Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-22
NATIONAL CAPITAL NOTES.
Need of a New Museum Building May
Be Met.

Be Met.
Senator Platt's amendment to the
Sundry Civil Appropriation bill, proVld-
ing s., 800 600 for the erection Of new
building for the National Museum,
should meet with hearty acceptance
by Congress. No department OF the
government is 50 cramped for room,
no department so handicapped i'll its
work because of this same lack of
space and no set of government EN-
ployes are 50 huddled together or live
in quarters so badly ventilated as those
of the National Museum. But the in
convenience to the clerical force Is not
the only thing to be considered in this
connection. The-e are more than five
million objects pertaining to the
meteorological. biological and geoloSi-
cal sciences now displayed at the
museum. and these are only part OF
its wealth Quantities of valuable ma
terial of scientific, historical and popu-
lar interest are packed away III bales
and boxes, awaiting the time when a
new and spacious building will admit
of their being properly installed and
exhibited.
The museum which was at first
| housed in the Smithsonian Institution,
started from a small begnning-the
transfer III 1855 to it's control of certain
scientific and historical objects be-
| longing to the National Institute, that
| for want Of a better repository mad
| been deposited in the Patent Office.
| Constant additions were made to this
modest nucleus, but it was not until
| 1876, when it was necessary to provide
| accommodations for the large ana
comprehensive exhibit which had been
prepared for the worlds fair in Phila-
delphia and for the many gifts received
| by the museum from the foreign gov
| ernments that participated in that ex-
hibition. that a plan for erecting sep
arate building for the National Muse
UNI was made. In that year the re-
gents Of the Smithsonian Institution
submitted memorial to Congress ask
| ing for $3.50 900 for building for the
museum. but it was not until a year
later that the desired amount was OBJ
| tanned.
The new building was finished in
1881. and is said to be the cheapest
structure ever erected, statement
every one who has made only super
fetal examination of it Will accept
without question. 1t is, without eX-
ception, the ugliest public building
INTELLECTUALLY at the capital, and the
architects seem to have gone out OF
their way to increase it's hideousneSs by
introducing in the red brick a line OF
brilliant blue tiles, which runs around
the entire buildng-a combination of
color that sets ones teeth on edge.
The interior is equally unattractive
and i'll adapted for it's purpose. The
nails in some parts are insufficiently
lighted, the rooms for the staff are
small and inconvenient-it is, in q
word impossible to conceive of a struc-
ture so inadequate for the purpose for
which 1t was constructed.
In less than seven years after it was
finished the museum had outgrown it's
new home and in 1888 Mr.. Langley
called the attention of Congress to its
inadequacy, and in his annual reports
has again and again referred to the
lack of space and petitioned for more
room. that the valuable objects in
storage and the many gifts pouring in
from all sides might be properly dis
played and opened to the public, to
whom they belong. The majority of
the members of Congress realize the
imperative need of new quarters for
the museum and sympathize with Mr..
Langley in his efforts to obtain them,
but the unitarian measures Congress
must deal with and the distracting de-
mands of the government S new inter
ests block the way to legislation for
institutions at the capital. no matter
now crying the need for relief
a member of Congress deposited an
influential constituent in a committee
room the other day, saying to the
| chairman, who sat at the head of the
long table, and is one of the most noted
raconteurs in the House:
| Look here, Y, | have some business
| that will keep me on the floor for half
an hour, and l want you to entertain
Mr.. 7. the while with some of your
capital stories
That reminds me-" said X, "of a
client of mine who lives in the vicinity
OF One-hundred and twenty fifth-st.. in
Harlem. He had been i'll for some time
and one terribly hot summer Sunday I
received peremptory summons to go to
MIN at once. had already accepted an