The MtLsennis of the Future. 255 



We speak of educational niiiseunis and of the educational method of 

 installation so frequently that there may be danger of inconsistency in 

 the use of the term. An educational museum, as it is usually spoken 

 of, is one in which an attempt is made to teach the unprofessional visitor— 

 an institution for popular education by means of labeled collections, and 

 it may be also by popular lectures. A college museum, although used 

 as an aid to advanced instruction, is not an "educational museum" in 

 the ordinary sense; nor does a museum of research, like the Museum of 

 Comparative Zoology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, belong to this class, 

 although to a limited extent it attempts and performs popular educa- 

 tional work in addition to its other functions. 



In the National Museum in Washington the collections are divided 

 into two great classes— the exhibition series, which constitutes the 

 educational portion of the Museum, and is expo.sed to public view with 

 all possible accessions for public entertainment and instruction, and the 

 study series, which is kept in the scientific laboratories, and is scarcely 

 examined except by professional investigators. 



In every properly conducted museum the collections must from the 

 very beginning divide themselves into these two classes, and in planning 

 for its administration provision should be made not only for the exhibi- 

 tion of objects in glass cases, but for the preservation of large collections 

 not available for exhibition, to be used for the studies of a very limited 

 number of specialists. 



Ivord Bacon, who, as we have noticed, was the first to whom occurred 

 the idea of a great museum of science and art, complained three cen- 

 turies ago, in his book On the Advancement of Learning, that up to 

 that time the means for intellectual progress had been used exclusively 

 for "amusement" and "teaching," and not for the "augmentation of 

 science. ' ' 



it will undoubtedly be found desirable for certain museums, founded 

 for local effect, to specialize mainly in the direction of popular education. 

 If they can not also provide for a certain amount of scholarly endeavor 

 in connection with the other advantages, it would be of the utmost 

 importance that they should be assorted by a system of administrative 

 cooperation with some institution which is in the position of being a 

 center of original work. 



The general character of museums should be clearly determined at its 

 very inception. Specialization and division of labor are essential for 

 in.stitutions as well as for individuals. It is only a great national museum 

 which can hope to include all departments and which can with safety 

 encourage growth in every direction. 



A city museum, even in a great metropolis like Brooklyn, should, 



if possible, select certain special lines of activity and pursue them with 



the intention of excelling. If there are already beginnings in many 



■ directions, it is equally necessary to decide which lines of development 



