32 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 192 8 



with modern progress is as much out of date as vehicular trans- 

 portation of the same period when compared with our modern 

 facilities. This building should be replaced now by one of modern 

 design, that will afford a much greater area of floor space and will 

 have halls properly designed for modern needs in exhibition. The 

 new Wilding should occupy the site now given to the one in use, but 

 shojLJ^d cover considerably more ground to provide the needed space. 

 M*o<fern' advances in commerce and industry are tremendous and so 

 overshadow their modest beginnings that these will be completely 

 forgotten by coming generations unless the essential steps in their 

 development are preserved. The various stages of growth in all 

 branches of transportation, engineering, and commerce are of ines- 

 timable value in affording material stages on which further advances 

 may be made, to say nothing of their educational importance in their 

 effect on the minds of our modern youth. They must be carefully 

 preserved for this purpose. 



When a national gallery of art to house our wonderful art col- 

 lections shall be constructed the removal of these will free a certain 

 amount of space in the Natural History Building, but the area left 

 vacant will l^e automatically absorbed by the natural-history exhibits 

 retired originally to make room for art. There should be added 

 to the JsTAmu-al History Building two wings, one on the east and 

 one ofliMdBfest, in accordance with the original plan of the architect, 

 which, ;wicn- the same height as the present building, will give needed 

 space for our laboratories and will house our tremendously valuable 

 research collections. In some divisions, as, for example, the rooms 

 assigned to the collections of insects, w^orking conditions have become 

 . almost intolerable because of the increasing number of persons neces- 

 sarily engaged in important research, so that now in some instances 

 four persons must depend upon the light from a single window for 

 illumination in work requiring delicate examination under the micro- 

 scope. Additional ^ace in this building would provide for a more 

 logical arrangement^f many exhibits and a remodeling of some in 

 a more modern form, which can not be attempted at present, and 

 would also give relief from present crowding, which often is tiring 

 and confusing to the visitor. 



. The division of history, a division of the greatest importance to 

 eyery patriotic American, with its wonderful series of memorabilia 

 of those to Avhom we owe our country and our freedom, its collections 

 of weapons, war materials, historical objects of all kinds, its great 

 series of coins and stamps, at present has its exhibits distributed 

 through the Natural History and the Arts and Industries Buildings 

 in a manner which does not permit orderly display. There should 

 be provided for it a separate building, wiiere its treasures may be 



