The citizen., 1914-05-08
GROWTH OF NATIONAL GEO
GRAPHIC SOCIETY.

Every town and hamlet in the United
States with a population exceeding 100
inhabitants contains one or more mem
bers of the National Geographic Society,
according to a report Just made to the
society at its headquarters in Washing
ton, bV Gilbert H. Grosvenor, Director
and Editor. Fifteen years ago the So
ciety was small and unknown; today it is
the largest and most popular scientific
organization in the world, with mem
bership of 28I,556. Its history reads like
a modern fairy tale.
In 1888, the National Geographic So
ciety was organized under a national
charter ito promote the increase and diff
fusion of geographic knowledge Its
only income was the dues of its mem
berS, I67 in number. 1t had no perma-
nent home its headquarters occupying
half of small office room. 1t constantly
faced a deficit. The society struggled
through a hand-to-mouth existence as a
local society until 1899. when new
question, unique in the history of science,
was asked. Why not take the science Of
geography into the homes of the people?
Why not popularize the magazine the So
clety was publishing, Transforming it from
one Of cold scientific fact, expressed in
hieroglyphic terms which the layman
could not understand, into a medium for
carrying the living, breathing, human
interest fact about the wide world into
the family circle? Would not that be the
greatest agency of all for the diffusion of
geographic knowledge?
When this policy was adopted, the So
ciety had less than 200 members outside
the city of Washington. One year later
its out-of-town membership had increas-
ed five told. AS the soc1etVs income in
| creased the money was relnvested in its
magazine, making it larger and better
Soon, instead of a society supporting
| magazine, its magazine was supporting
the society. By 1904, five years after the
| change in policy. the membership list in
cluded 1886 names. Four years later,
there were 23, 1913 members, and II8, 2o5
in another four years. In the last twelve
| months 100, 900 new members have been
| enrolled. The membership of the society
| now extends into every State and Terri
tory in the United States; every country
| of North and South America and Europe;
| practically every country in Asia, and
into as towns in Africa.
The society'S work of increasing geo.
graphic knowledge, by encouraging ex-
| ploration and research work With such f.
| nanclal grants as its resources will per-
init, has taken it into many fields. 1t has
| just embarked on another expedition to
| the wilds Of Peru. A series of investiga-
| tions, extending over three years, of the
| glaciers of Alaska has been completed.
The society investigated the recent erup-
ton of Mt. Katmai. in Alaska. 1t sent
an expedition to Mount Pelee and
La Soufriere to study the eruptions of
these volcanoes, and trained geologist
in Sicily to investigate the Messina earth
quake. 1t has assisted various Arctic
expeditions.
The correspondence Of the society indi-
Gates the remarkable range of interest Of
its members. Here is letter from a
man wanting to know who publishes the
best bathmetrical chart; here another in
curing as to the arcs of parallel south
of the Equator; third asks for precise
information upon the rate of movement
of glaciers. A merchant wants to know
what precautions will be necessary to
maintain his health and what kind of
clothing he should take along to the west
coast of South Africa. A man wonders
where gum arabic comes from; another
seeks to know why afforestation pro-
notes rainfall; another, why twilight in
the tropics is so short.
The National Geographic Society has
transformed the study of geography from
a pilgrimage over an oasis-less desert of
uninteresting fact into journey through
the most fertile valley of fascinating in
formation of about how ''the other half"
of the world lives, and it has done this by
means of authentic and remarkable pho
tographs.