Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-04

the society iIor lQur successive ysA
Maj. Powell was followed in that capacity
by Col. Garrick Mallory. At the end OF
Col. Mallery's presidency, however, Maj
Powell was reelected once more, anu
again served as the president for for
years. 1t was during this latter period OF
his presidency that Maj Powell laid be-
fore the society a project for forming an
Academy of Sciences. as prepared by
committees of the Anthropological, Ri
logical and Philosophical societies. Action
for several months. and then it was
announced that the three societies had
not been able to agree on a plan.
In the early part of 1887 Col. Mallory
submitted plan of incorporation, which
was adopted In December of that year
the society became incorporated as The
Anthropological Society of Washington,
for the term of 1000 years. That event,
less than twenty-five years OLD, still
leaves the society very much In its in
fancy. The special object of this incor-
poration was to make possible the publi-
cation of periodical magazine and other
works relating to anthropology. Conse-
quently, a few weeks after the incorpora.
ton, there appeared the first number If
The American Anthropologist, the official
organ Of the society. =
During the early part of 1855 a meeting
was held by joint committee of the
Archaeological, Biolog-
Academv of ical, Chemical, National
~, Geographic and Philosoph-
.0yIsASeS. ical societies, 1t was de-
cided that .joifit commission. should be
appointed. to consist of three members
from each of the societies represented,
to consider questions Of common interest.
That continued until the latter part of
1897, when it was finally decided to
change the commission to the washing
ton Academy of Sciences The academy
was accordingly formed. and MAI: Powell.
who he'd first suggested it several years
before was nominated by the Anthro-
biological Society as one Of the vice pres
idents of the new organization.
At one time the society made a prac
tice of collecting such specimens as came
under the classification Of research COW
cred by the various members. All such
specimens were to be first shown to the
society and then presented either to the
National Museum or the Army Medical
Museum, according ito their adaptability.
A, library was also begun, with the aim
OF making it one of value to anthropoio-
gists. It soon became apparent, how
ever,~ that the society would he unable
to maintain such. a library even were 1t
obtainable. and then with the growth
of the Congressional Library. the plan
was abandoned. In the same way, the
collection of specimens was discontinued,
but not, however; before several valua-
BILE additions had been made to the
collection in the National Museum.
have made UP the membership there
have been but twelve life members, sew
raj of whom are no longer living. These
are Henry Adams, Mrs. Hanna l.. Bart
lett, Hiram Edmunds beats. M. LIE Due
de Loubat, Miss Alice c. Fletcher, DIR.
Weston Flint, Prof. Grove K. Gillett. Dr.
George NJ. Kober, Thomas Lee. Isaac P.
Noyes, John w. Pflling and Mrs. Mari
ana P. Seaman.
Life membership is attainable upon the
s. a year, that constituting active MEM
bership. and securing for the member
The American Anthropologist during the
time OF membership. Corresponding
members and honorary members pay no
Dues and both receive the transactions
of the society, the latter. however, being
elected to the society only on account of
some specially noteworthy achievement
in anthropology, regardless of the country
in which they may live.
Those who have been connected with
the Anthropologicai Society since its or
ganization are numbered
Notable among the best known
rr..l. men not only in Wash
ington, but, in many in
stances, in this country, SO far as their
particular line of work is concerned.
For instance, the first president of the
society, and one of its founders. Maj.
J. Wesley Powell, was a native Of New
York state. Even as a boy he was scien-
tifically inclined, and the collections he
made of natural history and geological
specimens were given to colleges in IL
linois. In 1867 he determined to explore
the Canyon of the Colorado. and the fol-
lowing year started out with party.
The trip lasted three perilous months,
during part of which time the party
was forced to live on half rations. But
It was so successful that it resulted
in Congress, in 1870, establishing
a topqgrap hical and geological survey OF
the Colorado River. of the West, and Maj.
Powell was given charge of the WORK
He conducted chronological studies all
through his life, and when the bureau
of ethnology was established at the
Smithsonian Institution he was mace the
head of 1t.
Col. Garrick Mallory, also one Of the
founders, is noted for his vast knowledge
regarding the sign language of the Amer
lean Indians. A native of pennsylvania,
Col Mallory won his title after service
in the civil war as volunteer, and after
ward as an officer of the regular army.
When the bureau of ethnology was or
ganized at the Smithsonian Institution In
1879 Col. Mallory was made chief eth
nologist Prof. Otis T.. Mason, who was at
one time curator of the department of
ethnology at the National Museum, was
one Of the founders of the society.
DIR. ]. M. Toner. prominent physician.
was another of those who helped to or
ganize the society. He was an authority
upon the medical. Typographical and local
history of the District and in 1882 he
gave the government library containing
26.OOO volumes and $4,000 pamphlets. now
in the Congressional Library.
society as it is today, mention must be
made of Miss Alice c. Fletcher, the only
woman who has ever been the president
of the Anthropological Society. Miss
Fletcher has q long list of credits to her
account, among them being system
which she devised for loaning small sums
Of money to aid the Indians to buy lands
and build houses for themselves. She
was Also instrumental in securing land in
severalty to the Omaha Indians. and was
later appointed special agent In the al
lotment of that land.
+ The present president of the society,
F. w. Hodge. is the only one Of those
here mentioned who is not an American
by birth, Mr.. Hodge having been born
preparation of the Handbook of American
Indians. and Is at present the ethnologist
in chief of the bureau of American eth
nology. Among his many notable feats
is the successful scaling in 1897 Of the
precipitous ENCHANTED Mesa in New
Mexico, where he found, evidences OF for
mer human occupancy.
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