Evening star., 1954-05-06
Dr.. Grosvenor Traces Growth
Of National Geographic.

Ut National &
A review of his SIS years with
the National Geographic Society
was presented last month by DR..
Gilbert Grosvenor, retiring presj-
dent and editor, to members of
the board of trustees.
Excerpts from the summary,
revealing how the National Geo.
graphic Magazine attained it's
unique position of prestige, are
quoted below:
"On April l. 1899, on the rec
ommendation of Alexander Gra-
ham Bell, then president of the
National Geographic Society, you
engaged me to help you create
a National Geographic Maga-
zine that would arouse so much
interest in Geography that many
people would want to become
members of our society.
I'VE hoped also that eventu-
ally the magazine would fur
nlsh a surplus above expenses
that we could use for explora-
ton and other geographic re-
search undertakings.
II addressed the envelopes of
the first number that I edited,
April. 1899. and then carried the
entire edition on my back to the
Post Office on one trip. The
April, 1854 edition would fill a
bookshelf 10 miles long, and to
accommodate the 26 million
copies printed in 1858, a book
shelf extending from Washing
ton to Wilmington, 100 miles
long. would be required.
,"On October %, 1900. Elsie
Graham Bell consented to give
her magic touch to the society
by marrying me. She has &C
companied me on all my many
travels for the society, except on
my flight to the North Pole on
May 20. 1853. by courtesy of the
United States Air Force.
Into Handsome Headquarters.
I'm September, 1908, the Ma
tional Geographic Society moved
from rented Office rooms to the
handsome building erected for
the society by the families of
Alexander Graham Bell and
Charles j. Bell, as a memorial
to the society's first President,
Gardiner Green Hubbard, their
father-in-law. Believing the So
ciety and magazine were set to
achieve the program he had ini-
tiated. Mr.. Bell retired as presi-
dent but continued as a trustee
until his death in 1922. He was
much pleased by the growth of
the society, and in an address to
the members in 1912 declared
the National Geographic Maga-
zine has become "the greatest
educational journal of the
world"
"Photographing Alexan e r
Graham Bells kites. I made my
first pictures for the National
Geographic Magazine in 1903. In
the ensuing years the National
Geographic Magazine has pub
lished hundreds of my photo
graphs-Russia. 1913: Hawaii,
1920: China. 1898: Norway and
Turkey, 1947: Africa, 1852: the
North Pole. 1853. and many of
the United States.
I'm five years. by hard word. I
had increased the membership
from less than 1000 to 5000. But
I came to the Office one Deem
ber morning (1904) much dis
couraged. The printer was ur-
gently demanding copy for IL
pages for the January number.
I had no good manuscript avail
able and was at nv wits end.
II found a package on my
desk I opened it.
There lay before me some 30
beautiful photographs of the
mysterious city of Lhasa, Tibet,
taken by a Russian explorer. He
offered them to the National
Geographic Society free. for pub
lication. The photographs were
the first of Tibet's capital, and
we're so extraordinary that I de-
cided to use them to fill the IL
pages.
Anxiety Dispelled.
when I went home. I told my
wife that I expected to be fired
for filling IL pages with pictures.
No magazine had ever done such
a thing. But my anxiety was
soon dispelled by members of the
society stopping me on the street
to advise me how much-they had
enjoyed the first photographs of
romantic Lhasa. Several days
later, was elected to the board
of managers, now the board of
trustees.
I'm February. my cousin, Will
liam Howard Taft. then Secre-
tary of War. told me that the
War Department was publishing
in April Q905) the first census
report of the Philippines, illus
trated with many photographs:
and he added that the National
Geographic Society could help
the Government and people of
the Philippines if I told the
members of the National Geo.
graphic Society about this inter-
esting publication. At my re-
quest. Mr.. Taft instructed the
Census Director to lend the Ma
tional Geographic Society the
copper plates of any pictures in
this magnificent report that I
desired to reprint in the Ma
tional Geographic Magazine.
II selected 80 full-page plates
for the April. 1905 magazine.
,x,1 AoI e,,1R