St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-02-16
NEw DEPARTMENTS

are being Inaugurated IN many 1nstltu-
lions, and the Fairbanks Museum has
made a start in this line, having now ex-
hibits of cocoa, donated by the Van
Houten Co.; buttons donated by the In
ternationaI Button Co., and the Chicago
Academy of Sciences; coffee and spices
presented by A. NJ. Walbridge; roots
and hbres used for medicines, given by
the u. S. Department of Agriculture. The
exhibits of cotton, silk and woods,
which have been in the museum for some
years, naturally belong in this depart
ment 1t is purposed to add other exhib-
its as opportunity offers, and plans are
being made to secure specimens oftea and
various forms of chocolate. Full des-
criptive labels should be written and
many illustrative pictures secured, in or
der to make this department OF the
greatest value to the general public.
LIBRARY.
Since October 1907, 269 books have
been added to the library. OF this number
81 have been purchased, 3 are bound vol
umes of magazines which come regularly
to the museum, and IT'S are gifts, 70 of
the latter are from the library of the late
T. w. B. Clark of Boston, and were will
ed by him to the museum. Our library
now contains nearly complete files of
some of the most important government
publications, including those OF the
Smithsonian Institution, the Geological
Survey and the Bureau of Ethnology.
GENERAL COLLECTIONS.
Among the more important accessions
OF the past two years, may be mentioned
the collection of 6S4 war envelopes issued
during the Civil and spanish Wars.
There are few such collections in the
country.
Several valuable articles including Chi
nese shoes, Turkish slippers, Sudanese
spears. rhinoceros hide cane, and shield
of alligator skin have been presented by
A. l.. Farwell
DR.. w. P. Wilson, director of the Phila-
delphia Commercial Museum, was keenly
interested in learning of the educational
work carried on by The Fairbanks Muse
um, and as an evidence of that interest,
has presented us with 70 specimens from
Japan and the Philippines and 12S large
photographs. Some of these specimens
are quite uncommon in museums, and
could hardly be obtained by any institu-
ton less influential than the Philadelphia
Museum.
Two other accessions which are worthy
of note, have been placed with the histor-
ical collection. These are the one-horse
chaise given bv Mrs. c. N. Leonard OF
Orleans, and the old wagon made by Sir
Thaddeus Fairbanks nearly 100 years
ago, and presented by Albert Howe.
The complete accessions for the two
years are listed as follows
Minerals 20 Insects z
Birds 2 Herbarium 1877
MANN ais / Ethnology 145
LECTURES.
The director has given talks to the St.
Johnsbury teachers, to Vermont Teach
ers' Institutes, to the Old China Club and
before several Women's Clubs she has
written an article on Educational Work
in Museums" which appeared in the
Mature Study Review for May 1909
and revised the Outline of Nature Study"
The museum has printed 500 copies of
this pamphlet (Which is in general use in
the schools of Vermont) and is selling
them at cost.
SUNDAY OPENINGS.
On July II the museum was opened for
the first time. for a Sunday afternoon. It
has been open from 80 to every Sun
day since, and the public has expressed
its approval of and gratitude for, this
opportunity to visit the collections in no
uncertain manner. The smallest number
of visitors was on August 8, when %
people came in (the thermometer regis
tered 1909 The largest number was No
VEN Der 21St, when 12S visitors appeared.
The average number for each Sunday has
been 60 and for the last 5 weeks there
have been over 100. (This reckoning is
carried two months beyond the date for
the report, October l. in order to give as
complete record as possible, of this new
move.) The Sunday patrons are largely
men who are engaged in business six
days in the week and have evidently felt
too weary to come to the building when
it was open Saturday evenings. The
Sunday visitor usually spends one or two
hours in examining the collections, and
the sense of respite from daily cares is
very evident in the thoughtful and yet
happy air which pervades the halls. The
director. at leisure from Office duties,
spends all the afternoon among the WIS.,
itors, and finds that they appreciate keen
ly having their questions answered, or
information concerning the exhibits Civ
en- them.