14 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1939 



NEW EXHIBITS IN THE SMITHSONIAN MAIN HALL 



For many years past the only public exhibits in the Smithsonian 

 building have been those of the division of graphic arts. They were 

 exhibited there only because of the crowded condition of the National 

 Museum buildings, and the arrangement w\as intended to be only 

 temporary. Having realized for some time that it would be desir- 

 able to set up in the Smithsonian main hall a comprehensive exhibit 

 that would tell visitors the story of all Smithsonian activities, I took 

 steps during the year toward the accomplishment of this aim. 



As the Smithsonian Institution has grown and expanded its field 

 of activity during the years, more bureaus have been placed under its 

 administration, more buildings have been added to the Smithsonian 

 group, and many new types of investigation have been undertaken. 

 With the growing complexity of the organization, it has become very 

 difficult for visitors to the several buildings to form a picture of the 

 Institution as a whole or to get any definite conception of its func- 

 tions and purposes. 



To remedy this situation I appointed a committee to recommend 

 plans for a series of exhibits in the Smithsonian main hall that would 

 portray in popular form the work of the Institution in many branches 

 of science, as well as the relationship between the parent Institution 

 and the National Museum, National Gallery of Art, and all its other 

 branches. It was emphasized that the exhibits should be of such a 

 nature that they could be changed readily to keep them up to date. 



It was planned also that as these exhibits developed, they would 

 form an important part of the proposed centennial celebration of 

 the Institution in 1946. 



Carl W. Mitman, Head Curator of Engineering and Industries, 

 was placed in charge of the exhibit project, and he selected to work 

 with him as a committee, Messrs. Foshag, Friedmann, Setzler, and 

 True of the Institution's staff. One meeting of the committee was 

 held during the year to discuss preliminary plans, and it was expected 

 to begin the preparation of the hall and the installation of the new 

 exhibits during the coming fall and winter, 



EIGHTH ARTHUR LECTURE 



The Arthur lecture, under the auspices of the Institution, was 

 provided for in the will of the late James Arthur, of New York, who 

 in 1931 left to the Smithsonian Institution a sum of money, a part 

 of the income from which should be used for an annual lecture on 

 some aspect of the study of the sun. 



The eighth Arthur lecture was given on February 21, 1939, by Dr. 

 Herbert J. Spinden, curator of American Indian art and primitive 

 cultures of the Brooklyn Museum, his subject being "Sun Worship." 



