The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-18
Scientific and Educational tollec
tions Will Give institutions
Needed Specimens.
WORTH HALF OF A MILLION
Rolla School of Mines May BE
Principal Beneficiary-tp 10
the Board of Equaliza
tion 10 Decide.

If the pans of the Missouri Commission
for the disposition of the state exhibits
he approved by the State Boari Of E,qIa' =
ization. and il is probable that they Viii
he Missouri's educational and scientific
institutions will receive most va!2ab'e and
lasting benefits from the Worlds Fair.
The members Of the Missouri World :
Fair Commission propose to make the
States educa tiona. and scientific ins;itu-
tions the repositories OF exhibit collections
which are as complete as 1t was possible
10 make them with a most liberal State
appropriation. and which cost hundreds
of Thousands of dollars.
The State Commission made its prin-
cipal EXHIBITS in agriculture, horticulture.
mines and metaliurgy. fish. forestry ani
game and education. The decision - al
lot these exhibits To the several STATE cd
ucation institutions al the close ot the
Fair was direct result Of the comrnIs-
SONS experience at the time the exhibits
were first collected.
At that time the various department
superintendents Of the State Commission
very naturally turned first 10 the State
institutions in their search for desirable
specimens and material from which to re-
tTllt IN part tntlr sOileCIlb0S-
The painful truth then became evident
that the State educational and scientific
institutions were sadly deficient in desir-
able material. and The State Commission
was obliged to look elsewhere for its ex-
hibit materials.
OF course. there was in 4 State OF such
rich and varied natural resources no lack
Of ample material for the States display.
hut II was assembled at a greater cost
Of money time and pains than would
otherwise have been the case.
It was this revelation Of the comparative
poverty of desirable material in State in
stitutions that prompted the State Com
mission to discuss the donation Of several
collections intact TO the States schools
and colleges.
COMMISSION F'AvORS PLAN.
Although the matter has been discussed
only informally between the State Board
Of Equalization and the commission. it is
known that the members OF the former or
ganization think well of the plan With
their official approval it becomes effective.
OF all the collections of the State Com
mission the mines and metallurg de-
usrtment Of exhibits probably is the most
complete and valuable. 1t was assembled
al an approximate cost of $4,000. and con-
tains more than twenty-five different spe-
cies Of the ores and minerals of the State.
President Davis estimates that it is worth
AZ least s5oo0cn. This collection probably
will be given to the Rolla School Of Mines
The collection Of educational exhibits
probably will be distributed among the
several schools and colleges maintained by
the State
To the Agricultural College of the Uni
versity Of Missouri will be apportioned
the permanent specimens in the agr;cuI-
tural and horticultural exhibits of the
State. as well as the exhibits in forestry
The commission has twelve very large
and fine fish tanks which had been in use
for the live-fish exhibit of the commission.
TIE University OF Missouri is very anxious
to possess these and the commission Is
willing that it should have them
President Davis hopes that the Board OF
Equalization will coincide with the views
Of the State Commission relative to the
enrichment OF the States schools and COL
leges in the manner contempla ted.