Dr. Stephen B. Luce, Jr., has been appointed Assistant Curator in the Graeco-Roman Section of the Museum. Dr. Luce returned in July from Athens, where he had been at work under the auspices of the American School at its excavations at Corinth.
Dr. William C. Farabee, Curator of the American Section, successfully completed a trip to the head villages of the Mundurucu Indians which occupy a plain between the Tapajos and the Xingu Rivers. Returning to Para from this trip, he devoted several months to excavations on the Island of Marajo.
Mr. C. W. Bishop, Assistant Curator in the Section of General Ethnology, who has been in Japan and China since January, 1915, in the interest of the Museum, has completed his preparations for a piece of exploration in the province of Sze-chuan.
Mr. H. U. Hall, who has been connected with the Section of General Ethnology since 1914 and who was a member of the Siberian Expedition, has returned safely to London with the collections. The difficulties and delays caused by the war protracted the work of the expedition which, however, was successful in bringing out all the collections that were obtained. Mr. Hall will bring the collections to the Museum early in 1916.
Mr. Clarence S. Fisher, Curator of the Egyptian Section and in charge of the Eckley B. Coxe Jr. Expedition to Egypt, has secured a concession to excavate the site of Dendereh. As Dendereh is a dry site, it is Mr. Fisher’s intention to conduct excavations there during the winter months when Memphis, where the other concession of the Museum was obtained, is under water.
Mr. Louis Shotridge, who for some years has been connected with the American Section of the Museum, is spending the winter in Alaska among his own people, the Chilkats, and their neighbors. Mr. Shotridge is making a record of the ceremonial songs and dances of the tribes of Southern Alaska.
The following gifts have been received.
A Mexican clay idol from Oaxaca from Dr. William Pepper.
Birchbark ornaments of the American Indians from Miss Winnie H. Phillips.
An embroidered coat, a pair of Indian moccasins and a stone axe from Miss Fannie Wayne Clark.
A piece of Peruvian textile from Dr. L. S. Rowe.
A tile from Nanking, China, from Mr. Lloyd Meller Smith.
A Chinese compass from Dr. Mary W. Griscom.
A Japanese raincoat and hat from Mrs. Whiliden Foster.
A catalogue of Some Works of Art Belonging to Edward Tuck presented by Mr. Edward Tuck.
Preparations are under way for the installation of an exhibition of Oriental art in the Charles Custis Harrison Hall. In anticipation of this installation the Museum has, since 1913, from time to time, been making purchases of Chinese porcelains, bronzes, pottery and sculpture, jades and paintings. In addition to the very extensive collections assembled in this way, arrangements have been made to receive on loan and include in the exhibition, a number of important objects and collections. Among these is an extensive series of the Morgan Collection of Chinese Porcelains recently in the Metropolitan Museum, which will be placed here through the generous co-operation of the present owners, Duveen Brothers.
The following programs for Wednesday and Saturday lecture courses at the Museum have been issued.
Saturday Course.
December 4. James Barnes, The Wild Life of Africa. A remark-able expedition into the heart of Africa, led by the distinguished journalist, author and traveler, James Barnes, marks an epoch in modern exploration. The motion pictures brought out by this expedition show the wild tribes and the animals of the African forest at home and give a most intimate view of the jungle folk.
December 11. C. William Beebe, Travels in Tibet and other Parts of the Far East. The personal impressions of a naturalist among primitive peoples of the Far East. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
December 18. Roy Chapman Andrews, The Water Mammals of the Far North. Mr. Andrews made an expedition under the auspices of the United States Government on a whaling ship into Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean for the purpose of studying the habits of the whale, the walrus and the seal. The motion pictures tell the story of the home life of these inhabitants of the northern seas and of the Eskimo who live by hunting them.
January 8. Carl E. Akeley, Glimpses of African Wild Life. Mr. Akeley’s expedition which went out to study animal life obtained remarkable results with regard to the human inhabitants as well as the wild beasts. The motion pictures present vivid glimpses of life in the jungle as seen by the naturalist and ethnologist.
January 15. Roy Chapman Andrews, Japan. During his varied experiences as a scientific investigator, Mr. Andrews spent a year and a half in Japan, where he visited every portion of the empire. Beautiful motion pictures accompany his personal narrative.
January 22. James Chapin, A Naturalist in Central Africa. Though not an ethnologist, Mr. Chapin lived for six years in close communication with the natives of Central Africa during his zoological investigations for the American Museum of Natural History. Very few men have enjoyed so good an opportunity of becoming familiar with the many phases of native African life as this well-known young naturalist. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
January 29. Charles W. Furlong, Brazil, the Land of the Southern Cross. Mr. Furlong is an artist as well as a traveler and explorer with a gift for keeping his audience in close and sympathetic touch with the people and scenes which he describes. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
February 5. George A. Dorsey, An Anthropologist in China. Dr. Dorsey, until recently head Curator of Anthropology in the Field Museum of Natural History, made a journey through China and India with the object of obtaining motion pictures of various aspects of the life of the inhabitants. His wide experience as a traveler and student of primitive peoples and of human culture gave him exceptional qualifications for such an undertaking. Dr. Dorsey’s reputation as a lecturer and as an authority on ethnology is well known.
February 12. George A. Dorsey, An Anthropologist in India. After completing his journey in China, Dr. Dorsey traveled through India with the same object in view. The remarkable series of motion pictures and characteristic descriptions of native life which he obtained in India are as interesting as those which he obtained in China.
February 19. Will Hutchins, The Greek Classic Theatre. Mr. Hutchins brings to the lecture platform the experience of a stage manager, playwright and actor. In this lecture, as a student of the history of the stage, he traces with clearness and enthusiasm the origin of the Greek theatre and its influence on the modern stage. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
February 26. George Byron Gordon, The University Museum: Its Uses and Opportunities. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
March 4. John Getz, The J. Pierpont Morgan Collection of Chinese Porcelains. In this lecture a lifelong student of Chinese porcelains, possessing an intimate acquaintance with the great Morgan collection now on deposit in the Museum, will describe some of the most noteworthy features of this collection with special reference to the history of Chinese porcelain as illustrated in the Morgan collection. Illustrated by the stereopticon and by examples.
March 11. Wm. Curtis Farabee, The Amazon Expedition of the University Museum. The newspapers of America and Europe have given some intimation of Dr. Farabee’s explorations in the great valley of the Amazon and its tributaries during the last three years and his discovery of new tribes of men. The real experiences of this fearless explorer, however, have never yet been told. The work of the Amazon expedition stands as one of the most remarkable and valuable pieces of modern exploration. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
March 18. Fay Cooper Cole, An Ethnologist in Japan. Dr. Cole has for years been a close student of conditions in the Orient. He has made four visits to Japan to study the economic and social forces which have enabled the Japanese to realize one of the most remarkable civilizations that the world has seen. Illustrated by motion pictures.
March 25. Fay Cooper Cole, The Wild Tribes of the Philippines. Dr. Cole spent five years in the Philippine Islands under the auspices of the Field Museum of Natural History for the express purpose of studying the wild tribes in their native environment. During that time he visited many peoples and met with many unusual experiences. Illustrated by motion pictures.
Teachers’ Course.
December 15. Dr. Stephen B. Luce, Jr., The American School at Athens. Dr. Luce, Assistant Curator of the Mediterranean Section of the University Museum, has recently returned from Athens where he had been engaged during the last year in Archaeological excavations on behalf of the American School. In this lecture Dr. Luce will give an account of the recent discoveries made by the American School at Corinth and he will also tell how these investigations in Greece are being affected by present political conditions. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
January 5. Edgar Thomson Shields, of Yarchow, West China, In Unknown China. The varied experience of a missionary during six years’ travel and residence in the far interior of China. Illustrated by colored lantern slides.
January 12. Theodoor de Booy, of the Heye Museum, New York, Margarita Island. Travel and exploration in a little-known part of South America. Illustrated by stereopticon.
January 19. Herbert J. Spinden, of the American Museum of Natural History, Ruined Cities in Peten, Guatemala. Personal explorations among the scenes of an ancient and extinct civilization in Central America. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
January 26. Alanson Skinner, By Canoe to Hudson Bay. Dr. Skinner has made many expeditions in Canada in quest of Indian lore. In this lecture he relates his adventures among the Indians of the northern forests. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
February 2. Charles Upson Clark, Travels in Spain. Prof. Clark’s lectures on Spain, ancient and modern, have become well known throughout the country. No lecturer of the present day is able to present his subject in a clearer and more attractive way than Prof. Clark. In this lecture Prof. Clark takes one through Catalonia, Aragon, Old Castile and Leon, Madrid, Cordova and Granada with the Alhambra. In Andalusia we are introduced to the life of the Roman and the Moor and in modern Madrid we are introduced to the bull fight. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
February 9. Frederick Monsen, The Indians of the Painted Desert. Mr. Monsen’s wonderful colored lantern slides of the Indians that inhabit the great southwestern portion of the United States have never been surpassed for picturesque charm.
February 16. Stephen B. Luce, Jr., The Ancient Greek Potter and His Art. The Greek potter achieved greater refinement and perfection in the shapes which he moulded from clay than any who came before or after. The painter who collaborated with him used in a wonderful way the surfaces of his vases for painting his interpretations of Greek life and ideals. These vase paintings form the best record of Greek life and manners that has come down to us. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
February 23. Walton Brooks McDaniel, The Life of a Roman Woman. An entertaining and instructive sketch of the position of woman in the domestic, social and civic life of ancient Rome, with many illustrations taken from Roman sculpture and painting.
March 1. Mrs. Joseph M. Dohan, The Earliest Civilization of Greece. Mrs. Dohan (Dr. Edith H. Hall) is one of the ablest scholars in the field of prehistoric Greece. By excavations which she conducted for the University Museum during several years in Crete she has made substantial contributions to our knowledge of Greek civilization. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
March 8. John Getz, Some of the Gems in the Morgan Collection of Chinese Porcelains. In this lecture, Mr. Getz, the well-known authority on Chinese porcelains, will explain the qualities of form and color that have made famous some of the vases in the Morgan collection now deposited in the Museum. Illustrated by the stereopticon and by examples.
March 15. Alfred M. Collins, Across South America. Narrative of the Collins-Day South American Expedition. The members of this expedition traveled from Mollendo on the coast of Peru to Para at the mouth of the Amazon, During this journey they collected valuable ethnological material which they generously presented to the Museum. They also made photographs to show the country and the Indian inhabitants. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
March 22. Albert T. Clay, Recent Revelations from Ancient Babylonia. A great deal has been said recently in the public press about discoveries of ancient tablets in the Sumerian language throwing light on the oldest traditions of Babylonia. Dr. Clay, a close student of Babylonian history, will discuss in this lecture the bearing of these discoveries on history and theology. Illustrated by the stereopticon.
Since the Saturday afternoon lecture program was printed and distributed, letters have been received from Dr. Farabee which make it clear that he will not be able to return to this country in March of this year according to original calculations. In order to complete his work in bringing the collections he will remain in the field several months longer. For this reason the lecture announced for Dr. Farabee on March 11th will be omitted and another lecture will be substituted and duly announced