Evening star., 1942-02-21
ChiIdren's S Museum
To Be Opened for
Public Tomorrow
Officials, Diplomats
And Families Attend
Preview of Activities

From the hammered tin sign
tinkling in the wind outside to the
3-foot sombrero tackled high on the
wall or the second floor, the new
Children's Museum of Washington,
at 42l4 Massachusetts, avenue NV,
Is for children.
A warning to parents that they
must pretend for the moment at
least that they are children, too, is
pinned above one of the showcases
in the dollroom. The public will be
admitted to the museum from 2 to
5 pm. tomorrow; the rest Of the
week, except Monday, from 8 to 6
pm, and Saturday from II am. to
pm. The museum will be closed
on Mondays.
The plan of the Museum Com
mittee to keep it a children's affair
was apparent yesterday and this
morning as District officials, diplo-
mats and their children were in
vited in among telephone men and
the smell Of paint for a preview.
Miss Mildred Manter, director, and
Mrs. Anne Olmstead Peet, exhibit
director of the Boston Children's
Museum, special helpers at the
museum, followed their first small
guests about to get their reactions to
the paintings, dolls, stuffed South
American condors and hammered
tinwork
Gratifying Reactions.
The first children in the museum,
l0-year-old Yvonne Gumbel and
Anne Chandler, let out shrieks Of
delight at the dolls dressed in the
costumes of old France.
That's what would have looked
like If I'd grown up in France"
Yvonne explained to Anne. The
daughter Of Mr.. and Mrs. Irving
Gumbel, Of 4422 Greenwich park
way NV, Yvonne, was born in
France. Anne is the daughter Of 1t.
Col. and Mrs Rex E. Chandler, 4442
@ street NV.
Anne, already attending art school,
was fascinated by the paintings of
'Nono," 12-year-old native boy of
Santo Domingo. HIS work, along
with work done by school children of
Boston and Cincinnati, Is displayed
in two rooms on the second floor
Anne will be able to attend sketch
ing classes at the museum, said Miss
Matilda Young, museum secretary.
If her work is good enough, 1t will
go on exhibit. Stamps, marionettes,
bird paintings and hammered tin
work done by children, to be enrolled
in other clubs and classes planned
by the museum, will also be ex-
hibited.
Cans Prepared for Tinwork.
The hammered tinwork will be
done In room to the left of the
entrance to the former Villa Rosa,
now the museum. Towering can
delabras, stately crowns and birds
with sweeping tails have already
been pounded out by Mrs. Huston
Thompson, wife of the chairman of
the Museum Committee, and Mrs.
Edward Drexler. Piles of tin cans in
the corner were being split and fiat
tCAlCQ OuV yCSOlOdy Wy GWO OOyS
from Hillcrest Children's Village, in
preparation for the first tinwork
classes.
Fourteen Girl Scouts from Troop
46 at the Blessed Sacrament Church,
led by Mrs. H. w. Price, were on
hand yesterday to guide first visitors
to the exhibits. American Women's
Voluntary Service guides will be
especially trained as "docents,' or
guides, Mrs. Peet explained. The
main difference between the adult
and children's museum, she said, Is
the informal exhibiting, with plenty
of room for children to lie on the
floor and paint, and the special
docents to explain the exhibits en-
tertainingly.
Later, the museum will start show
ing educational movies, she said,
and set up an astronomy club.
Commissioner and Mrs. John Rus
sell Young were special guests at the
museum last night, when Miss Man.
ter spoke briefly on aims of the
museum.