Arizona republican., 1909-02-15

l things not necessary, no matter how honest and patriotic the members of | the legislature may be. One woulf
 not care to counsel wastefulness at
 any time, but the territory is now on
 a cash basis and in a financial con-
 dition better than most states. It appears to many that it can well af-
 ford to spend $5,000 or $I0,0O0 a year for something that cannot be | secured later and that in the years
 to follow will be q great source of
 satisfaction to everybody. It is un- derstood that room can be made in the capitol building for storage, if
 not for display, at the present time and this article is designed more to call the attention of legislators to something that might be overlooked, than to undertake any specific ad- vice.
 In connection with these facts it is mentioned that Mrs. George F. Breninger has a collection of stuffed birds and animals that was made by her late husband, a taxidermist of great ability. It is undoubtedly the best private collection of the bird life and fauna of Arizona now in the ter ritory and among the birds and ami
 mals are many of rare species, many that half the AriZonians do not know are now or ever were found here. It is understood that Mrs. Breninger feels it necessary to sell this collec- tion. Of the price of it The Repub- lican has not been informed, but it would seem that nobody needs the collection as badly as the territory itself, and for one department of a museum it would form a splendid
 nucleus. In like manner it is under stood a Tempe gentleman has a col lection of prehistoric exhibits he is
 now offering for salse and that it also contains many things that are rare, some that cannot be duplicated. It
 is understood his price is very req sonable and that he is patriotic enough to sell it to 8an Arizona buy
 CT considerably cheaper than to any |, one else.
 It is also recalled that a very valu- able collection madeoby the late pr.
 J. Miller was once offered for sale. Whether that is still available is not
 known at The Republican office. It is doubtless true that there are some
 private collections or desirable in-
 dividual exhibits in many other parts
 of the territory, that could be se-
 cured now at a nominal price that
 later may not be available, for while
 Arizona sleeps the eastern collectors
 are busy. It is said that if one real ly wants to study the prehistoric
 past of Arizona, her anthropology or
 ethnology, it is necessary even now,
 if he would study understandingly,
 to not only spend much. time in the fields and deserts of Arizona in- specting the places where things are
 said to have been found, but to later
 journey to the Boston museums for
 his second degree, then return to the deserts to complete his researches.
 Returning again to the text, and
 'fourthly," as the minister says, there are numerous citizens in these
 parts and no doubt there are some
 in every Arizona town, who have collections, both small and great, that
 they do not desire to sell at present,
 but are holding against the day when the territory shall provide a museum
 to which they may be donated in full or in part Many of the exhibits are so common they would not be
 needed in a public institution, but almost every collector has a very few of special interest that he would part
 with if he knew they would be ap-
 preciated and cared for, some for money and some without price, who
 will not at this time consider dis
 posing of them at all.