El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-02-28

Smithsonian institutions will open
the new national museum to the
public. With its 10 acres of floor space,
every foot of which is splendidly light
ed, few museums in the world are so
we'll housed. The new structure makes
the third of the Smithsonian National
musium group, and together they give
museum group, and together they give
the cause of science and the spread
of knowledge.
The 100000 objects which consti-
tute the national museum collections
will be distributed among the three
buildings, but all of those which are
chiefly of interest for exhibition pur-
poses will be housed in the new build
ing.
The museum, while literally filled
with exhibits of interest to the lay
man, confines it's principal activities
toward making an institution of re-
search. Scarcely week passes without
several students from q distance going
over its collections for study purposes.
Its collections soon will be so COM
plete that the most serious investiga-
tor will find all the material he seeks.
Division OF Geology.
The division of geology affords a
stirring Illustration Of this. Here is
gathered the worlds best collection of
economic geology specimens. In the 80
years that DR.. Merrill has been con-
nected with this work he has ransacked
the whole world for materials, and
there are now more than 100000 sepa
rately catalOged specimens in his d.
vision. Hundreds of cases. each with
hundreds of wide, shallow drawers, con-
tain thousands of specimens. each speci-
men a page in the great book of nature,
rich in lessons for the student of geo
logical subjects. Perhaps less than one
thirtieth of the specimens are on ex-
hibition.
The collection of meteorites is one
of the best in the world, the largest
being at Vienna. While for show pur-
poses the collection at the American
Museum of Natural History in New
York takes first rank, the kinds of
specimens which are most valuable for
study purposes are to be found at the
National museum.
Scientists refer to exhibition collec-
lions as the "oh my exhibits. The
main effort of the National museum
has been to gather such meteorites as
will enable scientists to determine the
secret of their origin and travels.
Extinct Animals.
The exhibit of extinct animals is full
of interest. but here again museums
OF other cities have advantages over
more responsive sources than congress
for funds with which to acquire new
material Of this nature. One may see
the skeletons of giant dinosaur and
other mighty monsters Of prehistoric
times, gathered from American excava-
tions.
Had a Roosevelt lived in America
some cons ago he would not have had
to go half way around the world to find
IL
his sport
1t is Dr. MerriII's firm conviction that
millions Of elephants once roamed over
our soil, did the bison at later
date. As exhibit No. I, by way of proof
he has the skeleton of gigantic old
fellow which was unearthed in a Michi-
gan peat bog some years ago This
skeleton is mounted and makes those Of
African elephants look like pygmies in
contrast.
Collection of Mammals.
The collections of the division of
mammals are of rare interest From
an exhibition standpoint such exhibits
as the Roosevelt trophies take first
rank, but from a scientific standpoint
such collections as those made by DR.
Abbott in the East Indies are of prime
value. It is said that there are some
5000 known species of mammals in
the world, OF which some 1900 inhabit
America, but new species are being de-
Scrfbed at the rate of about $50 a year.
No other museum in the world, except
the British museum. has such a large
and representative collection of man.
NAL specimens The catalogs show the
National museum TO be ahead of anv
of the other European museums. even
in its collections of mammals from that
continent.
ROOsevcltS Exhibit
In the past few weeks the museum
authorities have installed one little case
OF exhibits ROoseveltiana In it are
the skulls of a lion, a rhinocerous. a
giraffe and several smaller animals
The case is in the hail occupied by the
exhibits of comparative anatomy. which
is one OF the most interesting coIIec-
tons in the museum. Here one NAV
study the strange relationships that ex-
ist between all mammals. In one case
Is the skeleton of a man leading the
skeleton of horse showing at a glance
all points 9f similarity and dissimilar-
ity.
In this hail is the SKELETON Of one of
the biggest whales that ever DISTORTED
in the Fairgrounds of the sea. and one
stands almost under it while looking at
the 242 exhibits of sea shells so small
that 1t requires high powered micro
scope to tell whether they are grains
OF dust or perfectly formed creatures
OF the deep.
are put in develoDnent ODeratiopS ill