The Principles of Museum Administrcition. 21 7 



surgical, and pathological museums; military and naval museums; mechan- 

 ical museums (.such as those connected with patent offices and the Conserva- 

 tory of Arts and Manufactures in Paris); museums for special arts (like 

 the Textile Museum connected with the Gobelin establishment, the 

 Museum of Porcelains in Sevres, the Museum of Mosaics in Florence), 

 and certain scientific museums like that of the Geological Survey of Great 

 Britain — the Museum of Practical Geology— the Museo Psicologico in 

 Florence, founded by Mantegazza, and many others. 



2. Such institutions, usually under the control of a society, school, 

 or specialized bureau, although they may allow inspection by the public, 

 do not necessarily undertake general educational work, but may with 

 propriety consult first, in all matters relating to administration and 

 display, the interests of the class for which they are formed. 



K. — PRIVATE MUSEUMS OR CABINETS. 



1 . Such collections undertake work in only one portion of the museum 

 field — that of fostering scientific and historical studies — and so long as 

 they are fruitful in this direction, the manner in which they are adminis- 

 tered concerns only the persons by whom they are controlled. It is well 

 that there should be many museums of this kind, and that those who work 

 in them should not be encouraged to dissipate their energies in attempt- 

 ing to do too much of the work which belongs to institutions of other 

 classes and for which they should be held responsible. These are, to all 

 intents and purposes,- scientific laboratories. 



2. The private collector is of the greatest service to the public museum. 

 He can, by the use of private wealth or individual freedom, do many 

 things which the officers of a public museum can not. 



3. The private cabinet is the school in which the museum administra- 

 tor forms the tastes and receives the preliminary training which fits him 

 for his profession. There is much truth in the remark of Jevons that the 

 best museum is that which a person forms for himself. If everyone 

 could do this, there would be no need for public museums; but since they 

 can not, the person who has formed a private collection ought to be able 

 to manage one for the use of the public, since he, better than anyone else, 

 is able, in considering the needs of the museum visitor, to keep in mind 

 that saying which is so useful a guide in museum practice, "Put yourself 

 in his place." 



4. Private collectors .should be encouraged for educational reasons also, 

 for it has been frequently remarked that the men who have had in youth 

 the training afforded by forming a collection have derived therefrom great 

 advantage over others, even though they subsequently pursued commerce 

 or the learned professions. 



