
  considerable 
  attention 
  in 
  other 
  States, 
  

   and 
  several 
  foreign 
  educators 
  have 
  critically 
  examined 
  our 
  

   collections 
  and 
  methods 
  of 
  distribution 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  estab- 
  

   lishing 
  a 
  similar 
  system 
  in 
  their 
  own 
  cities. 
  

  

  The 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  Museum 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years 
  has 
  

   made 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  accommodate 
  large 
  bodies 
  of 
  school 
  

   children 
  without 
  interfering 
  materially 
  with 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  

   exhibition 
  halls 
  by 
  adults. 
  Special 
  students 
  are 
  now 
  given 
  

   laboratory 
  facilities 
  well 
  removed 
  from 
  visitors, 
  and 
  artists 
  

   continue 
  to 
  have 
  every 
  encouragement 
  for 
  their 
  work 
  in 
  private 
  

   rooms 
  or 
  in 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  gallery 
  temporarily 
  partitioned 
  off 
  

   for 
  their 
  use. 
  

  

  Early 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  Mrs. 
  Agnes 
  Roesler 
  was 
  appointed 
  as 
  an 
  

   instructor 
  to 
  meet 
  Members 
  and 
  their 
  friends, 
  also 
  classes 
  of 
  

   school 
  children, 
  and 
  to 
  accompany 
  them 
  through 
  the 
  halls, 
  

   explaining 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  exhibits. 
  The 
  success 
  

   of 
  this 
  personal 
  instruction 
  has 
  been 
  marked 
  from 
  the 
  first.- 
  

   Three 
  thousand 
  persons 
  have 
  presented 
  Members' 
  cards, 
  and 
  

   Mrs. 
  Roesler 
  also 
  has 
  met 
  regularly 
  classes 
  from 
  the 
  Normal 
  

   College 
  and 
  given 
  them 
  illustrated 
  lectures 
  and 
  laboratory 
  

   instruction. 
  The 
  results 
  obtained 
  have 
  proved 
  so 
  satisfactory 
  

   that 
  additional 
  instructors 
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  needed. 
  

  

  Another 
  important 
  step 
  in 
  making 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  more 
  

   practical 
  educational 
  value 
  in 
  the 
  community 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  

   placing 
  of 
  exhibits 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  

  

  