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6. Museum Lectures and Demonstrations. — While the great value 

 of case-to-case explanations was invariably admitted, the difficulty 

 attending any attempt to make a museum demonstration useful to 

 any large number of persons was equally obvious. One most 

 experienced demonstrator had stated that the largest number of 

 persons who can receive real benefit from a case-to-case demon- 

 stration is about a dozen, and had recommended that the lecture, 

 illustrated by specimens and lantern-slides, should be given in 

 an ordinary lecture-room, and a demonstration afterwards in the 

 museum to the smaller number seeking further information. In 

 any case it was most desirable that the demonstrator should be 

 placed on a temporary stand, so that he might see and be seen 

 by his audience. 



7. The Relations letiveen Museums and County Councils. — It 

 having always appeared to him that demonstrations in museums 

 should take a very prominent part in technical education, especially 

 in rural districts, he had been surprised that so little assistance 

 had been given in aid of local collections by Coimty Councils. In 

 order to ascertain what had been done in that direction he had 

 sent out a circular to County Council technical education committees, 

 and found that local museums and free libraries had been assisted 

 only in nine cases. The County Council of Cumberland had been 

 the most liberal, having made a grant of £600 per annum during 

 the last three years for the purpose of aiding the Corporation of 

 Carlisle to erect a museum, free library, and art school. A grant 

 had also been made to a free library at "Whitehaven for the purchase 

 of text-books for the use of students at technical instruction classes, 

 and a grant of £200 per annum bad been given to the Local Board 

 of Millom in aid of the free library and technical school at that 

 town. In Westmoreland a grant of £100 had been made to 

 the Kendal Free Library, and a similar sum had been given for 

 the purchase of books on scientific subjects at other centres in the 

 county. In Northumberland 50 per cent, of the cost of technical 

 books for village and other libraries had (under certain conditions) 

 been defrayed. At Leeds grants had been made to the Free Public 

 Libraiy Committee of the Corporation for the purchase of pictures 

 and books. In Hertfordshire money had been given to free 

 libraries for the purchase of technical books, and in Montgomery 

 grants had been made in two cases. In Surrey no aid had been 

 given to free libraries, but it was proposed to found a museum in 

 c(jnnection with buildings for technical education, and a reference 

 library. The London County Council had a proposal to aid a 

 certain museum under consideration ; and in Dorsetshire the 

 museums at Poole, Dorchester, and Sherborne had all received aid. 

 From some counties no information had yet been received, but 

 enough had been stated to show that there was no insuperable 

 obstacle to the application of money intended for technical 

 education to the development of museums. A leading object 

 with the Government Avas the development of local activity, 

 and he felt cominced that any grants made to local museums 



