THE CHILDREN'S ROOM IN THE SMITHSONIAN 

 INSTITUTION.^ 



By Albert Bigelow Paine. 



[Adapted by the author, from hi.M article in St. Nicholas for September, 1901.] 



It was Mr. S. P. Langley, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion, who had personally ordered and arranged several successive 

 attempts to make exhibitions for the especial benefit of children, little 

 children, who did not care for long-, hard names, and who could not 

 see objects on high shelves. 



An attempt which he wished to be final was made, but he could not 

 per.sonall}' oversee the work of preparation, and when he did look into 

 it he was dissatisfied. There were a good manj' things in the cases 

 that, as one of the children, he did not care for. Clearl}- something 

 must ))e done. 



Dr. Langley, as Secretary, appointed himself as honorary curator 

 of the children's exhibit, with instructions to see that a room was 

 reserved and properly prepared for little children who wished only to 

 look and wonder, and find out such things as little people most want 

 to know. The appointment was accepted by him in the following 

 terms: 



The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution has been pleased to 

 confer upon me the honorable but arduous duties of the care of the 

 ('hildren's Room. He has at his service so many men learned in nat- 

 ural history that I do not know why he has chosen me, who know so 

 little about it, unless perhaps it is because these gentlemen may pos- 

 sibly not be also learned in the ways of children, for whom this little 

 room is meant. 



It has been my purpose to deserve his confidence, and to carry out 

 what I believe to l)e his intention, by identifying myself with the 

 interests of my young clients. Speaking, therefore, in their behalf, 

 and as one of them, I should say that we never have a fair chance 

 in museums. We can not see the things on the top shelves which 

 only grown-up people are tall enough to look into, and most of the 

 things we can see and would like to know about have Latin words 

 on them which we cannot understand; some things we do not care for 

 at all, and other things which look entertaining have nothing on them 

 to tell us what they are about. 



=• Reprinted by permission of The Century Company. 



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