1894. ADDRESS TO THE MUSEUMS' ASSOCIATION. 39 



opening of Museums and similar institutions on Sundays in view, 

 and my sole reason for not having" taken any more active part 

 in the operations of that Society than I have done is, that my hands 

 are already sufficiently full with my own work here. I observe, 

 however, that the procedure of that Society appears to have made 

 less headway against opposition than might have been expected 

 from the time it has been in existence. 



If Dublin is, as I believe it to be, fairly free from rowdyism and 

 disorder on Sundays, I think it may be to some extent due to the 

 large numbers of persons who are tempted to take their families to the 

 various resorts in and near the city, where they can enjoy so much 

 innocent pleasure and instruction as the institutions referred to can 

 afford. 



In 1884 further temporary accommodation was provided, by 

 which the overcrowding in both sections of the Museum was relieved, 

 and space for new acquisitions was provided. The printing of 

 regular quarterly acquisition lists in such a form as to be capable of 

 being cut up into labels was commenced, and has been continued 

 ever since. This was in addition to the descriptive labels printed in 

 the Museum press, to which reference has just been made. A slight 

 increase to the staff" of the Art Department, by the appointment of a 

 Technical Assistant, was sanctioned, and the employment of experts 

 to catalogue special groups though not initiated was advanced a 

 stage, so as to become a very important accession to the powers of 

 the limited staff of the Museum. In this way we have since had the 

 advantage of the services of Mr. R. Lydekker on two occasions, the 

 late Mr. William Davis, Mr. Kidston, and Mr. Foord, who have 

 respectively prepared catalogues of and arranged portions of the 

 Palaiontological collections; while Mr. W. F. Wakeman and Mr. 

 George Coffey have dealt similarly with the antiquities and coins ; 

 Dr. Will, of Erlangen, with the Coleoptera, and Mr. Greenwood 

 Pirn with the Lichens. Besides this, there have been volunteer 

 experts who have arranged minor groups. 



Of the advantages to be derived by Museum officers from visiting 

 Museums in other countries than their own, I can speak from the 

 experiences of my colleagues and myself. I hardly ever visit a 

 Museum, no matter how small it may be, that I do not see some 

 object of interest, or some method of exposition that is suggestive, 

 either of imitation, or, perhaps, even of avoidance, for it is almost 

 equally important in Museum management, as indeed it is in other 

 affairs of life, to know what not to do, as to learn what it is advisable 

 to have done ! 



Referring to my own visits to Museums, I derived, I think, more 

 direct and immediate benefit from those of America and Canada, 

 in the year 1884, than from those of the continent, including 

 Berlin. There is an originaHty of conception and method, and 

 a breadth in execution which render the Museums of Washington, 



