REPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1908. 13 



distinguished personages and important events as well as the domestic 

 life of the country from the colonial period to the present day. 



It has been deemed appropriate to present the foregoing brief re- 

 view of the scope of the national collections in this connection, since 

 the time is near when they may be given an orderly arrangement and 

 when the subjects least developed from lack of space may have the 

 opportunity for growth. By transferring to the new building, as 

 proposed to Congress, the subjects which are best represented, which 

 have been as a whole most completely classified and can, therefore, 

 be most advantageously exhibited for the benefit of the public, 

 namely, ethnology, archeology, natural history, and geology, the pres- 

 ent Museum building may be given over to the arts and industries. 

 In several branches of this subject the collections are already im- 

 portant and extensive, and arrangements are under way for large and 

 valuable additions. Certain halls in the Smithsonian building w^ere 

 originally planned for the gallery of fine arts, and with a moderate 

 expenditure they can be adjusted to suit the requirements of to-day. 



AVith its collections thus distributed between the three buildings, 

 all fireproof and of substantial construction, the National Museum 

 may be expected to enter upon an era of renewed prosperity and 

 usefulness. 



AVhile it is the primary duty of a museum to preserve the objects 

 confided to its care, as it is that of a library to preserve its books and 

 manuscripts, yet the importance of public collections rests not upon 

 the mere basis of custodianship, nor upon the number of specimens 

 assembled and their money value, but upon the use to which they are 

 put. Judged by this standard, the National Museum may claim to 

 have reached a high state of efficiency. From an educational point of 

 view it is of great value to those persons w^ho are so fortunate as to 

 reside in Washington or who are able to visit the nation's capital. In 

 its well-designed cases, in which every detail of structure, appoint- 

 ments, and color is considered, a selection of representative objects is 

 placed upon view to the public, all being carefully labeled individu- 

 ally and in groups. The child as well as the adult has been provided 

 for, and the kindergarten pupil and the high-school scholar can be 

 seen here, supplementing their class-room games or studies. Under 

 authority from Congress, the small colleges and higher grades of 

 schools and academies throughout the land, especially in places where 

 museums do not exist, are also being aided in their educational work 

 by sets of duplicate specimens, selected and labeled to meet the needs 

 of both teachers and pupils. 



Nor has the elementary or even the higher education been by any 

 means the sole gainer from the work of the Museum. To advance 

 knowledge, to gradually extend the boundaries of learning, has been 

 one of the great tasks to which the Museum, in consonance with the 



