Evening star., 1923-09-30
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.


country is to have an impor-
tant new adjunct, and Ameri-
can business is to have
new ally.
1t is designed to "carry on" Where
the schools, newspapers and libraries
now stop-visualizing, making reai
and usable what Is learned through
these three great educative agencies.
With that purpose in view, develop
ment of community museums, broad
cast throughout the United states
has been undertaken in an organized
way by the American Association OF
Museums, cooperating with the
states and with the federal govern
ment through the Smithsonian 1nsu-
tuition.
This heralds the dawning of new
day for museums and brings into pup
lie service an idea which has been
terminating for more than a century.
It means that museum curators not
only stand for scientific and artistic
scholarship, but also for popular edu-
cation. Museums are now live insu-
tutions-not "museoleums." They are
"out of their she'll"
The American, Association Of Mu-
seums, which has its headquarters In
the Smithsonian Institution, is COM
posed of the leading museums in the
United States. AS one of its acttVi-
ties 1t has appealed to trade associa-
tions and business organizations for
the establishment in museums of ex-
hibits of the principal American prod
ucts.
General Awakening i'm L. s.
There is actually coming to frui-
| tion at this time the outworking OF
an Idea which many of the so-called
| "older generations" of museum men
have been pioneering for years. There
| Is a real awakening of museums to
their power to educate and serve the
public, and an awakening of the
public to the fact that museums are
not what they so often appeared to
be, storehouses of dead things.
Museums are now serving COM
merce and industry-the work-a-day
| world-in a number of ways. Laur-
| ence Vail Coleman, secretary of the
| American Association of Museums,
| explains that it is working with the
idea of bringing about during com
| ing years the establishment in every
community-big or little-of a mu-
scum for collections of art, industry
| science and community relics. Many
trade associations have already
1 agreed to cooperate with this asso-
citation by assembling exhibits of
their products, showing processes OF
manufacture, history of develop
ment and methods of distribution.
| This association believes that a
trade or Industrial exhibit will
serve Immediately the purpose of ad-
xertising and educating of children
and the public concerning American
products and production processes
and ultimately will become an object
of historical interest.
How Business Is Helped.
| In explaining what the museum
does to help business Mr.. Coleman
pointed out that:
First-It makes many commodities
nossible, by pointing the way to
sources Of raw material or substi-
tutes. A manufacturer finding his
long accustomed supply disappearing
is oftentimes advised what will serve
his purpose as well or better and
where he can get it. The same is
true of metal goods and chemicals
There are hundreds of cases all over
the country where the manufactures
first got information that was OF
important money value to him from
a museum. All the museum got was
Thank you." and that's all the mu-
scum wanted, for it was "out to
serve" the public.
Second-It continually and re-
peatedly improves many commodi-
ties and a notable example of this is
IN the case of design. THIS comes in