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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



finds his most interesting work in the neglected fields of popular 

 superstitions and games, and who is an earnest student of com- 

 parative religion. The exhibition was formally opened on March 

 Kith, when crowds of visitors were present. The collection is the 

 first of its kind publicly shown in America. It is on the general 

 plan of the Muse'e Guimet in Paris, and, although not to be com- 

 pared with that in size, it presents some valuable features that are 

 lacking there. Some eight hundred objects illustrated Brahman- 

 ism, Buddhism, Taoism, Mohammedanism, the fetich-worship of 

 South Africa, the Shamanism of North America, the idolatry of 

 Polynesia, and the old religions of Egypt. There has been much 

 hard work given to this display, and great credit is due those who 

 have been interested in its preparation. 



While we speak of work done by noble individual effort and 

 sacrifice^ and without the assistance of Government or of wealthy 

 organizations, we must describe what is done at Salem and at 

 Davenport. No museum in America has exerted a greater influ- 

 ence than that in Salem, 

 Massachusetts. A large pro- 

 portion of the most active 

 scientific men in our coun- 

 try, directly or indirectly, 

 owe much of their first im- 

 pulse and enthusiasm to 

 some department of its 

 work. In 1799 the Salem 

 East India Marine Society 

 was organized, with a mem- 

 bership confined to persons 

 who had actually navigated 

 the seas beyond the Cape of 

 Good Hope or Cape Horn 

 as masters or supercargoes 

 of vessels belonging to Sa- 

 lem. Those were the palmy 

 days of commercial suprem- 

 acy and the seas were dotted 

 with vessels from the old 

 town. The third of the ob- 

 jects stated as reasons for organizing the society was " to form a 

 museum of natural and artificial curiosities, particularly such as 

 are to be found beyond the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn." 

 The museum began November, 1799, with a gift of objects from 

 Sumatra by Captain Jonathan Carnes. In course of time much 

 choice material in ethnography was brought here particularly 

 from the South Sea Islands, China, India, Africa, and South 



Frank Hamilton Cushing. 



