Milestones 49 



of its class in this country to grant a salary, even though it be a 

 small one, for investigation. . . . 



" I wish I could feel confident that in the years to come there 

 would be a salaried investigator in every department of the Mu- 

 seum, working as Professor Crosby now does in Geology. My only 

 remaining desire, in that case, would be that they might be paid in 

 proportion to their deserts and not, as now, in proportion to our 

 limited income. 



"The first duty of an institution like ours is to provide for the 

 safe keeping of the collections committed to its care and to ex- 

 hibit them in proper shape for the instruction of the public. Its 

 income may be, as ours at present is, hardly sufficient for these prac- 

 tical purposes, but if it has no higher aim its progress mil necessa- 

 rily stop with the final reports on each department, audits museum 

 will speedily fall far behind the perpetually progressing standards 

 of other institutions. 



" If, on the other hand, it aims to foster and cultivate investiga- 

 tions which are appropriate and which naturally follow, after the 

 practical work of caring for and exhibiting its collections is either 

 partially or wholly completed in the different departments, it may 

 pass by degrees to this higher level of occupation and possibly, 

 finally make investigation its chief object. The entire museum will 

 reflect such a spirit as this, and it may be safely asserted that its fu- 

 ture will be better assured than by any policy of a more practical na- 

 ture, which simplyaims at the so-called completion of departments." 



Again, in 1890, Professor Hyatt said: 



"There is but little prospective benefit in attempting to build up 

 New England collections which are simple masses of specimens that 

 any man can collect and label. Each of the New England collec- 



