REPORT OF ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 5 



and on account of tbe establisliment of new departments and sections 

 in tbe Museum. In tliis pamphlet the functions and policy of the 

 Museum are clearly delined, as may be seen from the following ])ara- 

 graphs (juoted from its pages: 



The collections in the National Mnsenni are intended to exhibit the natural and 

 industrial resources ])riiiiarily of the United States and secondarily of those of the 

 remainder of the world, for the j)urpose of comparison. 



The activity of the Museum is exerted in three directions: («) The permanent 

 preservation of ohject.s already in its possession ; (h) the ac(|uisition of u<'w material ; 

 (c) the utilization of material already in its possession, by its exhibition in the most 

 instructive manner and by the prosecution of and ])ublication of scientific researches 

 for which it forms the basis; by the distribution of properly labeled duplicates of 

 materials to colleges and other educational institutions. 



The preservation of material is accomplished l»y nidans of the vigilance of the 

 curators and the skill of the preparators. 



New material is aciinireil (a), in accordance with law, from the various govern- 

 ment surveys and expeditious; (b) by gift from individuals, from other institutions, 

 and from foreign governments; (c) by exchange for its duplicate specimens or j)ub- 

 lications; (d) by the efforts of ofticers of the ^luseuni, who niake collections in C(m- 

 nection with their regular duties or are detailed for special service of this nature; 

 (e) by purchase, when appropriations are made by Congress for that purjtose. 



The treasures in the custody of the Museum are utilized to the world by exhibiting 

 them to the public, and by encouraging investigations on the part of the otlieers of 

 the Museum and other suitable jjersons, and facilitating the publication of the 

 results; also by the distribution toother museums and educational institutions of 

 duplicate specimens, which have formed the basis of scientific investigation, these 

 being identified and labeled by the best authorities. 



]>}• these means the Museum fulfills a threefold function: 



1. It is a museum of recfinl. in which are i)ieserved the material foundations of an 

 enormous amount of scientific knowledge, the types of numerous past investiga- 

 tions. This is especially the case with those materials which have served as a 

 foundation for the reports upon the resources of the United States. Types of inves- 

 tigations made outside of the Museum are also incorporated. 



2. It is a museum of research, by reason of the policy which aims to make its con- 

 tents serve as fully as ])ossible as a stimulus to and a foundation for the studies of 

 scientific investigators. 



Research is necessary in order to identify and group the objects in the most philo- 

 sophical and instructive relations. Its ofticers are selected for their ability as inves- 

 tigators, as well as for their trustworthiness and abilities as custodians, and its 

 treasures are open to the use of any honest student. 



8. It is an educational museum of the broadest type, by reason of its policy of 

 illustrating by s]>ecimcns of every kind of natural objcict and every manifestation 

 of human thought and activity, by displaying descriptive labels adapted to the 

 jiopular mind, aiul by its jiolicy of distributing its jmblications and its named s<^rie8 

 of duplicates. 



The collections forming the Xational Museum were from the begin- 

 ning very diverse in cluiracter, and when tiie new building for tlie 

 Museum was ready for occupancy in 1881 it was extremely desirable 

 that a very comprehensive classification should be adopted. Such a 

 classification was elaborated by Dr. (loode (Circulai- l.''>), in which man 

 was the central figure. Natural objects, both animate and inanimate, 



