Evening star., 1934-03-11

planned the organization Of q Y NJ c. A. IN
this city and through the enthusiastic and
untiring efforts of these three young men the
present association resulted The first meeting
was held in Mr.. Rhees' room. He was the first
secretary of the association, then librarian,
vice president, and in 1856 was unanimously
elected president.
In 1853 Mr.. Rhees was appointed chief clerk
Of the Smithsonian Institution and private
secretary to Prof. Joseph Henry. which position
he held until the latter's death in 1873. He
had charge of the financing the editing and
distribution of the Smithsonian publications
and the details of executive business.
He continued as chief clerk under Prof.
Baird and. under a special act of Congress
and appointment by Chief Justice Waite, was
acting secretary of the institution when Prof.
Baird was absent Since 1890 he had been in
charge of the archives and documents of the
institution.
His life was mainly devoted to the promo
ton of religion. education and philanthropy,
and through his true Christian character and
loving disposition ones position lowly
that he had not help and sympathy from Mr..
Rhees"
= EORGE p MERRILL. curator of geology.
~ came to the museum prior to 1892 and
his department was located for many years in
the south corner of the building. He died sud-
denly Of heart attack in the Grand Trunk
Railway station at Auburn. Me-, August Is,
1929. In the early days w. H. Newhall and
Mrs. P. L. Jouy were his clerks.
T. w. Smillie was the museums photog-
grapher in 1884. and occupied the quarters Of
the present Photographic laboratory. Beneath
the laboratory was the division Of entomology,
in the charge of M. L. Lnnell. Over the west
entrance, including the towers. was for a long
while the botanical division, under the direc-
tion of Frederick ". Coville. whose principal
assistant was j. N. Rose; william r. Maxon
came later. Joseph Painter, young botanist,
was working here at the time he was drowned
near Sycamore Island in the upper Potomac in
1908. and it while he was working in this
department that the writer first met Alfred C.
Cosdon, now of the Department of the In
terror.
George C. Maynard in charge of the de-
partment of technology, had the room to the
left facing the east entrance previously occu-
pied by ]. M. Noah and Cyrus Adler. but not
rs early as 1884, when John Linder conducted
the cafe on the opposite side of the east
trance. F. w. True had his Office in the north
east corner Of the building later occupied by
Garrit A. Miller. jr., his successor as curator
of mammals Here were employed Thomas
r. Tlrnbull. H. N. SpottSwood Joe Sessf0rd.
and the present head curator of biology. Leon
hard Stejneger. Edwin H. Howley had q room
here on the second floor, where he had charge
of musical instruments.
Over the main entrance at an early date
was A. Howard Clark editor of the Museum.
succeeded by r. Edward EARL, and still later
by Marcus Benjamin, the assistants being
Thomas Marron and Mark MayfOrth. The
printing Office occupied the western half of the
balcony; Alburt Curet was in charge from
about 1882 to 1888. The superntendents
room was to the left of the main entrance.
looking north. It was occupied by Mr. Horan,
the assistant superintendent G. II. Steuart:
Mr. CrandaH and joe Brown. James s. Gold
smith. the present superintendent had his