Evening star., 1938-07-03

Visitors Have Fun
In an Informal
Atmosphere.

Atmosphere.
By FRANCES LIDE,
Junior Page Editor.
-UN may be an odd word TO apply
l. to . museum.
Yet FUN" seems to describe
L best the Little Museum at Hill
crest. Children's Village-oficially the
Washington City Orphan Asylum-on
Nebraska avenue NV.
A visit there may upset q lot Of
your ideas-if you have thought Of
I museums In terms Of rather austere
rooms where it is best to keep your
hands of exhibits and where formality
induces you to whisper with dignity
and not to laugh and talk too loud.
II that's your idea about museums.
well the Little Museum At Hillcrest
Is different.
Here one finds varied display Of
interesting material. but only in rare
instances is any object placed out OF
the reach Of the youngest visitor.
Here, instead of q formal room with
glass-inciosed cases, one finds some
thing more like q playhouse Exhibits
are many and neatly arranged, too
Yet In the spacious. airy room which
was formerly used for storage, orange
colored curtains filter the sun at the
windows and chairs and tables painted
orange and black are scattered about
in an inviting fashion.
Let me give you q few pictures Of
what one is apt to see on q summer
morning at the Hillcrest Museum:
A little girl wanders in past the gay
sign at the door, glances around .
moment or two and then spies 4 treas
ure trove in the corner. It Is 4 set
Of shelves filled with dolls.
Some Of them are rare old dolls and
many are from foreign countries. And
one Il = doll made from . stocking
stuffed with cotton which was made
by another Hillcrest girl when the
museum first opened.
The visitor isn't awed by what she
finds Instead, she walks over to the
shelves and selects one of the dolls and
hugs 1t in her arms. Then she dis
covers = four-poster doll bed which Is
. lovely old piece. Somebody's grand
mother played with it many years ago,
. label says. The dolly and the bed
should 60 together very nicely, the
young visitor decided. So she puts
her baby to bed and sitting on an
old-fashioned cricket sings it q lullaby
until 1t falls to sleep.
And here 10 another picture:
Two boys enter the museum room.
walk around gingerly until they come
to an old wooden cradle in 4 corner
set aside for pieces of America ma.
They read the label, which explains
that eight children once were rocked
In this cradle in q New England vii
lage.
The two youngsters decide to try 1t
out. 30 they both climb in and rock
together for 10 or Is minutes. And
nobody tells them to STOP.
And here Is still another picture:
1t Is tea time and guests have ar
rived. Refreshments are on the pro-
gram and . group OF girls retire to a
corner Of the room, where \ screen
hides . kitchenette. A teakettle il
put on a small stove to boil. BUSY
hands arrange cups and saucers. And
before long the guests are treated to
cup Of steaming tea right there in
the museum.
Do you see what mean when say
the museum Is fun?
The secret probably lies in the fact
that the Little Museum is strictly q
children's organization.
Children collect exhibits.
Omcers are all children.
Children straighten I'D when the |
room needs cleaning. Children plan
Little Museum parties And children.
OF course. are the principal visitors.
When you look about the cheerful
room. where the exhibits increase 50
rapidly 1t Is necessary to rearranqe |
things every few months, It's hard to
realize that the Little Museum once |
was just 4 shelf
Five or six years ago one of the
members Of the Board of Lady Man
ayers Of Hillcrest noticed how often
the girls who came in to talk to her
carried flowers, leaves, pieces of stone |
or other things picked up on their
walks to and from school, Seeing how
much these objects seemed to mean to |
the girls. this lady manager" sue-
gested that a place be found where
they could be kept safe.
Soon everybody wanted to have
something in the museum, Children
ransacked their rooms for coins
stamps and other treasures. One girl |
killed snake which she found near
stream flowing through the grounds
at Hillcrest and decided to preserve
its skin for the new enterprise. Still
another found a dead bird, which she
stuffed. and others brought In live
animals.
By the time the collections had
grown too large for their shelf and
the new quarters had been arranged.
outside friends began to send in gifts.
A daughter-in-law Of the Ambassa-
dor to Mexico paid one visit and left
. beautiful exhibit of Mexican items.
A Southern bishop sent up a minia-
ture log cabin and enough cotton to
make typical Southern scene.
In order to care for these exhibits
and place them properly it was neces-
sary to have q museum organisat ton.
Miss Portia Oberly, who was promot-
ing the project. decided to have the
organization entirely of children.
1t is q distinct honor to belong
to this stan, but it's work. too. Mem
bers must plan each exhibit and
arrange and rearrange shelves as ad-
ditions make 1t necessary. Often spec
linens must be taken to the National
Museum for proper Identification, and
then must be labeled, for every gift
carries 4 note giving It's background