New Auditorium at the Colorado MuseumAuthor(s): B.I.G.Source: The Scientific Monthly, Vol. 52, No. 3 (Mar., 1941), pp. 290-291Published by: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/17247 .

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290 THE SCIENTIFIC AIONTHLY

Group and of handicapping its work. The District Medical Society, for ex- ample, was alleged to have sought to " erush and destroy " the G. H. A. by preventing any of its members fron joining the new clinice's staff, by ob- structing attempts to staff the clinic with non-members of the society, by per- sonal attacks on the men who did join the staff, anld by inducing all the local hospitals to join in the boycott by re- fusing courtesy privileges to G. H. A. practitioners. He announeed that the first witnesses on his side would consist of well-known liberal surgeons who have been prominent in the group health mlovement and who wouldl stress the social advalitages of the plan.

William E. Leahy, counsel for the defense, criticized the maniagement of

the Group Health Association. He ae- cused its founders of being motivated by commercial muotives, and said that it was dedicated to the disruption of the traditions of the mnedical profession. He accused the cooperative of seeking to wipe out opposition to its medico-eco- nomic theories by undermiining the American Medical Association and the District Medical Society. He accused medical cooperatives of beinog economi- cally unsound and unable to provide patients with the care they promised. He denied the allegations that the med- ical societies had sought to hamper the cooperative's activities. Refusals of hos- pitals to allow G. H. A. practitiollers to operate in their buildings were stated to have been mnotivated solely by a desire to keep their stalidards high. B.I.G.

NEW AUDITORIUM AT THE COLORADO MUSEUM

IN the closiiig years of the last cen- tury, in a picturesque log cabin in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, a small collection of moulnted birds and animals was assembled by lovers of the fauna of the West. Fromi these humble begiii- nings the collection rapidly grew until it attracted state-wide attention, anld in 1900 it was incorporated as the Colorado Museum of Natural History. A large museum building was constructed in 1908, with funcds supplied by the state ancd by the city of Denver, to house the expandling collections of the museum. Every ten years since that date has seen the construction of new additions to the museum's plant. In 1918 the Standley Memorial Wing was constructed, in 1928 the James Memorial Wiing was built, ancd the Phipps AuLditorium-the newest ad- dition-was begun in 1938.

The Phipps Auditorium, a new wing to the main building of the Colorado Museum of Natural History, was opened recently in Denver. The dedication ceremnonies took place on January 11 and included speeches by the governor of

Colorado, the mayor of Denver, the di- rector of the museum ancd other digni- taries.

The wing is named in honor of former United States Senator Lawrence Phipps, of Denver, who presented $137,500 to the museum to construet the auditoriunm. In presenting the gift, Senator Phipps stated that he "had long appreciated the desirability of a suitable auditorium which would fulfil cultural needs by making a common meeting place for those initerested in arts and sciences. " A grant of $112,500 by the Public Works Administration supplemented Senator Phlipps's gift.

The buildiing, designed by Roland L. Linder, is 98 feet long and 140 feet wilde, and seats one thousand people. Space is provided for a coneert organ and the stage can accommodate a seventy-five piece orchestra. The latest type of standard and 16 mlillimneter motion pic- ture projection equipmlent has been in- stalled, so that educational programs for adults and children may be presented. Motion picture programs have been ar-

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THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE 291

THE PHIPPS AUDITORIUM OF THE COLORADO MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WHICII WAS OPENED RECENTLY AND HAS A SEATING CAPACITY OF 1000 PERSONS.

ranged each Saturday morning for chil- dren, and a Sun-day afternoon series for adults will ineluLde lectures by natural- ists, travelers and explorers.

Simultaneously with the construction of the Phipps Auditorium, work has been going forward oi-i new cases for habitat groups in the Standley and James wings of the main building. These cases, il- lurninatecd with fluoreseent lights, will have concave backgrounds with domed ceilings, and will have plate glass fronts 7T feet high alnd 13 feet long. The labi-

tat groups will represent fauna and flora from localities throughout the Americas, and will inel-ude scenes from Bering Sea Islands, the Arctic ice floes, the Alaskan tundra, the Bonaventure Islands off Newfoundland, and varied localities in Brazil. A number of specimens in these groups will be taken from the museum's bird groups, which will be dismantled. A group of W.P.A. artists, under the supervision of Curator Robert J. Nied- rach, are now painting panoramic views for each group. B. I. G.

THE CENSUS

IT is said that statistics are dull. They are to those who do not realize what they mean. But often they- tell an absorb- ingly interesting story, as do those con- tained in the United States Census. Whenever we attempt to obtain a pic- ture of the amazing changes that have taken place in this country, we are grate- ful that the first article of the Constitu-

tion provides that a cenisus shall be taken once in each ten-year interval. The censns records that have acecmnulated since the first censns in 1790 now consist of more than 8,000,000 pages.

In 1790 abont 95 per cent. of the popu- lation was rural; now only 25 per cent. Iive on farms. But in general to com- pare 1790 with 1940 is almost like com-

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