﻿FORTIETH 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  Trustees 
  and 
  Members 
  of 
  The 
  American 
  Museum 
  of 
  

   Natural 
  History, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  Municipal 
  Authorities 
  of 
  the 
  

   City 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  submits 
  herewith 
  a 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  progress 
  

   of 
  the 
  Museum 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  1908. 
  

  

  Forty 
  years 
  ago* 
  the 
  Museum 
  was 
  incorporated 
  and 
  thirty- 
  

   threef 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  Trustees 
  entered 
  upon 
  the 
  development 
  

   of 
  an 
  institution 
  of 
  national 
  scope 
  on 
  Manhattan 
  Square, 
  a 
  

   location 
  ideally 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  purpose. 
  Under 
  the 
  successive 
  

   administrations 
  of 
  John 
  David 
  Wolfe 
  and 
  Robert 
  L. 
  Stuart, 
  

   and 
  especially 
  under 
  the 
  creative 
  mind 
  of 
  Morris 
  K. 
  Jesup, 
  

   the 
  original 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  Museum 
  has 
  constantly 
  widened, 
  

   until 
  now 
  the 
  two 
  grand 
  objects 
  for 
  which 
  it 
  should 
  exist 
  are 
  

   firmly 
  established, 
  namely: 
  

  

  1. 
  Public 
  Education 
  in 
  Natural 
  Science 
  

  

  2. 
  Research, 
  Exploration, 
  Publication 
  

  

  Our 
  system 
  of 
  education 
  (pp. 
  18 
  to 
  26), 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  

   Exhibition 
  and 
  Lecture 
  halls, 
  and 
  through 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  

   Museum 
  Extension 
  to 
  the 
  Schools 
  and 
  Libraries, 
  has 
  reached 
  

   1,674,272 
  adults 
  and 
  young 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year. 
  It 
  more 
  

   than 
  justifies 
  the 
  expenditure 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  funds 
  devoted 
  to 
  

   the 
  erection 
  and 
  maintenance 
  of 
  the 
  building. 
  But 
  the 
  life 
  

   and 
  spirit 
  of 
  education 
  are 
  all 
  drawn 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  source, 
  

   namely, 
  the 
  scientific 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Museum. 
  Without 
  this 
  

   incessant 
  activity 
  of 
  its 
  own, 
  which 
  is 
  entirely 
  supported 
  by 
  

   private 
  funds, 
  the 
  Museum 
  would 
  be 
  dependent 
  on 
  other 
  scien- 
  

   tific 
  bodies, 
  whereas, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  living 
  center 
  which, 
  without 
  

   exaggeration, 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  reach 
  every 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  

   To 
  support 
  this 
  twofold 
  object, 
  our 
  present 
  Endowment 
  Fund 
  

   of 
  $2,048,156.61 
  must 
  be 
  increased 
  to 
  $5,000,000, 
  and, 
  within 
  

   a 
  few 
  years, 
  to 
  a 
  larger 
  sum. 
  

  

  The 
  future 
  scope 
  of 
  exhibition 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   given 
  very 
  careful 
  thought 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  and 
  will 
  soon 
  

  

  * 
  April 
  6, 
  1869 
  

  

  t 
  April 
  22, 
  1876 
  15 
  

  

  