The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-02-10
HOW TO SEE
4 MUSEUM
Curator Bryan Gives
His Views on
Subject.

When William Allanson Bryan. cura-
tor of ornithology at the Bishop MI
scum, concluded an address last even
ing in the Young women's Christian
Association rooms on How to See q
Museum" those in the audience who
had already visited the Bishop Mu-
scum at Kamehameha said that their
previous wanderings among the valu-
BILE articles on display there were prac-
tically of no value to them, but, acting
on the suggestions given in the speak
er's address. they would understand in
the future how to really "see" the
museum. Mr.. Bryan's address was in
teresting in every particular. and al
though dealing generally with all mu-
seums, and not at all times particular
izing the one in Honolulu, yet it was
patent that a visit to Bishop Museum
on his suggestions would bring out its
true value to the sight seer.
A question was asked why the mu-
scum was open only on Fridays and
Saturdays of each week. Mr.. Bryan
replied that it was also open on steamer
days, but the greater part of the week
was devoted to "tidying up" the mu-
scum for the two days display. The
real reason, however, was that there
are many things in the museum which
could not be replaced for love or money,
and the oftener they were displayed to
light and air, the quicker they deterior-
ated and faded. 1t was the preserva-
ton of these articles which in general
compelled the museum officials to cling
to this rule.
A feature of the opening of the new
and handsome wing will be complete
guide books, dealing with every subject
on display there. The books will be
valuable, as they will contain scholarly
descriptions of the subjects. Mr.. Bryan
also stated that when the wing is open
ed visitors will have an opportunity
of seeing to the biggest calabash in the
world.
Mr.. Bryan gave the history of the
word museum, and its significance as
part of. the educational system, a
place which is considered an "institu-
ton for the preservation of those OBJ
jects which best illustrate the phenom-
ena of nature and the works of man
and the utilization of these for the
ture and enlightenment of the people"
There was museum method of eXhib-
iting specimens, the central object be-
ing to convey to the average visitor or
student in an attractive form all the
information an object or group of OBJ
jects can impart.
There were three classes of visitors
who come to see a museum; those who
come to be amused, those who come for
information, and those who come for
work and study. The first class was
the most difficult to satisfy, and the
most unsatisfactory one a curator has
to deal with. It is this class of visitors
that has to be requested not to poke
objects with umbrellas and canes, and
finding that the museum is really a
place of serious study, become dissat-
isfied with museums in general For
the class which wants information,
halls are arranged, specimens placed,
labels prepared, and a curator provided,
who stands ready with such knowledge
as he may have to impart. There was
one general principle which was fol-
lowed in the gross arrangement of a
museum and which is found at the
Bishop Museum, and that is that the
visitor is given an idea of it's contents
at the entrance. Any visitor can easily
note the system and order that per-
vades the mueum. Mr.. Bryan said
that visiting a museum was accom-
panied by more or less fatigue, TO both
mind and body. 1t was not like a visit
to a theater, for it means active, hard
mental exertion. not passive reception,
to retain what passes before the eye.
Having once taken on the trend of the
collections, the visitor will find that
the museum is divided into depart
ments, and that if he is interested in
any one of them more than another,
that one is the first to be seen and the
most carefully studied. But before do
ing this, he will observe, as a general
rule, that guide books are to be had,
usually to the museum as a whole.
With such a book in hand the fact
becomes patent that every specimen
on exhibition is not only numbered to
correspond with the guide, but the more
important objects are provided with
suitable labels, bearing condensed in
formation touching upon the specimen
exhibited. The visitor will then note that
in the system and order of arrangements
specimens of similar kinds are grouped
together, with an eye single to the
natural order of things. He will fur
Their observe that the curator has ar
ranged the specimens under his charge
with due regard to the time which the
student may have at his disposal He
has arranged courses which, We're he
in university, would correspond to
the short course for summer students,
a two years course for those desiring
fuller knowledge of the subject, and so
on. The curator has brought such OBJ
jects as he has believed would be of gen
eral or special interest well into prom
1nence, and has exerted every effort to
condense into the fewest possible words
a label which bears all the information
that he believes the average visitor will
be able to carry away. Mr.. Bryan's
general rules are as follows:
Observe, analyZe and compare if you
would learn Compare objects with OBJ
ects in every POSSIBLE way for they |
ire arranged in the cases to facilitate |
compare the adult with the