Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-26
In A WONDER HOUSE
Observations in the National
Museum.
A WALK OF TWO HOURS
WHAT CAN BE SEEN IN THE
VARIOUS SECTIONS.
Many Collections That Cannot Be Ex-
hibited Until the New Build
ing is Finished.
A WALK OF TWO HOURS

If you are a tourist or for that matter
only resident. in Washington with just
two hours that you can devote to the Ma
tiGral Museum. how you best put in
your time? That probably is question
that good many people have asked them
selves. 1t can be answered in part by look
ing at the ground-floor plan of the museum,
which is to be had at the main door on
entering the north side.
If you have no particular hobby and are
just interested in the place in a general
way, the best method is a walk through
the great building. You can do this in just
about two hours, spending no great time
over any thing and simply bringing
away a general idea of the wealth of ma
terial that is held in the nations treasure
house.
If there is anything in particular over
which you are enthusiastic you probably
can find it in one of the special sections.
Then, whether it be coins, applied me-
chanics, geology or transportation, the
best thingsfor you to do is to go to that
particular section and study it alone. You
will always find curators or their assist
ants messengers, or some one else,
who knows more about the collection
than you do, and who is glad to have an
intelligent listener on his particular
branch of art or collecting. There are
.
exhibition and that cannot be till the new
building is finished and that will be in
about six years. Just what the collections
are is at present secret, for If they
were generally known the museum Off
Gals would be overwhelmed with letters
asking about them and which would have
to be answered at the expense of un-
necessary time and labor.
Of Interest to Every One.
AS the case now stands there is some
thing in the mesuem to interest every one
and list may be made of the various sec
lions, beginning at the north entrance. The
first or north hall Is devoted to American
history. beginning with the almost mythical
Lief Ericsson and coming down to the
Cuban and Porto Rican campaigns. There
is enough in this one hall to keep the aver
age tourist busy for the better part of u
day. 1t is the more interesting if you can
have one of the museum officials to talk TO
you about the various relics and throw
some side lights on their history that does
not appear on the cards that are attached
to them.
The collection is intrinsically valuable, for
it contains many presentation swords set
with precious stones. solid gold and silver
ornaments, that were presented to Gen.
Grant on his trip around the world, and
absolutely priceless relics of every war in
which the United States has been engaged
from the revolution down to the campaign
in the Philippines. The collection of bO!os
and Filipino knives alone is the most eX-
tensive in existence, and there are relics
of the war with Spain such few peop,e
know exist.
SO much for the historical section. En-
tering the big rotunda about the fish pond
there is another section that also looks like
an army museum, filled with guns and
swords and cannon of various sorts. There
are parts of the torpedo boat Winslow,
shot to pieces in the Inflated engag ament
in Cardenas bay; the mine that almost
blew up the Marbehead at Guantanamo,
and a very modern krupp gun, taken from
the portal of the Forbidden City in Picking
There is almost enough here for after
noon.