20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



vantage in which it stands, when compared with what are now its com- 

 petitors in the national collections of the leadhig conntries of Europe, 

 has grown painfully obvious. Important collections made in this coun- 

 try of the objects illustrating the vanishing life of its own native races 

 of men and animals— collections which can never be made again, and 

 never be replaced — are being permanently withdrawn to enrich the 

 museums of Europe. This has already gone so far that it is necessary 

 in order to study the past life of our own Mississippi Valley to go to 

 England, while for that of southern Alaska wc must go to Berlin, and 

 for the Californian coast we must go to Paris, and so on. It is already 

 then, in European capitals more than in our own, that we have to go 

 for some of the most important studies of our native races; and at the 

 present rate, within a few more years, when the American collector 

 has nothing more left to gather and to sell abroad, it will be in Europe 

 and not in America that the student of past American history must 

 seek for nearly everything that most fully illustrates the ancient life 

 and peoples of the American continent. 



This is an exceedingly regrettable circumstance and one which I sin- 

 cerely hope the National Legislature will be disposed to niodify. I may 

 remark in this connection that the National Museum is in danger of 

 forfeiting its proper status also on account of the competition of private 

 collections. With the increase of wealth in the country the desire for 

 the establishment of museums in various cities has been realized 

 and the amount spent for objects in many of them is far greater than 

 the National Museum has ever had at its disposal. While the National 

 Museum has always desired to cooperate fully with private establish- 

 ments of like nature, it is felt that the scientific and educational collec- 

 tion of the Government should be in nowise inferior. 



During the past year the Museum has been, as hitherto, under the 

 charge of Dr. G. Brown Goode, the Assistant Secretary of the Institu- 

 tion. Mr. Frederick W. True was designated by me curator-in-charge, 

 and has assumed the general management of the. Museum at difierent 

 times during the absence of the Assistant Secretary. 



A full report upon the operations of the Museum has been prepared 

 by Dr. Goode, and will form a separate volume, of which an abstract 

 is given here later. 



The Museum has been engrossed during the year in completing the 

 preparations for the exhibits at the World's Columbian Exposition, 

 and this work caused the practical suspension of many regular oper- 

 ations. The exhibits were ready at the appointed time and were 

 installed in the Government building in the Exposition by the curators 

 of the Museum, under the (lirecti(ni of the Assistant Secretary, who was 

 the representative of the Institution on the Government board. 



A statement regarding the exhil)its of the JMuseum will be found in 

 the report of the Assistant Secretary. 



In connection with this work mention sliould be made of the Colum- 



