Evening star., 1916-08-10
Preserving the Indian.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

NEW YORK, August s-For some
years past the Importance and popular
ity of the American Indian have in
creased almost as fast as his numbers
have dwindled. His remains, in the
shape of skeletons and broken pottery,
have been assiduously collected and
studied. Learned men have journeyed
long distances to gather the stories of
the tribes from the lips Of the few sur
vivors. Indian poetry has been trans
lated and set to music and sung. Indian
tated. In a word, now that they have
for the most part either died or lost
their identity by intermarriage the In
dians are famous.
Fame in America always leads to
Broadway. and at Broadway the Ameri-
can Indian has now arrived. His re-
mains are going to be housed in
building at 155th street that will cost a
quarter of a million dollars. 1t will be
called the Museum of the American In
dian, Heye foundation, and will be the
first museum in the world devoted ex-
clusively to the collection and study of
the artifacts of the American aborigine.
The museum has already been organ
ized and is at present occupying several
floors of a business building on East
33d street, where its distinguished sci
entif1c star is now struggling with a
mass of interesting material, which Is
being sent in by expeditions in South
America. the West Indies and Arkansas.
For this is very up-to date, active
sort of a museum. 1t is backed by a
of New York's best known mil
including James B. Ford,
Minor c. Keith and Archer Huntington
1t is going after the antiquities in the
most modern manner.
Whatever else we may have done to
poor Lo we have not neglected him.
While he lived we
Poor L0Has Not equipped elabo-
Been Neglected. to hunt him aown
and kill him. and now that he is dead
we spend millions fitting out still more
preserve his remains.
The basis of this new museum is the
collection of George G. |
Heye. Mr.. Heye is a man of great
wealth, who shares the collecting in
stinct which seems to be one of the
characteristics of the Ameri- |
can millionaire. When young man
there the quaint towns of the Pueblo |
tribes. the old Adobe missions of the |
Spanish padres. the herds and hogan of |
the nomad Navajos. The romance and |
picturesque quality of the southwest. |
which is an unspoiled bit of the long
ago. inspired the young man. He de- \
termined to devote his life and wealth |
to the study Of pre-Columbian America. |
he has sent over thirty expeditions to |
all parts Of North and South America !
and the West Indies. His collection |
about 100000 specimens and is
worth over half million. 1t has never |
before been accessible either to the 4
public or to scientists. 1t is said to in
,lude some works in marble and gold |
from South America which show that
he ancient civilizations of that conti-
lent were not far behind those of Eu-
-ope in some of the arts. 4
This collection is now to be laid be-
,ore the public and the scientific world,
while a competent staff will work with
Every facility to increase and perfect
t. special feature of the new mu-
'eum will be a study room. where sci
,ntists will be given special opportuni-
les for the examination of the speci-
mems.
This up-to date institution is not go
ng to conflne its activities to the study l,
# the dead Indian. It is keenly aware
hat the Indian Is still with u.s. True. |,
le has been modified by civilization l.
md intermarriage; but he Is still an Il
indian at heart, generally q pagan, and
he lore and story OF his people are