8 
of advertising, a disposition being usual among people to 
put off that which may be done at any time, with the fre- 
quent result that tlie proposed visit is not paid at all. 
Furthermore, tlie provisions of the Society's charter limit 
its functions to the simple exhibition of wild and other an- 
imals, forbidding all performances or exhibitions foreign to 
that purpose, or of sensational character. It is therefore at 
a disadvantage in competing for popular support with the 
many resorts able to offer striking and varied novelties, 
which always attract temporary interest from the public. 
Again, both by its charter and by the location of the Gar- 
dens upon a portion of Fairmount Park, the sale of wines 
and malt drinks is not permitted upon the grounds, thus 
putting out of reach such sources of income as the evening 
concerts, which are universally of great profit to like insti- 
tutions in continental Europe. While it is true that the 
Board and the Society in general are in full accord with 
the spirit of these restrictions, and while there is probably 
no considerable number of our citizens who would wish to 
see them even relaxed, it is yet proper to direct attention 
to the fact that the course followed by the Society in these 
respects has deprived it of a considerable portion of the or- 
dinary revenue of such resorts. There is probably no 
Zoological Garden in existence, pursuing strictly these lines 
of exclusion, which is supported by its admission receipts, 
without aid from State or city. 
By consent, as well as by necessity, these paths not being 
open to our Society, the experience of the last few years is 
convincing that the Gardens would have been long since 
closed and the collections dispersed without the appropria- 
tions which the City Councils have made to the Commission- 
ers of Fairmount Park for its preservation, the amount for 
1897 being §5000 for permanent improvements and $10,000 
for maintenance, a consideration for which is the issue of 
125,000 tickets to the Board of Education for admittance 
of pupils of the Public Schools. 
The alternative between this appropriation and the clos- 
ing of the Gardens would be continuous appeals for private 
subscription, a resource which in the past has not proved 
