[1][2] According to its Constitution, the Agassiz Association's purpose was "to collect, study, and preserve natural objects and facts."
Each Chapter of the Association was allowed to choose its own officers and make its own by-laws.
For some years, St. Nicholas Magazine was the official organ of communication between the Association and its members.
The Association's fostering of careful scientific work by amateurs is noteworthy, but its nonscientific aims and aspirations are no less interesting.
The choice of "Per Naturam Ad Deum" was a symbol to all that the Agassiz Association was a respectable organization: what more obvious sign of conformity could one have found than the promotion of a love of God among young people?