Evening star., 1944-06-04
History Museum
Held Needed
By James Waldo Faucet.


A valiant American officer on the
fighting front in italy wrote home to
his mother: "If anything happens to
me. please give my collection to the
Smithsonian Institution for permanent
display"
Back of that request lay more than
twenty years Of searching for relics of
the past worthy of preservation and
study. The house from which the young
soldier went overseas was Allied with
articles of value and significance re-
flecting the development of his country.
In childhood and youth wherever he
had lived or journeyed from China Lake
fornia, he had been watchful for, ex-
amples Of human craftsmanship and
artistry in stone, wood, metals and tex
tiles. His friends had called his home
museum. Now came word that he had
fallen on the road to Rome. His mother
found comfort In her remembrance Of
his wishes. She telephoned the Smith
sonian and explained
But the curatqrs with whom she
talked were powerless to accept her
sons gift. With manifest regret, they
told her: 1--WE haven't room for the ex-
hibition Of the material we already
possess"
needs new building entirely devoted to
history.
AS far back as June 26. 1928, DR..
Charles G. Abbot, secretary of the
Smithsonian, informed the Board of
Regents: "The institution now is
crowded to the limit of its capacity. If
1t is desired to install some new ex-
hibit, another one, hardly less desirable,
must be retired. = a" There is not a
square foot of available space left.
When the NC-4. first plane to cross
the Atlantic, was placed on exhibition,
the wings had to be removed for lack
Of space"
Because of such lack of facilities the
Smithsonian, as DR.. Abbot declared,
constantly was losing contributions
which the curators wanted and gladly
would have received. He mentioned
models OF many great ocean liners and
undersea boats as representing a dis
play which readily could have been OBJ
tanned, II space to show them properly
had been awaiting them.
An important collection of early
American furniture and precious rugs,
carpets and blankets also is understood
to have gone elsewhere" when the In
stitution necessarily declined it shelter.
OF the existing Smithsonian units, the
first in chronological order is the struc-
ture accommodating the administrative
ofices, designed by James Renwick in
the American Gothic style in 1852; the
second, the so-called Arts and Industries
Building, cheap but ugly" completed in
1881, and the third, the Natural History
Building, designed by Hornblower 81
Marshall, erected between 1904 and 1910.
BY 1886 these several repositories con-
tanned about $4,000, 900 catalogued items
appraised at more than $3.50, 900 900.
The National Gallery OF Art, opened in
1910. is an associated but technically
Independent establishment. It does not
solve the problem Of what to do with the
works OF painting and sculpture owned
by the institution any more than the
Freer Gallery did when it was placed
in service in 1919.
To meet the demand for room for
strictly historical material, the WASH
ington Chapter Of the National Society
OF Colonial Wars and other patriotic Or
ganizations In, 1884 proposed "a plan
for great new museum Of American
history to be built in Washington, owned
by the people and administered by the
Smithsonian Institution" The Star.
commenting editorially on the "attrac-
ton Of the project" observed: For
many years the Smithsonian has been
obliged to reject gifts freely offered by
citizens The space available for the
display Of material was exhausted long
ago, and condition of overcrowding
has been the distinguishing character
istic OF the institution for several dec
ades. Thus, from a purely practical
point Of view, the construction of a
new building specifically assigned to
American history should be welcomed
by the regents and executive stan. 80
But the ideal represented by the history
museum proposal is to be commended
Tor its own sake. The Nation should
nave such depository for its artifacts,
and the Nations Capital is the proper
place for it to be located. - Nearly
thirty years have passed since Congress
has granted the Smithsonian funds for
construction purposes"
xx
The opinion thus set forth was ap-
proved by DR.. Alexander Wetmore, as
sistant secretary of the institution, in
public statement to the effect that
the projected new structure" would
make feasible the display of relics and
souvenirs of the past "in such manner
as to be an inspiration to multitudes."
Meanwhile, DR.. Abbot was preparing
to attempt to solve the problem in
another fashion. On May %, 1885. he
made application to "the new Work
Relief Administration" for $6,490O00
with which to construct two wings to
the Natural History Building When
his appeal was denied, he asked Secre-
tary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes to
intervene in the Smithsonian's behalf:
but his endeavor was fruitless-the adj
ministration just then was opposed to
further building activity in Washington
But in 1899 President Roosevelt in
olcated that he was considering "a
series OF relatively small buildings as