REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, li)07. 11 



cnt musenm buildin<i' m;iy l>t' <:i\(Mi oNcr (o the arts and industries. 

 In several branches of this subject (he collections are already impor- 

 tant and extensive, and arrangements are under way for larij^e and 

 valuable additions. (^>rtain halls in (he Smithsonian buildin<r were 

 ori«>inally i)lanned for the oallery of (inc arts, and with a moderate 

 exi)enditure they can be adji!s(ed to Miil the requirements of to-day. 



With 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. 



While it is the primary dut}^ of a museum to preserve the objects 

 confided to its care, as it is that of a library to i)i-eserve its books and 

 manuscripts, yet the importance of ])iiblic collections rests not upon 

 the mere basis of custodianship, nor u}Jon the number of specimens 

 assembled and their mone}^ value, but upon the use to Avhich they are 

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

 have reached a high state of efficiency. P'rom an educational point of 

 view it is of great value to those persons who are so fortunate as to 

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

 its well-designed cases, in wdiich 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 ])rovided 

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

 seen here, supplementing their class-room games or studies. I'nder 

 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 

 spirit of the Institution, has set itself from the first. Its staff, though 

 chiefly engaged in tlie duties incident to the care, classification, and 

 labeling of collections in order that the}^ may be accessible to the pub- 

 lic and to students, has j^et in these operations made important dis- 

 coveries in every department of the Museum's activities, which have 

 in turn been communicated to other scholars through its numerous 

 publications. But the collections have not been held for the study of 

 the staff nor for the scientific ad.vancement of those belonging to the 

 establishment. Most freely have they been put at the disposal of 

 investigators connected with other institutions, and, in fact, without 

 the help of many such the record of scientific progress based upon the 



