New-York tribune., 1916-11-26
Colonial Cookery in Real
Use To Be Shown for
Thanksgiving
DUE TO EFFORTS
OF JOHN 6. DANA
One of Series of Novelties
Presented by Museum
Association

In Newark's Public Library. Build
ing, which also houses its art museum
there is being created a Thanksgiving
exhibition 10 bring home TO the hetero-
geneous population Of this big indus
trial town, founded by Connecticut
Puritans. something cf the favor oI
the ancient anniversary.
In a room devoted to museum pur-
poses a Colonial kitchen IS taking form
not such kitchen as museums have
been wont TO reconstruct, full Of price
less antiques TOO delicate TO touch, but
working model containing live maids
in bibs and fuckers peeling and slicing
apples 20 string 20 the ratters above
tho big open FIRE; containing live chill
dron shooting marbles in the chimney
corner or rocking the ancient msnog
auv cradle with a push Of tho toe, and
harooring real pumpkins and pepper!
and other bright and gaudy articles OF
culinary value, as well as a spinning
wheel, Dutch ovens, ancient lanterns
and footwsrmers.
From some time next week until
Christmas time the people Of Newark,
or any others who may care 10 make
the journey, will be able every after
noon TO see this ancestral kitchen IN
operation, impsrting its lesson of do
mesticity and industry and thrift, the
three virtues at the foundation OF
America
Believes in Usefulness
John Cotton Dana, librarian and di-
rector of the Newark Museum Assocla-
ton. is the promoter of this Thanks
giving exhibit, as he has been OF all
the art and industrial shows intimately
touching the life of the people for
which the combination library and mu-
scum is famous. Mr.. Dana believes
that museums should be even more
useful than ornamental: that they
should invite the interest rather than
the awe of the taxpayer and onlooker.
"A museum" said Mr.. Dana, SHOULD
be primarily collection of people and
not Of objects. Il should be in meas
ure a by-product of towns activities
at home and in the shops and stores,
and should be made TO illustrate and
illuminate local industry and TO render
it more effective"
In accordance with this idea, Mr..
Dana caused 10 be held in the Public
Library Building for six weeks. in
February and March, 1915. an exhibi-
ton of the clay products of New Jer-
sey, which was visited by ninety
classes of total of 1000 pupils from
the public and private schools of New
ark and its neighborhood and by $4,000
other persons. Three clubs of fifty
a.. ] l. I, -
toricsl part OF the exhibit pottery and
china made in New Jersey before 1876;
seven schools showed their work in
clay, and fifty manufacturing firms
Showed commercial products.
New Jersey Textiles Shown
Then, from February to March 18
of this year, Mr.. Dana staged an ex-
hibtion of New Jersey textiles, con-
sisting of clothn.aking. hatmsking,
knitting, embroidery and lace; rug
making, modern arts and crafts and
the handiwork of the schools; an his
toric exhibit of old New Jersey-made
textiles, and the Homelands Exhibit.
articles contributed by school children
of foreign parentage. Sixty-six firms
contributed commercial exhibits and
thirty-two schools and ten clubs were
represented. And to this show 10000
visitors focked.
Mr.. Dana is fond of contrasting the
popular interest displayed in these
exhibitions with that in exhibitions of
the fine arts, to which the merest
handfuls of persons have been enticed.
There are cases in his museum per
manently devoted to the housing Of coll
lections loaned by children, collections
of coins, of stamps, OF interesting and
instructive objects of nature. And he
is only too eager that more children
should bring to him their collections,
wherefore he has distributed about the
museum placards containing that car.
toon of Briggs's, printed in The Trib-
une. entitled COLLECTIONS" These
placards read: "Boys and Girls: These