The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-08-08
EX-SOLDIERSLEARN WSUALLY WITH
 MUSEUMS HELP

Chicago. Aug. In sending its travelling exhibfta Of animals, birds products to the continuation school where this summer $50 disabled ex- service men are removing their han dicap through vocational training, Field Museum Is advancing another step toward the goal of modern mu- seums-to reach all the people every day of the year.
 To a. representative of the Society for Visual Education, pr: s. Chap man Sfp1rns, director of the N. w. Harris Public School Extension of Field Museum, explained that this newest extension of his depar rtments service has developed as the result of request from one of Chtcago's in dustrial continuation schools.
 ''Mr. Edward G. Bauman, of the Washburne Continuation and Trades Schools at 14th street and Union ave- nue. had seen our travelling museum functioning In the grades In connec- ton with the study of botany, zoo logy. geology and the various indus tries with which those sciences are al- lied. He knew Just what such vis- ualizing of the textbook means to young students, with their ever present hunger for the concrete in education; dueatI l., He He wanted the sane ne are attending hds school this year for vocational rehabilitation. Twenty five exhibits were immediately placed at his disposal for the summer" | '+The cases MT. Bauman has deSir- ed particularly" said Dr. Simms, "were such as illustrated the econom- ic side of natural science; for exam pie, exhibits telling the story of tea and coffee from plantation to table; the making of silver-plated spoons, steel pens and china plates; the man ufacture of rubber, flour, white lead and paper"
 | "Tn o,,, roe,,Ior rerx,ioe 4o +he ,ro d @ | schools remarked Dr. Simms, "I have noted steadily increasing de- mand for economic material. I have ask d the teachers to analyze at. Oh. it's in the air. they will tell you. Its Chicago. We're a commercial city. Our pupils see these products adver- tised everywhere, they watch the smoking chimneys, and they're natur- wheels go round inside all these busy factories I particularly inter ested to know that the Society for Visual Education Is producing g. series of films on vocational education which will be suitable for school use. They should meet what is today a very vital need, and perform an important ser vice to education"
 The extension service which Field Museum has been maintaining to the public schools of Chicago since 1913 Is the fruit of a disappointment, an inspiration and a -millfon-dol- 
 Harris, the banker, was amazed to learn that less than ten per cent. of the school children of Chicago were | availing themselves of the benefits of the museum. As a remedy, Dr. SkiH, the director, had suggested that the museum be carried right into the in dividua1 schoolroom, where its exh1o- it's could be made an integral part of the lesson. MT. Harris volunteered to sfinance the plan.
 This was back in 1911. Soon a small army of naturalists, taxiderm- ists, sculptors, photographers and l craftsmen were at work preparing
 the exhibits. Portable cases were devised, in which representative groups of birds, animals, fish, flowers, rocks and other natural history sub were mounted in settings reproducing g their natural environment. Many were displayed against realistic pho togra phic backgrounds. Labels tell ing in large type and interesting lan-
 guage the story of the group were
 set into sliding frames permanently attached to the cases. A specially designed automobile was built to han
 Today the N. W. Harris Public
 School Extension of Field Museum
 has nearly 700 cases in daily service
 in the schools. Three exhibits are
 For three weeks they are circulated from room to room, at the end Of : which they are removed. Some weeks , later the school receives entirely new set, the schedule being so ar ranged that each school gets five de-
 1iveries year. The aim of the de partment is to develop a large enough
 equipment to permit of every schools : having one exhibit at all times MT. Harris was an a1l-round cfti- zen, a real American said Dr.
 Simms, in discussing new plans for service. ''In endowing the travelling , , museum his purpose went far deeper , , than merely the teaching of natural the part of the public which uses the : National Forests. It is greatly de
 sired by the Forest Service that all the IT National Forests, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from Cuff to Border, be used and enjoyed : to the fullest extent by as many peo- Die as possible. This involves uni-