THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY 



487 



gratuities, will cover the whole field of 

 geography as far as is practicable. 



The adopted policy of the Society will 

 be best understood by the publication in 

 full of the report of a special committee, 

 General Greely, Chairman, which was 

 unanimously approved by the Board of 

 Managers- The resolutions are as fol- 

 lows : 



MEDALS OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY 



The medals shall be of two classes — Society 

 medals and special medals. Society medals, 

 being strictly representative of the National 

 Geographic Society, shall be recognized as con- 

 ferring the highest form of honor. They shall 

 be awarded as frequently as there are works 

 deserving them. 



Society medals shall be of gold, and vary 

 only in the superscription, which shall indicate 

 the character of geographic service for which 

 they have been awarded. 



Special medals shall be such as may be in- 

 stituted, with the approval of the National 

 Geographic Society, from funds donated to the 

 Society for the purpose of recognizing personal 

 achievement in geographic fields, or to stimu- 

 late researches in the domain of geography. 

 Special medals, or other similar awards, shall 

 be known by the specific titles and awarded 

 under such conditions as may be designated by 

 the donors, the National Geographic Society 

 acting as trustee for the proper administration 

 of the funds and for the appropriate award of 

 the medals. 



This Society being national in its scope and 

 in its membership, the geographic work of its 

 members, and of other Americans similarly 

 engaged, merit and shall receive careful con- 

 sideration, especially when such work pertains 

 to the continent of North America. Work of 

 permanent and exceptional value shall not be 

 ignored because of intervening time, but shall 

 be recognized on the same basis as though of 

 recent accomplishment. 



Awards shall not be confined to exploration 

 and discovery, but all fields of geographic re- 

 search shall be properly recognized. 



The Committee on Research (or other des- 

 ignated committee) shall from time to time 

 recommend to the Board of Managers the 

 issuance of medals. Such recommendations, 

 to be in writing, shall in each case name the 

 individual, set forth specifically the distin- 

 guished geographic service performed, specify 

 the class of medal (whether Society or 

 special), and formulate the inscription to be 

 engraved thereon. 



Ordinarily the award of medals shall be 

 made at the annual dinner or other general 

 .-gathering of the Society. 



It is gratifying that this plan of en- 

 couraging geographic work by special 

 medals for definite classes of work has 

 already borne fruit. One of the active 

 and generous members of the Society, 

 Mr Grant Squires, of New York city, 

 has made an endowment of five hundred 

 dollars, which may be later increased in 

 amount. The income is to be spent in 

 awarding a special medal, with or with- 

 out a gratuity in money, for such work 

 as may increase our knowledge of the 

 resources of the countries of the Orient 

 and stimulate commercial relations of the 

 United States therewith. The exact pro- 

 visions of the endowment will be pub- 

 lished with the proceedings of the Board. 



It may be of interest to the members 

 of this Society to learn that there are 

 sixteen special medals and prizes which 

 have been endowed by members of the 

 Socicte de Geographie of Paris, which 

 are known by names designated by the 

 donors, and are awarded for classes of 

 geographic work named in the endow- 

 ment. 



There is no reason to doubt that Amer- 

 ican generosity will similarly and speed- 

 ily provide means for suitable medals and 

 gratuities in recognition of special geo- 

 graphic work in which the donors may 

 be interested. Such endowments are 

 particularly suitable as memorials to 

 those "on a happier voyage now toward 

 no earthly pole," or in dedication to aspi- 

 rations of the donor which time and 

 circumstance did not permit to ripen into 

 personal fruition. 



ROOM FOR EXPANSION 



The National Geographic Society has 

 purchased for $11,000 the unimproved 

 property on Sixteenth street adjoining 

 Hubbard Memorial Hall. The lot fronts 

 2^>y 2 feet on Sixteenth street and is about 

 75 feet deep. If the growth of the Soci- 

 ety continues at as rapid a rate during 

 the next several years as during the 

 past, additional room will be required 

 for the business of the Society, and it 

 was to provide for such contingencies 

 that the ground has been acquired. 



