Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-01

INK on the occasion of
9S. the presence in the
1852 city of some out-of-
town friend in need of experienced guidance.
Should such residents. depending on pre-
viously acquired knowledge, give directions
| concerning the location of some exhibits
in the museum the visitor would be misled
and the resident would find even himself,
after a time. somewhat of a stranger in the
big building SO frequently receiving new OBJ
jects of interest. Changes of arrangement
are periodically made. and old employees say
there is scarcely any prominent object
other than the great cast of the Capitol
statue in the center of the museum that
has not been altered in location.
Some Official Changes.
Those who have not recently gone into
the Chapel of the Smithsonian building
to enjoy the beautiful corals there displayed
will be pleased or otherwise en- their next
visit to find two large cases containing a
superb aggregation of horrible snakes
and also a fine lot of turtles in great va
riety. Both snakes ard turtles are ar
ranged amid natural surroundings and
the effect is quite lifelke Some of the
rattlesnakes are premium specimens on
the score of size.
Official changes at the museum come
about slowly. but still few innovations
True Is now entitled executive curator
out this Is merely a nominal Improvement
upon curator-in-charge. A. Howard Clark
has been transferred to the office OF Sec
rotary Langley, and in his place the his
torical relies and the printing office are
looked after by r. Edward EARL, who had
acted as the museums worlds fair agent.
The snakes and their learned curator,
DR.. Stejneger. have been moved from the
south tower of the Smithsonian to the mu-
scum building, and the bottled worms of
the department of helmintholOgy have been
taken from the museum to the Smithson-
ian. DIR. Stiles Of the Department of Ag-
riculture is the honorary curator Of this
branch of the museums work. Since Mr.
Walcott was made director of the geclogi-
cal survey the powers of his assistant at
the muset m, Charles Schuckert have been
amplified, but the former retains his rela-
ton or honorary curator of invertebrate
paleontolOgy, in the same way that the
removal to Chicago of Prof Holmes and
Mr.. Watkins does not affect them in their
respective museum capacities of honorary
curators of aboriginal pottery and trans
portation.
The national herbarium has been given
quarters on the east balcony for the ac-
commodation of a good part of the bo-
tanical specimens under Mr.. Coville's care
at the Agricultural Department.
Need of More Room.
In many parts of the building the critical
visitor is impressed with something of
awkwardness and even disorder in the dis
posal of exhibits. A more deliberate in
spection will show this to be the inevita BILE
consequence of the crowded condition of
the place. The increasing demand for room
is constantly adding urgency to what Sec
rotary Langley wrote four years ago. that
unless more space Is provided the develop
ment OF the government collection, which
is already partly arrested, will be almost
completely stopped" Another building as
large as the present structure could be filled
with material now held in storage and "it
has become necessary to decline many Of
fers of collections for want not only of ex-
hibition space, but even of storage room
where they may be temporarily cared for -
Other institutions are becoming more and
more active in the quest of material and
possessing the advantage easily secure
what should remain in the care of the gov
erp nent. Donors generally feel this to be
So and the greater part of the matter that
Is given for public exhibition would go to
the National Museum were its officers able
to provide exhibition space. The growth of
the museum fl ON the start has been I'M
precedented In the history Of museums and
20 vigorous that only year had passed
after the occupancy of the new buildings
in 1882 that the board of regents of the
Smithsonian advised Congress to erect an
other. The census Of material In 1882
showed about $4,000 specimens Ten
years raised the number to 3O2S-
IA. This year it is about $4,000
Accessions come from all parts of
the world. and from many sources Be-
sides the steady stream of donations a
great amount comes from the work of the
scientific STAFF in the field. Then every
United States consul Is a collecting agent
for the Smithsonian. and the museum is
the repository for the matter gathered by
the executive departments Over 10000
North American mammal specimens mot
counted In the museum census) from the
mammal division of the Department of
Agriculture alone, and are contributed to
the study series stored away in dark draw
ers, and will ultimately go to the museum
as Its property. The specimens in the cases
preserved for study largely outnumber
those in view. Stacks of boxes filled with
fossil plants. largely from the geological
survey. incumber the south balcony-dis-
play is out of the question, though not ur-
gently desirable.
The attendance at the museum on ordi-
nary occasions, runs from 500 to 1900. Dur
ing the Pythian gathering It passed 5000
Three years ago a bill was favorably re-
ported by the House committee Though 1t
made no further progress) providing for the
erection of a much-Heeded structure to be
located on the other side of the Smithsonian
building and across the street from the
Agricultural Department grounds. 1t was
to cost about 100000. to cover over six
acres of ground and afford three times the
exhibition and office room of the present
building, which cost $4,000.
The relations between the museum and
Smithsonian are intimate. but each is a dis
tinct entirety. The museum Is a national
interest. a workshop and repository Of ma
terial. The institution Is. in a sense, an in
ternationa1 office for the organization of
the scientific work of the whole world and
was, happily enough. brought into being by
the gift in trust of citizen of one great
nation to the government of another The
Smithsonian Is largely sustained from the
proceeds of the Smithson and minor funds
while the museum Is supported by congress
sional appropriations, which amounted this
year to about $1SOOOO for all purposes
The Directing Minds.
AS the museum Is under the care of the
Smithsonian. Secretary Langley Is the head
of both establishments. though DIR. G.
Brown Goode, the assistant secretary, has
more immediate charge of the museum F.
w. True. the executive curator, has prac-
teal charge of administrative affairs AS
scientist DR.. Goode is eminent in many
fields, and the visitor at the museum will
look with greater interest upon the superb
collection of musical instruments in the
north hall surpassed by only two or three
in the world) TO know that 1t has been de-
veloped under DR.. Goods personal care
He is said to have expended lnuch of his
private means toward its advancement Mr.
True is the widely known curator of man.
mails. His specially Is the study of the
cetacea and other marine forms of the class
Prof. Otis 7. Mason, the ethnologist and
president of the Washington Anthropo-
logical Society, is of the cJrators one Of the