Evening star., 1942-02-15
New ChiIdren's Museum Offers
Haven From War Troubles
Boston Institution
Lends Official to
Organization Here
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

"On the disquieting verge of the
great whirlpool of national and in
ternational war politics as the chill
dren of the Nations Capital are, the
Children's Museum of Washington
can be an oasis of security for their
after school hours. In it, busy with
their own interests, they can find
the necessary escape from the all
pervaSive talk Of war here"
This is the opinion of Mrs. Ann
Olmsted Peet, who is in charge of
the exhibits and loan department
of the Boston Children's Museum.
In a good-neighbor spirit of whole
hearted cooperation, the Boston
Museum. second Of its kind in the
world, has lent Mrs. Peet temporarily
to the Children's Museum of Wash
ington She is helping install the
first exhibits, prior to the formal
opening of the museum Friday.
Here. through the courtesy of Miss
Mildred E. Manter, director of Bos-
tons Children's Museum and her
staff, Mrs. Peet stopped her work
long enough to give her views on the
educational value of children's mu-
seums.
"She did not think "a wartime Pc
riod was an unwise one in which to
launch such a civic venture of free,
educational service" In this con-
nection, she reminded us that the
Boston Children's Museum was
started during the First World War
with only two little exhibition cases
in temporary quarters. Now. they
have a spacious home with grounds
and own an adjoining little theater,
where special educational sound
films. often bring more than 1000
pupils and teachers to the audito-
rum during single day.
Greater Opportunity Here.
"Just think of your opportunities
for even greater service here in the
city of Washington she suggested.
"The value of children's museums
over adult ones, is that they are al
ways open in the children's play
time. after school, on Saturdays,
Sundays and holidays"
The exhibits. she suggested, "are
the tools with which a children's
museum works, the background of
all Of its endeavors. Informative
and colorful cases attract the boys
and girls by the thousands. but
it is not only the inviting charm
of the exhibits which brings the
children back again and again: it
is also the meaning which is given
to these objects, names and places,
and to the working of natural laws,
by the adults who serve in chill
dren's museum that give them per-
manence."
Loan exhibits to schools, Boy and
Girl Scout troops, Fairgrounds, to
individuals for a week, settlement
houses, handicapped shut-ins, chill
drens hospitals and clinics, bird,
stamp and out-of-door clubs, IN ad-
dition to story hours and nature
walks and jaunts. are only few OF
the free services which this museum
expert stressed as coronary features
of the educational program chill
dren's museum can render its COM
munity.
Pressed for other specific ex-
amples, she cited that last year more
than 1900 children were interested
in the Boston Children's Museums
Saturday afternoon programs,
nearly 10000 participated in its
Information Please" and other
clue games based on its exhibits,
and more than $4,000 took part in
other miscellaneous activities.
Has Served Thousands.
Through its visual instruction
loan exhibits. which served not only
Boston, but New England, and ira
veled as for south as Baltimore and
as far west as Clevland, it made
educational contacts with more than
2.5OO.OOO children. So highly did
the instructors in the summer school
classes in education at Harvard and
the University of Boston rate the
visual instruction at the Boston
Childrens Museum, they brought
their classes to see it demonstrated.
with Washington a focal center
as the Nations Capital. the stimu-
lative effect of the Children's Mu-
scum along this line alone could
be Nationwide Mrs. Peet said.
She also declared: with all the
wise admonitions there are to clear
out attics and Easements in prepar-
alton for possible air raids, this is
the best possible time for acquisition
bv children's museums of all sorts
of wonderful collections that have
been treasured for generations by
people who have valued them but
have not wished to give them away
ndiscriminately. An almost price
less collection of 500 dolls, dating
hack to a world tour in the 80'S has