On Friday, March 2, 1917, memorial exercises were held at the National Arts Club, No. 15 Gramercy Park, New York City. Mr. J. Horace McFarland, President of the American Civic Association, presided. Between the invocation at 3 o'clock and the benediction at 4:30, twenty speakers made informal addresses. They included, besides Mr. McFarland, Mr. Richard B. Watrous, Secretary of the American Civic Association; Hamilton Holt, LL. D., editor of the Independent; Hon. Alton B. Parker, representing the National Institute of Efficiency; Lord Aberdeen, who spoke for Dr. Howland's friends in Great Britain; Mr. Herbert S. Huston, publisher; Mr. Ernest H. Abbott of the Outlook editorial staff; Dr. Antonio Stella of the Italian Immigration Society; Mr. Clinton Rogers Woodruff, Secretary of the National Municipal League; George Frederick Kunz, Ph. D., Sc. D. President of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society; Albert Shaw, LL. D., Ph. D., editor of the National Revenues; Hon. John A. Stewart, of the American Peace Centennial Committee; Hon. John De Witt Warner, representing the National Arts Club; Mr. Ernesto G. Fabbri, President of the Society of Italian Emigrants; George Kennan, Litt. D., author and special writer, and others.

TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING.

Establishment of National Park Service Signalized

The Twenty-second Annual Meeting of the Society was held in the auditorium of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on Wednesday evening, January 10, 1917, beginning at 8 o'clock. As on former occasions, the Society had the hearty co-operation of the museum and its officers: Henry Fairfield Osborn, Sc.D., LL.D., Ph.D., President; Mr. Adrian Iselin, Jr., Secretary, and Mr. George H. Sherwood, Assistant Secretary, for which it desires to express its great appreciation.

George Frederick Kunz, Ph.D., Sc.D., President of the Society, presided.

The regular business of the meeting, consisting of the reading of the President's and Treasurer's annual reports, the report of the Nominating Committee, and the election of twelve Trustees for three years, was transacted between 8 and 8:30.

The Secretary of the Society then exhibited upon the screen a few pictures of the inauguration of the permanent illumination of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor and of Miss Ruth Law, the air-woman, writing the word "Liberty" in letters of fire against the sky with her aeroplane, taken after night-fall on the evening of Saturday, December 2, 1916. The slides which were remarkable of their kind, were kindly loaned by Mr. Earl Harding of the New York World.

The Secretary also showed a number of views of the 57-acre tract at Fort Tryon, New York City, which, it was reported during the preceding week, Mr. John D. Rockefeller had purchased with a view to giving it to the City for a public park. The Secretary read a letter from Mr. A. Adams, Mr. Rockefeller's Secretary, stating that the current reports of the proposed gift "have been neither confirmed nor denied by Mr. Rockefeller.”*

Hon. Cabot Ward, Commissioner of Parks of the Boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx, and President of the Board, who is a member of the Society, spoke of the value of the Society's work in sustaining the hands of Park and other City officials in their efforts to save the parks for their proper uses, to abolish signboards in the vicinity of parks, etc.

The principal address of the evening was delivered by Hon. Robert Sterling Yard of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. The position of honor was thus given in order to signalize the creation of the National Park Service by act of Congress approved August 25, 1916, to have the supervision, management and control of the several National Parks and National Monuments which are now under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, the Arkansas Hot Springs Reservation, and such other National Parks and Reservations of like character as may hereafter be created by Congress. This establishment has long been advocated by this Society and other bodies, civic and scientific, and marks a notable advance in the movement for the protection and public enjoyment of the scenic, scientific and historic treasures of our country. The address, therefore, was of unusual interest. Mr. Yard, who was formerly on the New York Sun and later editor-in-chief of the Century Magazine, spoke upon

* The reports have subsequently been confirmed. See Appendix G.

the aesthetic, scientific, educational, physiological and economic values of the National Parks and National Monuments, and exhibited stereopticon views of the Yellowstone, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Casa Grande, Mesa Verde, Mount Rainier, Crater Lake, Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks and the Grand Canyon National Monument. The lantern slides, kindly loaned by Mr. Herbert W. Gleason, of Boston, and colored by Mrs. Gleason, were wonderfully beautiful. The address held the close attention of the large audience for an hour and a half.

After Mr. Yard's address, Mr. Fred Payne Clatworthy, a professional photographer, of Estes Park, Colo., exhibited about fifty autochrome views of Rocky Mountain National Park made direcly from nature by the Lumière process which were of very great interest, both on account of the beauty of the scenery and the remarkable fidelity of the rendering of the colors.

AMERICAN METHODS OF CONSERVATION

Before proceeding to a detailed report of our administration of State properties during the past year and a record of other events of related interest, it may be appropriate to give here a condensed general statement of how nature and history monuments are created and administered in the United States.

Among the hundreds of communications received from American and foreign sources during the past year and asking all sorts of questions, one of the most interesting was the following from Mr. George Brisqualine of Kharkow, Russia. It is interesting particularly because it illustrates the kind of questions which arise in a country where the movement for the preservation of scenic and historic places and objects is in its formative stage. It also gives one of many indications, which appear in the course of a year, of the way in which foreigners turn to the United States for information and guidance on this subject. Following is a translation of Mr. Brisqualine's letter, the original of which was written in excellent French:

* It should be said, however, that the United States can and does learn much from European countries along these lines.

Monsieur:

I earnestly ask you to send me some material concerning the protection of monuments which are very important from the point of view of science and history. I address myself to your enlightening cooperation by direction of the Society of Friends of Nature of Kharkow. At this time especially the administraton of the Society realizes the need of protecting natural monuments which are very important from the point of view of science in our country, and for that reason it begs you to give it some very detailed advice and some practical suggestions on the following questions:

1. How is the protection of nature, birds and plants effected in a practical way in the country at large as well as in the reserves of your country?

2. How is the registration of natural monuments effected?

3. How does one find the means for the purchase and the protection of natural monuments?

4. Are all monuments at present protected the personal possessions of the Society?

5. How does the Society conduct its propaganda of the necessity of the protection of nature and historic monuments?

Please indicate the addresses of those following similar lines of work.

The responses to these questions are indispensable to the administration of our Society because of the inauguration of this enterprise among us in Russia. It is very desirable to obtain information of literature concerning this question from the practical and theoretical point of view.

As member of the administration of the Society of the Friends of Nature of Kharkow, I have the honor to salute you.

Kharkow, 20 (2VIII) VII, 16. (Russia)

GEORGE BRISQUALINE.

In our reply to this letter we endeavored to explain our Ameri can methods in a way which would be understood by one who, perhaps, was not entirely familiar with the democratic customs of the United States; and it is possible that it may not be altogether lacking in interest to the general reader of this Report. We therefore give it in full, as follows:

New York, N. Y.,

November 8, 1916.

Kharkow, Russia.

George Brisqualine, Esq.,

Dear Sir:

The protection of natural monuments, plants and birds is effected in this country in four ways:

1. By the National Government;

2. By the Governments of the ndividual States;

3. By the Governments of Cities;

4. By private individuals.

We will make some observations on each of these heads, and in order that you may understand us better, we will send you a copy of our Annual Report to the Legislature of the State of New York.

By the National Government

We have in the United States under the protection of the National Government four classes of parks or reservations, namely:

(a) National Monuments;

(b) National Parks;

(c) National Forests; and

(d) National Bird Reserves.

In the Annual Report we are sending to you, you will find a complete list of our National Parks and National Monuments. We have 45 National Parks and Monuments, comprising 5,067,793 acres. They range in size from one acre (Cabrillo National Monument, California,) to 2,152,720 acres (Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.) The difference between a National Park and a National Monument is in the manner in which they are created. A National Park is created by a law passed by the National Senate and House of Representatives (which collectively we call Congress.) A National Monument is created by proclamation made by the President of the United States under authority of a general law which allows him discretion to create National Monuments (or reservations) for the protection of notable ruins and natural features. Our National Parks and Monuments have been created in order to preserve such natural wonders and historic objects as, hot springs, geysers, volcanoes, mountains, glaciers, lakes, canyons, giant trees, petrified trees, exceptional forms of eroded rocks, cave dwellings, cliff dwellings, and other habitations of the aborigines, great fossil deposits, etc. They are administered by three different departments of the Government. Some are administered by the