Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-04
EXHIBIT IS PLACED
BY SMITHSONIAN
Comprehensive Display at
Sesqui Goes lnto Many
Phases of U. S. History.


NAL exposition a certain little stat
uette of jade included IL the Smith
sonian Institutions exhibit runs the
risk of dra wing but few e"as. Yet the
Statuette is a unique treasure of
American archaeology. 1t comes from
Tuxtla. Mexico, a center Of ancient
Maya civilization. and on IL in Maya
characters is inscribed date CORE
spending to Sc b. c. II is the Oldest
dated object of any kind found on
this continent.
More arreStinG perhaps than TINS
Intriguing evidence of mans high de-
velopment in America 1000 years ago
Is the record of a deep sea drama OF
some seven or eight million years
hack, preserved In the fossil skeletons
of two giant fishes, one within the
other, which also forms part OF the
Smithsonian exhibit. The larger
skeleton measures some l. feet IN
length, while the smaller. contained
in il. measures 6. The story is
plain. The big fish swallowed the
smaller one (Which incidentally be-
longed to the same family whole.
found his gluttouy too much for him,
sank to the bottom and died.
Throughout the aeons the two skele-
tons were covered with the remains
of minute sea organisms, forming
chalk, and later with mud and sand
to a depth of 1000 feet. In the course
of geological processes of elevation
and erosion the fossilized skeletons
came again near the surface OF the
earth and were discovered In Kansas
by a modern scientist. from whom the
Smithsonian obtained them tor eNhl-
bition at Philadelphia.
Funds Curtaiied Erl'';h;t.
These specimens eXemplifN the at
TEMPT made by the Smithsonian IN
It's exhibit at the Sesquicentennlal to
enlven scientific facts for the lay
man Lack of funds prevented the
institution from illustrating more
than a small part of its work or that
of the bureaus under its admin.stra-
ton, but it has striven to compensate
for incompleteness by interest.
. Under the direction of William de L.
Ravenel, administrative assistant TO
the secretary of the SmithSoniAn, the
display has been made up largely VI
material from the National Museum.
OF prime appeal to the eye. perhaps
because of it's human interest. Is the
contribution from the department OF
anthropology. Nine models in NINA
ture of village groups of the Iroquois.
Sioux. Pawnee. Wichita. Chippewa.
Seminole, Navajo and Pullman, on
Digger" Indians. reveal the houses
and phases of the outdoor life OF the
more important races of Indians al a
time when they were little changed
by the white man.
I.ife-siZed models of Zuni potters at
work. OF Navajo silversmiths ham
nering their metal and of Navajo
weavers making their blankets
illustrate The arts and crafts OF prlm-
tive Americans OF married educa-
tional value are the series showing
the evolution from simple beginnings
of objects In daily household use. For
instance, the history OF tiremaklnS
from the primitive rubbing OF STICK
on stick is portrayed: likewise me
evolution of the amp. The candle.
the cup. knife, fork and spoon. the
hammer. the saw. drill, American ak
and European AK.
Bini1c- N0"l Illustrated.
Another group of American alb
origineS is shown mining ana Work
ing native copper. DIR. w. II. Holmes.
director of the National Gallery OF
Art. designed this group.
The visitor is also brought face to
face with great figures in Indian his
tory. and with typical members of
several tribes in busts worked up
from life masks made in the field by
DR.. Ales IIrt.licika.
To represent it's work In biology
the National Museum has sent a
group of Bighorn, Rocky Mountain
sheep. The Bighorn is one OF the
tribe of true wild sheep, which are
distributed over western North Am
erica. through central and eastern
Asia. and on the islands of Corsica
and Sardinia Three of the speci-
mems at Philadelphia were collected
bv DIR. Charles D. Walcott secretary
of the Smithsonian Institute, in AL
berta, Canada. 49,
Gems and precious stones found in
America and the minerals from which
they come form a part of the instI-
buttons geological exhibit. The proc
esses by which rock Is weathered to
form soils is also pictured. 1
Fossils 500. oOO, 900 Years Old.
' Besides the giant fossil fish with
In a fossil fish, the life of unknown
millions of years ago is represented
by several turtles. one OF which
meas ures by 5 feet, and by a swim
ming reptile about Is feet in length.
Fossil plants from the coal measures
of PENNSYLVANIA help to show how
coal was formed Finally. the visitor
NAV see fossil seaweeds which repre-
sent the earliest known forms of life.
Probably more than 500.000,0 900 years
have passed since the weeds repre-
scented by these fossils grew.
The development of the art OF Pho
Biography from the days OF the nrst
daguerreotype machine is portrayed
as part of the graphic arts exhibit
which also illustrates drawing. etch-
ing, intaglio engraving and other
forms of graphic eXpressaion.
Interest in American history should
be stimulated by the series of uni
forms. insignia, small arms. medals
end decorations showing the various
tvpes Of such objects used by the
United States Army during the period
1776-1926.. The historical exhibit con-
tains also models of the ships OF Co.
lumbus. of the Mayflower and Of the
Constitution.
Exhibit of Ships.
Ships occupy a prominent place, as
we'll in the exhibit of the division or
mechanical technology of the Ma
tional museum. Models of the earlies
steamboats, built in the united States,
including the Phoenix, which was
the first steamship to make an ocean
VOYAGE, are shown side by side with
models of the development of the
steam engine. Models of James
Watts inventions are operated by
compressed air and electricity.
The possible results In long-range
weather forecaStinS which may arise
from the studies of the suns heat now
being made by the astrophysicai OBJ
servatory of the Smithsonian lnstitu-
ton give special interest to the ex-
hibit of instruments by which the
suns heat is measured. They include
the bolometer. so sensitive that it will
pea SIRE change of One-milliOnth of