The New York herald., 1922-02-07
S2,OOO,OOO DRIVE
FOR MUSEUM UPKEEP
Natural History Trustees to
Raise This Sum to Meet
Annual Deficit.

The financial embarrassments of the
American Museum of Natural History
were discussed last night at a meeting
of the trustees of the institution at the
home of Archer NJ. Huntington. 1883
Fifth avenue. 1t was decided, among
other matters, to raise S2.000.0O0 to add
to the permanent endowment and gem
eral investment fund of the museum
sum which is placed at S9,503, ,750
This is insufficient to meet the annual
cost of upkeep at time when the cost
of about everything has doubled, and
every year the trustees have had to
meet a deficit Of approximately $4,000.
DR.. Henry Fairfield Osborn, president
of the museum. made an address to the
board OF trustees In which. reviewing
the affairs of the institution, he specified
its particular needs. He called attention
to the generosity of the present city
government In providing for the mu-
scum.
During last year the museum reached
1900. 900 school children and placed 500
natural history collections among the
elementary schools" he said. Lantern
slides to the number of 10000 illus
trating the work OF the museum in all
parts of the world were placed in 1S2
schools. An average of $500 boys and
girls may be found daily in the mu-
scum preparing for examinations. To
care properly for this number of school
children a special school service build
ing has been planned in the southwest
court to be devoted exclusively to their
use"
The practical side of school work
done by the museum is cared for by the
CITY, but the scientific side is taken
care OF by the trustees funds. In the
last sixteen years the trustees and the
friends OF the museum have contrib
uted to the endowment and the enrich
ment of collections S11.S71,722. For
every dollar the city provides the citi-
zen receives SO of value from the mu-
scum. DR.. Osborn emphasized that the
cost Of maintaining the Institution has
doubled in ten years. and further said :
For 1921 there was a deficiency of
SSS.3i9.4S. to meet which $58000 was
contributed from the accrued interest
on the Margaret Olivia Sage Fund and
$32,34s.42 was contributed individually
by the trustees. For the year 1922 the
trustees nave reluctantly agreed to cut
down the work of the museum by $751;
059.56. and have guaranteed to raise
$4,000 through personal contributions
and gifts of their friends This re-
current deficiency can only be perma-
eral endowment fund, and for the i'm
mediate future the sum of $4,000. 900
should be raised. 1t is expected that
the musosum will receive S25000 from
the Amos L. Emo bequest, which leaves
$1.750.000 to be raised by public sub
scriDt.on.
'The care OF the endowment and gen
eral investment fund. which now
amounts to s9,503,750. with Henry p.
Dawson as treasurer, has been greatly
strengthened by the selection of three
expert advisers on investments, A. M.
Anderson OF j. p. Morgan & Co.; Fran
els ID. Barlow, vice-president of the
First National Bank, and Charles E.
Mitchell, president of the National City
Bank. The membership has risen from
2.456 in 1910 to 620i in 1922. Access
sons to the collections amounted to sos
last year. some of the most important
and valuable gifts being a chalcedony
statuette. Pas de Danse." from Charles
Lanier; the official trappings OF vizier
OF Morocco an assemblage of aquama-
rlnes set in gold from Mengo l.. Nor
gonthau, and the mummy OF prehis-
toric miner of Chile, from the Guggen-
helm brothers
These officers were elected: President,
Henry Fairfield Osborn; first vice. -presi-
dent. Cleveland II. Dodge: second vice.
president. J. T.. Morgan: treasurer, Hen
~ =. Dawson: secretary. Percy r..
Pyne: trustees for five years. Charles
Lanler. w. A. Hartman. Frederick +.
Brewster, Chlds Frlck and Leonard C.
Sanford.