Annual Meeting.] 
4 
[May 5, 
lications, and of the necessity of putting these on such a basis that 
scientific men could profit by them. Mr. Samuel Eliot expressed 
the gratitude of the public schools to this Society for its efforts in 
their behalf in past years, and their hope that the same policy 
would be continued in the future. Mr. Charles W. Eliot made the 
best argument the author of this report ever had the pleasure of 
hearing, upon the importance of the study of biology as compared 
with that of physical science. 
The Introduction to the General Guide was published in the 
form of a special edition by the Laboratory and distributed to the 
members of the Society who were present. The plan of the 
Guides can be best explained by an extract from the preface. 
Experience has shown us, that teachers of both public and pri- 
vate schools look to the Museum of this Society for assistance. 
They come every year in increasing numbers, often bringing their 
pupils with them. General students of Natural History are usu- 
ally present on all public days, taking notes, making sketches, and 
otherwise using the collections for study. On the other hand a 
very large part of the public has no conception of the educational 
value of the Museum, and come with the expectation of being 
amused by looking at collections of curiosities. If, however, these 
casual visitors purchase and read the series of General Guides to 
which this number is an introduction, even they cannot fail to 
gain at least an appreciation of the high aims and deep meaning 
of the work done in a properly arranged Museum. 
The five numbers of the “ General Guide ” which are to follow 
this “Introduction” will deal in a comprehensive way with the 
classes of objects shown in each department, and their relations to 
each other. They will, however, treat more particularly of the 
special synoptical collections in the departments of Mineralogy, 
Geology, Botany, Comparative Anatomy, and Paleontology, since 
these together form a general synopsis of the various branches of 
Natural History which are represented in this Museum. 
The series of Special Guides will not be less than twelve in 
number, including all the departments of the Museum, and will be 
written by the Assistants in the Museum, or other persons having 
special knowledge of the various subjects^ 
These will be abbreviated manuals, devoid of technicalities and 
