Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-04-10
PLANS FOR
THE MUSEUM
Will Be Far Reach
ing in Their
Scope
Letter FROM c. T. LUMM|s
Meeting Of Archaeological
Society Addressed by
Doctor E. l.. Hewett

DVSSVA !s As A4SWS CIV
For a quarter of century New
Mexico has held foremost place IL
my thought, and in my love. Her no
BILE past has given me one Of the rich
est and happiest fields of study evel
found. No one could know her ant
her people so intimately and so lone
and in SO many ways without an Ell
during respect and affection. And
though my lifes duties are now fal
away, and their demands are heavy
and constant, it is joy and privi
lege to renew little OF the old rela-
tionship-it is very much like a re-
turn to ones boyhood home. This is
not an exaggeration, as those will
know who know how much the terri
tory has meant to me personally and
AS a student.
so it is with the deepest satisfac.
tion that l have seen come to pass
here at last. the inauguration of a
work worthy of our best traditions
and inevitable, sometime, If our his
tory is really as noble as we believe
it. What is the use Of having noble
record, if we let it get lost, or throw
it away? What is the use of having
had a wonderful history, if it is only
to be forgotten? Every thoughtful
New Mexican feels something of this.
Many efforts have been made to save
at least the fragments of our rapidly
disappearing past. But it is an enor-
nous task in time and in money, and
in people to do such work worthily. 1t
cannot be done by any individual, or
association Of individuals, or city, on
a large enough scale to be worthy of
New Mexico. It is common-sense,
business necessity; but it must be
met in the most scientific and ap.
proved methods. Unframed histori-
ans, unscientific collectors, can not
lead nor guide such large movements.
AS a matter OF fact, it has taken a
five year campaign, reaching through
the United States and from Canada to
Yucatan. and dealing with all depart
ments of the United States Govern
ment, with the universities, museums
and scientific bodies of North Amer
lea, with state governments, with in
dividual students and many other
classes of organization and persons to
bring about, at last, great system
on national scale for doing such
standardizing history, arch
aeology and the other branches OF the
study of man-which is as plain
common sense necessity as is the
standardizing of weights and meas
ures. But that system is at last COM
pleted--a consensus OF practically all
the classes named has been effected.
We have come to intelligent co-opera-
.ion--and today, just when for the
'irst time there is available this ma !
.ional backing and aid for such work,
New Mexico springs to the front,
splendid volunteer And she has the
chance to be the color bearer. South
,rn California has been influential in
his long campaign; and has voice
n this national council for the sys-
ematic study and preservation OF
American antiquities. 1t has set the
,ace for other archaeological socie-
les. It has a representative in the
board of the School of
American Archaeology which has been
ounded as the aggressive agent OF
his national work. 1t would be proud
0 house that School-which within
cry few years will be one of the
most famous scientific centers in the
World. It was our first thought that
he School of American Archaeology
hould come to Los Angeles. But we
idn't anticipate any such rival in the
ield.
"But the School is not a mere uni
ersity, nor mere museum. 1t is a
'orking force--a great laboratory for
ducation, not by books merely, but by
'orking up the raw material OF which
istory is made. Everybody knows
ow that history" is not mere vol
me of somebody's opinions, nor an
rchive Of dates, etc. The written re-
ord of millions of lives is reduced for
to printed page, and the docu- {
tents are necessary part. But the !,
eople that were history-who they T
ere, what they we're, where they /
lme from, how they lived, what they ;
historian nowadays must q
udy these. b
so it is not only fitting, it is 0
isiness necessity, that such labo- fl
tory should be established where the Il
vidences of these unrecorded lives +