Report of a Journey Around the Wo)id. 263 



libraries. Then the income from paid admissions: our own museum 

 is free even to the care of articles that must be left in the door- 

 keeper's custody ; but most of those demanding a fee have free 

 days, usually Saturday and Sunday, and it is interesting to see 

 the difference. One American museum had : — 



Paid Attendance. 



Adults 20,599 



Children 2,289 



22,888 



Free admission on pay days 1 1,386 



Admission on free days 180,239 



Total attendance for a year 214,513 



An English museum of much smaller extent which was open 

 also 364 days in the year, but all days free, shows an attendance 

 of 167,502, or an average of 460 per diem . 



The financial arrangements of museums vary, but with all the 

 larger and more important institutions it is customary to have a 

 budget or its equivalent, which is submitted by the Director in 

 conference with his staff, and if this is approved by the governing 

 board, it relieves this board from farther trouble about the regular 

 expenditures. Its members are not expected to interfere with the 

 scientific administration of the institution unless the machine 

 should get out of running order. On the other hand, the staff is 

 not expected to meddle with the care of the funds, their investment, 

 etc., for which the}' do not pretend to be especially trained, as is 

 usually the case with trustees, commissioners, regents or what- 

 ever may be the style of the governing board. In the large Euro- 

 pean Government museums this system puts more labor on the 

 Director, for it rests with him to convince the commissioners that 

 the expenditures called for are just and actually needed ; if the 

 funds available are not sufficient a limit is given, and the Director 

 must apportion the money appropriated as seems to him best with 

 the advice of his staff. Whatever the system adopted it is desir- 

 able that each museum publish its financial statement with its 

 annual report. 



The relation of public museums to private collections. I have 

 already remarked on the value of private collections made by edu- 

 cated men who are not mere "curio hunters". All such collections 



T4H] 



