“No one thought at that time that a great democratic city like New 
York would ever contribute two hundred thousand dollars a year for 
what then seemed such a luxury as a Museum of Natural History or a 
Museum of Art, and I do not know that any city in America had at that 
time ever contributed a dollar for any such purpose. In the New York 
effort we lived from hand to mouth at first, although the gentlemen of 
whom I have spoken certainly contributed very liberally to the support 
of the infant institution. Tt was not, however, until the first building 
was erected by the City under the authority given by the Legislature 
that we began to realize what an important project we had in hand. 
“Tn the meantime we lived as best we might in quarters hired for the 
purpose, the old Arsenal Building near the south end of Central Park, 
and the Museum at first was certainly a very small affair. Only the en- 
thusiasm and unfailing generosity of the more wealthy among the Trus- 
tees, who year after year put their hands into their pockets to make up 
the deficit, kept the tottering infant alive during these early years of 
struggle. 
“Ag usual where either individuals or museums become known as col- 
lectors, miscellaneous collections of every description came crowding 
in faster than they could be taken care of. We strove first to gain public 
attention and confidence by a well-ordered exhibition of our most attrac- 
tive objects, storing the others away to await future developments. 
Forty-four thousand dollars were raised the first year by the Trustees 
and their friends, and only five thousand people visited the Museum to 
reward their efforts. Every day it became more and more obvious that 
it was quite impossible to build up by private means alone a great mu- 
seum worthy to compete with the museums of Europe. When we fully 
realized this, we sent to the Legislature a lengthy petition, signed by 
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