214 , Manorial of George Broivn Goode. 



3. There is uo such thing in existence to-day as a general technological 

 museum, conducted upon a liberal plan and doing useful educational 

 work. The possibility of establishing such a museum remains to be demon- 

 strated. Attempts have been made at the close of various international 

 expositions, but without success. 



4. It is possible that experience may show that museum work in this 

 field can best be done in connection with museums of natural history and 

 anthropology, organizing sections of economic zoology in connection with 

 zoological museums, economic geology and botany, respectively with the 

 general botanical and geological collections. In this way, at least the 

 natural products and the crude materials could be disposed of to advan- 

 tage, and the manufactured products, tools, and processes, on the other 

 hand, could be shown by the museums of anthropology and art, and in 

 connection with the mechanical or patent museums; though, after all, a 

 factory in actual operation is the best place to study most modern indus- 

 tries. The constantly changing interests of commerce, dependent upon 

 changing fashions and the caprice of markets, might safely be left to the 

 exposition and fair, or, if need be, cared for by commercial organizations. 

 In the city of Philadelphia, for instance, there is a most permanent exhi- 

 bition of objects and materials used in the construction and ornamenta- 

 tion of houses, kept by the Building Trades' Association. 



F.— COMMERCIAI, MUSEUMS. 



1. The commercial museum has to do with the salable crude material 

 and manufactured articles; with markets, means of commercial distribu- 

 tion, prices, and the demand and supply of trade. 



2. It may properly be connected with the technological museum, but 

 for the fact that its purposes are likely to be more akin to those of the 

 exposition or fair, involving a frequent renewal of exhibits in connection 

 with commercial changes, and often certain features of competitive 

 advertising or display on the part of private exhibitors. 



3. The function of this class of museums is twofold: 



(«) To exhibit to home producers the character and location of foreign 

 markets. 



{b) To exhibit to foreign buyers the location and products of the 

 home producer. 



4. Although the usefulness of the commercial museum has not yet 

 been fully demonstrated, it is conceivable that it might be of great 

 service, could it be made the medium of wide international commvmica- 

 tion, and the means of a comprehensive system of exchange, through 

 which the collections should be kept up to date and indicate the condi- 

 tion of the various markets of the world. 



Essential to the success of such a museum would probably be a bureau 

 of information, through which practical knowledge concerning prices, 

 shipment, and the quality of products, might be obtained by manufac- 



