The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-09-17
Starting a Museum.

EVERY boy AMI girl should commence
very early in lite to collect a museum.
We do not mean something as grand as
that in London, which is called the British
Museum, or anything as extensive. as the
private collection in New York known as
Barnum's Museum We only mean that
they shall take some particular thing, il
they cannot take more than one, and coll
lect and arrange as many articles as they
can procure that pertains TO it or are en-
braced in the class. Once began, it IS
wonderful to see what fine collection
NAV be made in a few years. If there are
several children in the same family it may
be pleasant to divide up and let each take
a distinct department. There would be a
generous rivalry, and, at the same time, no
interference in each others plans.
There are very many good things that
come from making these collections. 1t
always tends to develop habits of care and
order. But besides this it interests one in
the subject he is working at, and in the
end causes him to become interested In
other things besides. For instance, a lit
tie boy of ours commenced to collect old
postage stamps, and in little while he
wanted to know all about the postal sys-
TEN, when it went into operation, who in
vented it, how it is managed, and how it
pays. Soon he fell to collecting foreign
stamps; and with that he began
to locate on the map the countries
whose postage stamps he had put
in his strong box. The different de-
vices on the stamps were objects OF inter-
est and their significance were studied into.
If the head of the sovereign was repre-
sented, he wanted to know something
about him, whether he was good king or
a bad one, what language he spoke and
what sort of country he ruled over.
A collection of fractional currency can
be made by any one, and in few years
will be both curious and valuable. Coins,
be they of gold, silver, or copper, from the
mint of this or foreign countries, are well
worth collecting. In getting together
these old specimens of currency many in
teresting facts will be learned The boy
or girl that acquires fondness for this sort
of money getting will have his curiosity
so excited by the strange coins he collects
that he will become a good historian with
out knowing how he accomplished it.
There are so many foreigners constantly
coming to the country and bringing with
them the various coins of their respective
countries, that they may easily be obtained
from them in exchange for our money.
Station agents on railroads, and merchants
will exchange them with boys or girls
when they see that they are in earnest
about making collections. In fact, visitors
and others, when they see that boy is
irving to do something in this way, will
help him along often times by rare coins
out of their own pockets.
Old coins are always valuable. The
cents that were coined in Washington's adj
ministration are now in so great demand
that as high as $400 has been paid for one
of them. Plenty as some OF our coins
seem to be, in few years those IN use
now will become very scarce. We saw IL
recently stated that outside of those in the
mint. there were but two full collections OF
the coins of the United States in this cOun-
try. Now, it is not every boy that reads
this article, who has the means to
buy every kind of coin he sees, but nearly
eyery one of them can save the first new
cent or half dime-and there is different
issue every year-and before he is very
old he will have a collection that is OF
great value as curiosities, and when he Is
compelled to sell them will bring high
price. Better put by some of their spare
change "for keeps" than spend it for many
of the foolish things that boys spend their
money for.
We have spoken of these things, not be-
cause they are the best things to collect,
but to show what can be done by taking
little pains. More pleasure and more
profit would be derived by many from
making collections of minerals, plants or
objects embraced in other departments OF
natural history A girl who would care
fully put by in band-boxes bearing their
opposite dates, the bonnets that are
brought out each season, anil are thrown
away the next, would have collection in
a few years that would be never failing
source of amusement, and something that
would prove of great value to any one
who wished to complete history of the
fashions.-PFdirie Farmer.