Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-10
GOLDMEDALFOR
Presentation to Be Made Satur-
day Evening.
OCCASION TO BE NOTABLE
Eighteenth Birthday Of the National
Geographic Society.
IT'S BENEVOLENT ASPIRATIONS
Increase and Dissemination Of Knowl
edge by Correspondence, = Maya
zine and Lectures.
BIZ WILLIAM n. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence OF The Star and the Chicaso
Recocd-Herah.


| OF Saturday, December Is, because he has
been farthest north. There will be ban
| uuet at which Capt. and Mrs. Peary VIII
be the most conspicuous guests. They Will
| be attended by Mr.. Morris K. Jesup, pres
ident and Mr.. Herbert L. Bridgeman. Sec
rotary of the Peary Arctic Club. and the
| other guests Of honor will be DR.. +. A.
Cook of New York, who recently made the
ascent Of Mount Mckinley. in Alaska, the
highest peak In the United States. winch
l has baffled all climbers until now; the hus-
sian ambassador and Baroness Rosen. the
Japanese ambassador and VfscouneeSs
Aoki. Secretary Bonaparte Commander
Peary. DR.. Alexander Graham Bell Dr.
Cool ana Mr.. Jessup will respond to toasts.
AS this will be Capt. Peary's first pubic
appearance since his return, there VIII
doubtless be large attendance OF members
of the society who now NUMBER io,UoU an no
the world geographers explorers, men OF
| learning and science, statesmen soldiers
and sailors, diplomatists, members OF the
United States Senate and House or Repre-
| sentatives and other legislative bodies. In
| deed, the list is a directory OF the most dis
| tingushed people, men and women In the
United States.
Largest and the Youngest.
The National is the largest geographic So
ciery in the world, although the youngest,
and it is the most enterprising, progressive
and comprehensive In It's work. 1t has
more members than all the other geographic
societies combined and Is gradually attain
ing q position of honor and influence among
the venerable organizations Of the old
| founded in Paris In 1921, which Is stu IN
active existence with. membership OF
1900; the Geographical Society OF Berlin.
founded in 1923 has LOCO members: the
Royal Geographic Society Of London. found
ed in 1880. has 1000 members; the Geo
| graphical Society of Mexico. founded In
1885, has 800 members; the imperial Rus
sian Geographical Society at st. Petersburg.
founded In 1915. has LOO members; the
American Of New York has 1000 members.
and the Philadelphia Society 500. There
are societies at Vienna, Geneva. Buda-
Pesth, Lisbon, Cairo, Edinburgh, Manches-
ter, Algiers Rio de Janeiro. Lima, San
tiago and other cities on both hemfspheres.
The Royal Geographic Society of London is
full and notable career. It inaugurated the
| exploration of Africa and has conducted
scientific exploration in several portions Of
Asia; it has sent expeditions to South
America and In search of both OF the poles.
Its publications constitute considerable
library and include many valuable contribu-
lions to human knowledge. Its specially
has been original research.
The National Geographic Society Of Wash
ington has not yet acquired such ripe ex-
| perience or honorable fame but Its activity
in various lines and the result it has al
ready accomplished are commanding the
respect and attention Of the scientific world.
Geographers In all countries in New Zea-
land. South Africa. Egypt: Montenegro.
sought membership for the sake Of the in
formation they might thereby acquire.
Every country in the world. every state Of
the Union, Is represented In the list of
members.
The National Geographic Society.
The society was founded in 1883 BY Gen.
A. w. Greedy. the polar explorer; Maj. Clar-
ence e. Dutton, our highest authority on
earthquakes: Maj. J. w. Powell the first
director of the geological survey. who first
explored the Grand Canyon Of the Colorado;
| States and our highest authority on geo.
| graphical questions; DR.. c. Hart Merriam
| Of the Agricultural Department.; O. H. Tit
man. superintendent Of the coast and geo.
| detic survey: Admiral Bartlett OF the navy;
Professor j. Howard Gore Of George WASH
ington University. George Kennon Of ST.
berian fame. and Gardiner Greene Hub
bard, who was its first president and its
most generous patron The first year closed
| with 100 names upon the roll, chiefly scien-
tific men, and gradually, as the objects and
| the advantages Of the organization became
known. applications began to come in from
| every direction and from every sort of peo-
pie, until the present number OF $1,000 was
reached.
j Inc income OF LQc society Is ABOUT $4U,UUU
a year. entirely from membership fees.
| which fee Is 81 year. This money Is ex-
pended in support Of an illustrated monthly
| journal. by an annual series Of forty lee
l lures. In the maintenance of a bureau of
information on geographic subjects, by in
| creasing library at Its headquarters, by
the annual award of valuable gold medal
to whomsoever the society considers to
have accomplished the greatest geographic
achievement during the year. and by en-
| couraging and assisting exploration projects
so Tar as Its resources will permit The
| revenues. as may be naturally inferred, are
not sufncient to permit the society to in
/ dulge very extensively in explorations, but
It has sent expeditions to Alaska, to the
| Windward and Leeward Islands, and has
contributed literally to arctic exploration,
while its members individually have made
munifcent gifts to the support of arctic
expeditions. archaeological explorations and
other scientific surveys. Its object, as OFF,
cially stated. Is Ito increase and diffuse
] geographical knowledge. because we believe
that knowledge of our own country and Of
l other countries Is as essential to our sue
cess and happiness as q nation as knowledge
of human nature IL essential to individual
| success"
Dissemination Of knowledge.
That aspiration 10 realized by the activity
Of the society in Its correspondence with
similar organizations In various parts of
the world with all other available sources
OF private Information concerning geo.
graphical discovery. The oficials seek to
know promptly every new fact that is con.
| tr4buted to geographical science, and to
make such facts known through bureau
| Of information on geographic subjects
This bureau. until now. has offered It's ad-
1 vantaEes to members only. but 1t Il pro-
posed to extend its usefulness to the pub
lie, with desidre to educate the country In
geographic scisnce and to answer all in
Quiries as fully as possible from whatever
source they come whether they concern re-
| cent discoveries or Information already
published. The present correspondence re-
| Qutree large STAN OF clerks, whose duties
are continually increasing and expanding.
The principal means Of disseminating
| knowledge, however, Ii 1.-The National Geo
| graphic Magaxine." published monthly, and
devoted to geographic information on cur
rent events. to keep the members OF the So
ciety advised Of the advancement OF geo.
graphic science. and to furnish them and
the public information concerning those
parts OF the world upon which public atten-
ton Is attracted from time to time For
example, at the time OF the volcanic erup-
ton two years ago special edition was
i published concerning the locations affected,
| at the time of the Instruction In Cuba
| there was q Cuban number, at the time of
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