Omaha daily bee., 1912-09-15
DEALS WITH THINGS OF PAST
Wonderful Collection of Things in
Omaha Public Library Museum,
RELICS THAT DEAL WITH PAST
tributions, Many of Which Tell
the Stories of Ages that
Have Gone.

lit uIuSSulll pL lOhay llnc q pau IA thN
general plan OF school education and is
able to meet its responsibility according
to the support It receives. This support
may result from an accurate knowledge
of facts and desire to spread that
knowledge, as we'll as from the ability to
give financial aid. OF course, there are
people even now, who thing that a mu-
scum is cold storage warehouse for
works of art or otherwise. These seldom
venture inside its doors. Then there are
those who allot a given time, half ain
hour, perhaps, to doing the museum
They never need to go again. And there
are some who patiently and conscien-
tiously look and attempt to read every
label, only to give 1t up after the nine
teenth, suffering from museum fatigue
It is quite possible to have an Intelligent
idea of Omahas museum without having
either the tourist attitude or the desire
for deep research. The collection is not
large enough to compare with those Of
older cities, but It Is now at the point
! where an intelligent interest on the part
of the people of the city, and some of
| those outside Omaha, can make it col
lection worth while in the eyes of the
studious as well as the curious.
For instance, you should know these
things about your museum-do you?
The Byron Reed collection of over S,000
coins and medals ranks among the three
or four finest in the United States. and
| contains foreign coins as well as speci-
mems of all the United States coins cast
up to the time of Mr.. Reeds death In
1898.
Occupies Entire Floor.
The museum occupies the whole top
floor of the library building One room
contains collection Of Indian articles,
nearly all of Souan tribes, but with
good beginning for an Alaskan collec-
tion. Everything in this permanent col
lection was the gift of General Charles
F, Manderson. A valuable collection Of
Indian relics is loaned by Mrs. William
f, Morris. Mr. Robert +. Glider has
placed one case of articles obtained from
his own excavations Of the caches" of
aboriginal home in washington. Douglas
and Sarpy counties.
A collection placed by the Daughters Of
the American revolution gives many in
teresting side lights on the history Of
colonial times.
Besides the. valuable historical collec-
tion in the Byron Reed room, collection
Of local historical interest has been
started in the museum, and includes pho
tographs of Omaha as early as 1851; rec
ords and relics of the Pioneer Hook and
Ladder company, instituted in 1850; the
sign Of the first post office In Omaha,
etc. OF course, there are any number
Of photographs and other reminders Of
the Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898.
Two hundred mounted specimens Of Me-
braska birds form a good beginning for
valuable collection which in time win
include all the 400 or more birds found
in this state. There are also about 200
nests Of birds eggs
Ores and Minerals.
There is fairly complete collection Of
good specimens of common mineral and
ores; the Cleburne collection of fossils
is complete and carefully labeled. The
Cleburne herbarlum has specimens OF
pressed flowers which are well preserved |
and have all possible information about |
each specimen.
Another case Is filled with most murder |
Gus looking weapons from the Philippines, |
nearly all loaned by M. G. A. Anderson, |
a member of the Thurston Rifles of 98. |
There are many other queer Philippine |
articles, from charcoal stoves to flutes |
and raincoats.
The Samuel Burns case of pottery has
valuable pieces of old Chelsea china used |
in the Burns family since 1750; old Dres- |
den of 1744 old English Ivory, as well as
Dutch, French, Chinese and Irish pot |
terry. ..-
The art gallery contains the paintings
purchased at the time of the Trans Miss |
issippi exposition as well as those pur-
chased since then by the Omaha Society
of Fine Arts.
The lecture room is used almost con-
stantly during the school year by classes
and societies. Stereoptican lectures and
story hours appeal to the children, classes
and lectures to older people.
Many Things Not Listed.
These are the bare facts; you cannot
appreciate them unless you see for
yourself these and the scores of things
that 1t would be impossible to list. And
what is the use Of all these things?
Both pleasure and profit. 1t Is satisfac-
ton to many, especially the pioneer
citizens, to see objects of real historic
value placed on exhibition with other
similar relics of early history in Ne
braska- The profit is in preserving such
objects, while they are still obtainable
But the most obvious benefit of the
museum should be direct help in educa-
ton, through the attendance of school
children. A museum furnishes some ac.
tual evidence of the things we read about
in books; the lantern slides give more
impressive illustrations than any book.
In many of the larger cities, schools and
museums are working together after
the manner Of classroom and laboratory:
in Milwaukee the school board pays the
museum a fixed sum each year for the
services of the museum lecturers. Other
cities have made arrangements for each
grade in the public school to spend one
or more half days each year in the city
museum, under the guidance of teachers
or the museum instructors
In Omaha there is very little difference
in the attendance Of the children in sum-
mer and winter; they come alone and
learn what they can. In summer, lists of
birds eggs are in demand; birds them
-
heads and scalplocks are just as inter-