IT R I 'OSES OF M I .s /-; I MS 11 



The interest of tlie iMulowineiit l-'und. wliicli includes the ina^nifieeiit 

 Ixuiuest of Mrs. .lesup. iiKiy he used for iidditious to the eollectious, 

 research, and for publication. It can not l)e used for the care or repair 

 of th(* l)uil(hn«!;. const I'uct ion of cases or othei- maintenance work, that 

 is proptM'ly the province of t\w City to provich' for. 



'rii(> ]\I(Mnl)ershii) Fund, d(Tiv(Hl from tin* subscriptions of Members, 

 may be dex'oted to any ])uri)()se and is of i)articuhu" im])()rtance in the 

 educational work of the Muscuun. 



\'oluntary contributions may b(^ uschI for ^'eneral i)urj)oses or for sucli 

 special object as the donor may designate; some of the most valua})le and 

 important eollectious have been obtaimnl by such gifts. 



I'here are at present about 3,700 Members. Annual Members con- 



„ ^ ^. tribute $10 a year for the support of the Museum; Life 

 Membership * . 



^Members make a single contribution of $100. Member- 

 ship fees are of great service in promoting the growth of the institution. 

 In the last edition of the Century Dictionary a museum is defined as: 

 '^\ collection of natural objects, or of those made or used by man, 

 ]:)laced w^here they may be seen, preserved and studied. 



e 1 ion o Xeither the objects themselves nor the place Avhere they 

 a Museum *'. , • , r- , 



are shown constitutes a museum; this results from the com- 

 bination of objects, place and purpose, display being an essential feature. 

 The objects, or specimens, may be shown for general purposes only, or for 

 the illustration of some subject or idea, the tendency of modern museums, 

 being by the display of objects and the manner in which they are 

 arranged and labeled to illustrate some fact in nature or in the history of 

 mankind." 



And E. Ray Lankester has very clearly stated that: 



''The purposes of a great national museum of natural history are: 



(1) To procure by its own explorers or by the voluntary 



urposes o assistance of independent naturalists the actual specimens 

 Museums ^ • i i 



upon which accurate knowledge of the animals, plants, and 



minerals of the earth's surface, and more especially of the national 



territory, is based; to preserve and arrange these collections for study 



by all expert naturalists, and to facilitate, directly or indirectly, the 



publication (in the form of catalogues or monographs) of the know^ledge 



so obtained^wdth a view^ to its utilization, not only in the progress of 



science, but in the service of the State. (2) To exhibit in the best 



possible way for the edification of the public, at wdiose charges these 



collections are made and maintained, such specimens as are fitted for 



exposure in pubhc galleries, with a view to the intelligent and willing 



participation of the people in the maintenance of the Museum." 



