1 62 THE NA TU RE-STUD Y RE VIE W [ 2 . 5 -may, , 9 °6 



Museum work. In summarizing evidences of its progress it is only 

 fair to remember that its field of labor is centered in the heart of a 

 great city with a shifting population and that of the thousands of 

 children who come temporarily within its influences many, through 

 change of residence, soon lose sight of it altogether. For such we 

 can only hope that their brief museum experience has opened to 

 them some new field of enjoyment. From among the permanent 

 homes of the neighborhood, on the other hand, the museum records 

 an encouraging number of high-school pupils who became its patrons 

 when in the lower grammer grades. Each year some new phase of 

 nature appeals to them and the museum has in every case assisted 

 in the pursuit of some hobby. 



Many a child has testified to the fuller enjoyment of his summer 

 vacations because of the increased stock of information unconsciously" 

 absorbed in the spare moments devoted to the museum; and teachers 

 invariably tell us that their pupils who come to the museum regularly 

 take a higher rank in school work — as a primary devotee once 

 expressed it •' Our teacher likes to have us come here because it 

 makes us wise " 



A teacher from a near-by school not long ago told the writer that 

 the owl lesson she prepared so carefully unexpectedly developed into 

 an " experience meeting ' in which every one wanted to testify- 

 as to what he had seen the live owl do at the Children's Museum. 



Whereas four years ago it was difficult to get school principals to 

 take the trouble to distribute the museum paper and the majority of 

 teachers in every school knew nothing about the Children's Museum, 

 the Museum News is now faithfully distributed and the existence of 

 the museum has become known in nearly every school. Many of 

 the teachers announce the subjects of the half-hour talks to their 

 classes and give additional credits to children who attend them. 



Some principals who formerly denied to their teachers the privilege 

 of bringing classes to the museum in school hours, on special occa- 

 sions now permit them to start early in the afternoon, if the object 

 of the visit is the supplementary study of a school subject. More 

 than 75 public schools, 40 private schools and 6 high schools in Brook- 

 lyn continue to send teachers and pupils to the museum. 



During 1905, 14,727 children attended the half-hour talks, and 

 380 visits from school teachers and principals in search of definite 

 information were recorded. The general average attendance for the 

 past fpur years has exceeded 94,600 each year. 



Although the Children's Museum has made only a beginning, it is 



