17th Street. Public School No. 64 has an assembly hall seating 

 about 1,000. and this was filled at each lecture with pupils from 

 the neighboring schools. The auditorium of the Washington 

 Irving High School has a seating capacity of 1,500, and in spite 

 of stormy weather from 1,000 to 1,500 pupils were present at 

 each lecture. Indeed, it was necessary to give the Panama 

 lecture twice to accommodate all who desired to hear it. These 

 lectures were sufficient to demonstrate the practicability and 

 desirability of establishing local lecture centers. 



The matter was brought to the attention of President 

 Churchill of the Board of Education, who immediately ap- 

 pointed a special committee consisting of 



Frank D. Wilsey 



Ira S. Wile 



Francis P. Cunnion 

 to consider with the Museum authorities plans for cooperation. 

 Chairman Wilsey called on President Osborn and made an 

 examination of the educational work the Museum was already 

 doing and of the plans for extending it. On the same day 

 President Osborn had a conference with President Churchill 

 who endorsed the plans and gave assurance of his cordial 

 cooperation. 



From the beginning the Curator has been in consultation 

 with Superintendent Maxwell and Associate Superintendent 

 Straubenmiiller, both of whom have given much practical 

 assistance in the formulation of the plans for the proposed 

 extension. 



After careful study of the problems involved, final plans 

 for the extension work of the American Museum have been 

 recommended to the Committees of the Trustees and of the 

 Board of Education. These plans provide for: 



1. The opening of ten local lecture centers and the 

 delivery by members of the Museum staff of eighteen 

 lectures in each center during the school year. The 

 lectures are to be mainly on geographical, historical 

 and industrial subjects, and will be fully illustrated. 



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