ANTHROPOLOGICAL MUSEUM. 257 



merits used in producing sound, and society and government arc oven 

 less within the sphere of the museum. Yet it is wonderful how much 

 of the immaterial side of the race can be illustrated by the material 

 things that man has used and made, for the mind is in the things 

 and was developed with and by the things more than is commonly 

 understood. 



Classification <>f ciiltur< materials. — But what shall we attemp to 

 show in the culture division of our anthropological museum, and how 

 shall we classify and place our collections? Classification is the lirst 

 essential. If we look at the world and its inhabitants from a suffi- 

 ciently distant point of view, a few of the greater groups of facts 

 attract the eye. First, we observe that men are of several distinct 

 races and varieties ; but a closer look demonstrates that these are not 

 separated one from another, but are intermingled in such ways as to 

 afford no basis save the most general for a grouping of their culture 

 products. Second, we observe that nearly all peoples are separated 

 into social and political groups — into clans, tribes, and nations — occu- 

 pying distinct areas of the habitable globe. Looking closer at these, 

 one sees that they are not all alike; that the widest possible differences 

 in condition and culture status exist. Some of the groups are savages 

 almost without art and without any evidences of higher culture; some 

 are more advanced, occupying the barbarian grade, while still others 

 are highly cultured and surrounded by a thousand evidences of enlight- 

 enment and luxury. Shall we then classify and display our museum 

 exhibits on the basis of this grouping of the peoples into tribes and 

 nations? Let us see what would be the result. The British Empire 

 is possessed of commanding power and boundless territory, but its cul- 

 ture materials would comprise every variety of product under the sun, 

 from the lowest to the highest, and from every known region of the 

 globe. The same is true of nearly all of the civilized nations. It is 

 evident, therefore, that units of this class are too large and too com- 

 plex to be of use in classification. Besides, civilized nations may well 

 be expected each to have and maintain its own national museum. 



Let us take 1 another illustration. Suppose that we decide to arrange 

 our collections by the inferior social or political units — as by states or 

 tribes. Investigation shows that these units are too small; that we 

 should have thousands of exhibition units — too many entirely im- 

 practical purposes of grouping and installation. Besides, some are 

 artificial divisions, and some are natural divisions, and the classification 

 would be mixed and wholly unsatisfactory. What is wanted i^ a 

 simple, natural grouping of the very diversified ethnic phenomena. 



Glancing a third time over the field and noting especially the culture 

 of the various groups of people, we find that it varies with the region 

 rather than with the race or nation, and there is a significant relation 

 between it and environment. What uncivilized men do and have done 



NAT MUS 1901 IT 



