The sun., 1916-12-08
! Treasure House That Cannot
Hold Its TpOve.

In house on the West Side OF
Manhattan. convenient to six or eight
million people. each day sees an ud-
dltion to store of wonderful things
that have been brought from every
part OF the world. from earth. SEA
and sky. to form graphic history Of
the ball on which we career through
space and Of It's Inhabitants. To this
house go the child of seven and the
happier child Of seventy who still
wonders whnt all life IL for. They
see the perhaps untempted Adam OF
the Neanderthal cave and the kind
face Of BEN FRANKLIN; the recon.
structed dodo and the Bahaman
BOBBY. the scarab and the abysmal
fish, the seal and the skink, the
tyrannosaurus and the mountain
sheep. a mummy wrapping from
Egypt and a petrified blanket from
a gulch In Utah, new pottery from
old China and the sculptures Of the
lost civilizations of the New World,
an Eskimo doll and n dlnosaur that
gave up the ghost In Wyoming ten
million years ago.
1t is n place for the filling of the
eye and the starting of dreams (;
dreams Of what thoughts were born
beneath the trephined skull of the
ancient Peruvian; OF the lost years
between the eohippus. whose bones
are there, and Mr.. KEENE's SysOnby,
whose skeleton is yOntler. brothers in
blood and speed. Could the sabre
tooth tiger have prevailed against
Jumbo? You may ask them. for here
Is all that Is left Of both.
While YOU watch. men are at work
In the Congo, buying. trapping and
digging treasure which long lines OF
natives cnrry on their heads TO the
nearest ship: men creep further into
the unknown places of South America
to find the tomb Of lost nation or to
add some new bird or snake TO the
worlds list; men toll In the South
west and In Canada for more clues
to the mysteries Of the ages. Every
year their precious discoveries pour
In. and now. while still they come.
the house OF wonders Is filed. The
walls OF this remarkable institution.
the American Museum of Natural
History, can hold uttle more.
1t Is not our purpose to detail the
financial plan and history of the mu-
scum. The city of New York is
pledged to erect, equip and maintain
the building. The trustees provide
the rich collections which the build
Ing contains. The greatest money
gift 70 the museum, the Morris X.
Jesup endowment. can lie used only
for research. What is to be done to
house the fine things that are coming
In from three continents? Obviously
the southeast wing. already carefully
planned to hold the OceanOgraphic.
Asiatic and part Of the American
collections, must he built. Nearly So
100000 worth Of collections are wait
Ing for exhibition space. 1t Is the
city's pledge to house them, but no
body realizes better thnn the trustees
of the museum that at this time the
city Is not In condition to provide the
million dollars needed for the new
wing. The only hope. therefore, is
that one or more persons Interested
In the museum-Or in the millions
who benefit through twill come to
the front. When we speak of mill.
ions benefited, 1t is advisedly, for the
attendance last year was $4,000 and
the circulating collections were viewed
by 1,23S,OOO more.
1t Is the opportunity of some citi.
zen, perhaps one now ms obscure MS
the history Of the Peruvian Empire.
to add a wing that shall hold the
trove of the treasure hunters. For
the gift Of million dollars the south.
east wing shall bear his name, and
the people, standing before the Bow.
doin Whales or the Trenton Traces
Of Man, shall bless him.
Is MECENAs in the audience