Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-08

t'cs ior ociHS III NaTlOuS pdTtS VI the WOrlu n
present.
Museums, in the language of ancient
Greece, we're the homes Of the Muses. The
first were in the groves of Parnassus and He'll
con and later they were temples. Soon. how
ever, the meaning OF the word changed and 1t
was used to describe place of study or a
school. In the second century OF the Christian
era Athens wac described as the Museum of
Greece, and the name o! museum was
definitely applied to that portion Of the palace
OF Alexandria which was set apart for the
study OF the sciences and which contained
the famous Alexandrian library. The
museum of Alexandria was a great UNIVERSITY
the abiding place OF meE of science and letters
When the Alexandria Museum was DESTROYED
III The days of Cesar and Aurelian the ter m
museum, as applied to great public institu-
sion, dropped out OF use until the seventeenth
century.
REBIRrH OF THE MUSEUM.
with the Renaissance came period of ne "
life for collectors. The churches OF southern
Europe became art galleries and monarchs,
Loblemen and ecclesiastical dignitaries col
lncted books. manuscripts, sculptures pottery
and gems forming the beginnings which have
since grown into public museums Az soon as
| It became the fashion for the powerful and
wealthy to possess collections. the scope of
these collections began to extend. The lords
OF old Germany in the times speak Of made
1t business to form with care what
was then called cabinets OF curl
osities.' Elias Ashmole founded in 1867 the
hrst scientific museum at Oxford, still known
as the Asmolean Museum, composed chiefly of
natural history specimens collected in Virginia
and in the north of Africa Many of the great
national museums of Europe had their origin
III the private collections OF monarchs
The first chapter in the history of Ameri-
can museums 10 short In the early years of
the -epublic the establishment Of such institu.
Eeap
mate. When the government came into the
possession OF extensive collections rs the re-
suits OF the Wilkes exploring expedition they
we're placed In charge Of private organize
tion-the National InstitutiOn-and later. to-
gether with similar materials, in that OF a cor
poration-the Smithsonian Institution II
was not until 1876 that the National Museum
was rocognized by Congress and provided for
financially.
my n,sIon has always been that the people q
museum should be much more than q house
full of specimens in glass cases. 1t should be
house full OF ideas arranged with strict at
tention to system. The museum of today is no
longer chance assemblage of curiosities. blu,
rather series OF objects selected with refer
ence to their value to investigators or their
possibilities for public enlightenment.
MODERN METHODS OF TEACHING.
'since the museums have come into the
hands of educators and scientific men they have
not made a practice of admitting objects to
their collections which are simply curious and
which do not teach lesson. Probably the
first person in this country to appreciate the
educational power Of the museum was Prof
Wyman. found of the Peabody Museum
or Archaeology. When he began that collec.
| ton about forty years ago he announced tina,
nothing should be admitted which had moi
an idea behind it. Since then the laboratory
| methods have grown up in schools and
colleges, having been introduced originally
by AgassiZ. who was wont to take a student
and put him into a room with a stuffed fish
saying: Now, find out what you can about
that fish! 1t seemed rather a tough problem
to the novice 80 introduced. but Agassiz would
leave him alone with that fish for three months
perhaps. until he had learned all about IL that
he could possibly acquire, as to its structure
and Otherwise otherwise In this way the student
yestigator, and his faculties in the
direction Of original observation were
cultivated. At all events this method Of in
struction has found Endorsement by modern
schools, because 1t produces the most effective
results.
1T is not generally realized that the objects
exhibited in a museum like ours are but Q few
out of the number which we have in our DOS
session. The collections of an institution like
this are divided into two categories One cate
CORY includes the objects exhibited and the
other the objects preserved for study. For e.
for the public, while those We have slowed
away for study are not less in number than
800, 900. The educational function of an esta b.
lishment like this 10 two-fold. 1t communicates
knowledge wi to the public at large BY exhibits
far as this branch Of its work 10 concerned il
must be understood that it offers enlighten-
ment not merely to visitors, but to the country
and even to the world at largo.
THE PUBLICATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN
are sent to every part Of the United States for
the instruction Of teachers scientific and other
wise, who communicate the knowledge to those
who learn from them. Also these publicatio
90 to centers Of learning in all other lands
where kno Wedge 10 considered worth diffusinp
and in this way distribute instruction 10 h1.
mainly ut large Most important 10 the fact
that museums % they exist today wherever
civilization has made progress are all in COM
munication with one another, and whatever in
the way Of knowledge Il obtained by one il q
the service Of all There IL constant inter
country TO country and from continent 70 con-
nent, not merely OF information, but of actual
material in the way Of objects of study. We
are continually sending even the most valuable
| specimens to other museums, while thsy re-
turn like courtesies, in order that each student
may have under his own personal observation,
| in the original, Whatever he desires to derive
knowledge from.
AS was saying, We have two distinct series
OF collections-those for exhibition and others
for study. Tho casual visitor derives from an
institution like this instruction By ordinary OBJ
servatiOn. On the other hand, students dnd
here, in concrete form, knowledge on ever %
many special subjects which they desire 10 pur-
sue. Probably there are few persons, % far q
the general public are concerned, who look
upon the National Museum - an institution Of
learning and instruction, and yet We have not
less than 5000 students yearly who seek infor-
nation st this distributing point Our study
collections are open TO students from al over
the world for the asking. They como here foE
days or months, or moro, and gather the
knowledge which u u our business 70 keen In
stock.
fI1 ART OF LA1xLMO
This b rather . wide divergence from The
topic I started in with, which vas he art q
labelling. II 10 Justly termed IN art because n
embodies In very large measure The usefulness
OF museum, most particularly % far q
the public st large Z concerned A IsbeI
ought TO be something more than . mere
ticket II should include in the briefesl
way possible III the illustrative ms1erisl
surrounding each specimen that renders tAoee
specimens more easily undsrstood and ooupre-
handed By the public. label shoaid anSvsr
gianco every question that ths
visitor h likely 70 e. yoQ knov
yourself how A1ch Aoee imtssSo1ine
any given eollsetioa = vhea n r
shsva 70 yos ~ psesea We = intsrssasd n