216 H. G. rOEDHAM ON LOCAL ITUSETJMS. 



by financial limits and those of space. The work of examining, 

 describing, and cataloguing their various treasures must be con- 

 fined to those whose abilities and industry are of the very highest 

 order, and of necessity such museums attract to themselves the 

 learned and curious in all the branches of study which are connected 

 with their contents. The collections they contain become naturally 

 of greater and greater value as time goes on ; but they become too 

 huge and unwieldy to be attractive to the people or available to 

 any large extent as popular educators. 



The accumulative museums are, in fact, store-houses of research ; 

 they supply the material sustenance which science requires, and by 

 the digestion of which knowledge is increased. 



The British Museum is at once seen to be a typical instance of 

 this class. Here in every department completeness is the ideal 

 which is sought after, and there seems no limit to the mass of 

 specimens which is always increasing from every side. 



Differing essentially in almost every characteristic from the accu- 

 mulative museum, the educational museum fills a place of almost 

 equal value and usefulness. It places conveniently in popular 

 view specimens not in themselves necessarily unique or of great 

 value, but representative of all the vast stores which the accu- 

 mulative museum preserves. There is a limit, not altogether 

 defined, but still a limit to the accumulation of specimens. It is 

 essentially characteristic of this class of museum that the objects 

 exhibited should be selected and arranged with great discrimination 

 and care, so that they may be truly illustrative and representative 

 of the orders or divisions in nature or art to which they belong. 

 With this in view, it is obvious that in many cases models or 

 copies, which are of no intrinsic value, and may be indefinitely 

 multiplied, are as useful as original specimens or works of art ; 

 so that indeed the contents of an educational museum may be of 

 comparatively little value. In the formation of an educational 

 museum it is most important that too great an accumulation should 

 be guarded against, lest by the enormous number and variety 

 of the specimens exhibited these should lose their individual 

 importance. 



To such a miiseum the student does not resort to study particular 

 forms of animal or vegetable life, or the development of ancient 

 language or art, nor has the somewhat miscellaneous collection 

 , any charm for the savant who is wrapped up in his own particular 

 investigations ; nor is it necessary to maintain a large staif of 

 highly educated directors, curators, or other officials. On the 

 other hand, knowledge is brought in palpable form before the 

 people. The ignorant, or comparatively uninstructed classes, are 

 able to examine the objects which they would never search for, or 

 imagine to exist, if not brought to their notice. Their curiosity 

 is stimulated, their reasoning powers are excited, and they are 

 tempted to inquire further into matters thus demonstrated to be 

 open to them, in common with the learned. 



At South Kensington we have a museum answering to this 



