Book excerpt: An important and early statement on the importance of historic preservation in a report prepared by the A.I.A. Committee on Preservation of Historic Monuments and Scenic Beauties, possibly a predecessor to the Committee on Preservation of Historic Buildings. The committee members outline the current state of historic preservation in America, with regional summaries for New England, New York, South Atlantic States, New Orleans, Chicago, and the Pacific Coast. They note that the preservation of buildings and monuments often falls to local and regional organizations such as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, based in New York. The A.I.A. Committee argues that its own function lies "(i) where monuments of really national importance are threatened, either with destruction, or with harmful modification. Other fields for its activity lie (ii) in the initiation and support of policies which may be of general benefit; and (iii) in the conduct of a campaign of education both of architects and of the public as to the proper methods of treatment of old buildings."