The Washington times., 1901-09-22
GUIDING YOUTHFUL MINDS
Opening of the ChiIdren's Room at
the Smithsonian Institution.
Their Natural Wondermcnt Aroused
by Collections of beautiful Birds.
of Which Descriptions Are Given
>-ModcIs of Mineral Substances.

| The Children's Room at the Smithson-
ian Institution will be opened tomorrow.
| This idea of a room to be reserved ana
| specially prepared for the amusement
and incidental instruction of little chill
| drep originated with DR.. s z. Langley,
| the secretary of the institution. The OBJ
| iect has been to bring together such spec
| linens as will arouse the interest and Won
| der of little folks: for in wonder lie the
| beginnings of knowledge" and to arrange
| this collection in an attractive manner.
The cases are so low that the top
| shelves are within the reach of younger
| eyes, and the ordinary, not the Latin,
names of the specimens are given in large,
| clear type on labels.
| The room, small one, situated just
across from the main entrance to the
| building, is a beautiful example of the
decorative art. The ceiling is painted to
represent an arbor. with riffs of blue
sky between the vines, and bright plumed
| birds looking down upon their captive
relatives in the gilt cages in the room
| There are Il number of prints and water
color paintings above the cases, show
ing the creatures of the wood and field
| in action. and in the course of time the
panels of the wall are to be filled with
pictures of birds and animals.
Several gilt cages containing singing
birds hang in the centre of the bright lit
tie place, and below these stand two
aquariums; saltwater glass tank and
| fresh-water aquarium filed with. flash
ing gold fish, feathery green grasses. and
pretty pebbles, all combining to make
| brilliant picture calculated to delight the
childish heart
The specimens both living and inani-
mate, have been selected with the sole
purpose of interesting children. of arous-
ing their wonder and quickening their de-
sire for information. The great bald
eagle is there beside the iniinitesimal
sparrow hawk, the tancan with bill
almost as large as his body, the bird of
paradise with apparently three tails,
row of little bat paraquettes who sleep
with their headu hanging down where
their tails sl!oGlI be. forlorn looking
bird called IT, attsryx, who has no wings
at all, and the itoghing jackass with his
perpetual smile.
There is a ca - devoted to the common
birds of Europe, and another to the IA
milar birds of the United States. where
the child may see, among others OF ms
everyday acquaintance. Robin Redbreast,
Bob White, the blue jay, and the bobo-
link The smallest and the largest eggs
in the world those of the humming bird
and of the giant ostrich, now extinct, are
ranged side by side.
There is a special case for corals and
sponges and another for minerals and fos-
sils In the latter case is a model of the
Great Mogul Diamond. the largest ever
cut a model of the largest lump of gold
ever found in the world. a strip of flexible
sandstone that bends by its own weight,
and a coil of asbestos woven and spun
into a rope
Altogether the Chidren's Room at the
Smithsonian Institution should prove to
be a marvellous Aladdin's palace of won
der and delight TO the youthful visitors.
lust as it holds much instruction also
for children of a larger growth.