The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-03-02
A CHANCE PARAGRAPH
EYOKES $1,000 QUERIES
National Museum Is Now
Bureau of information.

Thirty thousand questions are asked in
the six thousand letters sent to the Ma
tional Museum in each current year
Every subject touching on man. his hab-
its, and his works; every material that
makes up the earth, is considered in
these thousands OF interrogations-
This correspondence requires a special
postofflce. two sorting clerks. and a mail
carrier. Responsibility for so per cent
OF this mail can be traced TO q six-line
paragraph that recently went the rounds
OF the press. which said that the Museum
was bureau of general information. and
that all questions would be answered.
Letters addressed to any other Govern
nent institution Of similar. character
remain unanswered, but the original pur-
pose OF the institution. which is TO treat
each correspondent seriously, is carried
out and, IL possible, a complete answer
Is given.
An Unexpected Result
One mountain dweller in North Caro-
lima. living far from educational privI-
leges, asked the authorities to give his
growing boys 4 few books. not giving
any indication of their tastes or pur-
suits. He said he wished 10 keep his
boys out OF mischief. Prof. o. T. Otis
sent him pamphlet on the preparation
OF skins for mounting and with it sent
a box Of preserving materials. With the
books and materials went the request
10 send the first attempts to the Museum.
Within a fortnight the institution re-
ceived three ground squirrels with the
/ incisions properly made and the fluid
correctly injected. An examination OF
the specimens revealed a new and rare
| species OF chipmunk. Today the boys
cannot supply the demand created by the
| collectors anxious TO secure specimens
/ for their institutions, and they are out
of temptation and are proftably en-
ployed
! Forty questions were asked in another
! letter and the heads of three depart
rnents with three clerks and three stem
ographers were occupied nearly he
whole day securing the information
sought. Letters of this sort are cx-
pensive This one cost Our Uncle"
nearly $40.
] The naturalization OF strange animals
and substances is most frequently sought
ana among the odd things about which
/ Information is most desired the sea
| SCI pent AMI the horrible water monster
/ figure prominently. A Wyoming man
living near lake sent a color desCrip-
/ ton and sketch for the classification Of
! a monster caught and killed by him.
4 To- day he does not worry. for he knows
| that his monsters are nothing but sala-
handlers in the tadpole period of their
lives.
The Indian Lohengrin.
The division of anthropology. which
studies man and the things he does
and what he does with. has written
II nearly fifty students. asking them II
help the institution answer a question
about the be autiful Indian legend OF the
! White Stone Boat. The Chippewa YER
sion of The story says that when the
/ Indian is dead the soul leaves the body
and is taken into the stone boat. II
the soul is evil the boat sinks. but II
| the soul Is good IL is carried safely
across the river. An Eastern tribe
| peoples the boat with little folk. prob
ably our fairies. who take the soul into
the boat and sail away into the face OF
4 cliff and disappear Where is I'll
river and what does IL represent to the
Indian? What does the white man mean
u him.
Prof. Otis says that II Is rot tho
iactice Of the Museum to send liter
azure in answer to all requests without
k"owing something of the person &c
whom it is sent. He says that theiT
supply is too limited aud The institution
requires that the persons receiving
nts -erials Gnl iiteratur' shu'ii e abb
% make some scientific return for the
favor. either in SIP 90" - or iu d.'ia
I gathered. Because. he says. the Mu-
scvm would be always the lO-er-