136 KEPOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1893. 



The most notable and welcome collection wiis obtained thr<mgh the kindness of 

 Miss Olive Kislt^y .Seward, of Wasbington, wlio placed on deposit in the Mnseum an 

 interest injj collection of Cypriote and Plnenician objects. Aside from their intrinsic 

 value these ol)jccts have a historical value, in that they were ac(|uired at the actual 

 scene of the excavation. 



THE COLI.KCTION OF HKMCilOUS CEHEMoNIAI, OIUECTS. 



Since 1889, objects of religious ceremonial have been exhibited in 

 connection with the collection of Oriental antiquities, A beginning 

 was made by the formation of an exhibit to illustrate the Jewish 

 religion, but the scoi)e has since l)een widened and may in the future- 

 include tlie lower ty[)es of religion, with the exception perhaps of those 

 which it Mould be diflicult to illustrate by the separation of material 

 from the general ethnological sei-ies. 



The idea of a collection of this kind was first taken up in this coun- 

 try by the National Museum, and a proposal is made in regard to it in 

 the Museum re])orts for 1881 and 1880. 



In 189L* a similar project was tak(Mi up by the rniversity of Penn- 

 sylvania, and an admirable loan exhibition was prei)ared under the 

 direction of Mr. Stewart Culin. 



In the " IJiblical World" for January, 1893, the following allusion is 

 made to the subject: 



An important and indeed indispensable adjunct to the study of religions is the 

 Mnseum, which in its ideal form should represent a tableau of the course taken by 

 religious rites m their development. Credit is due to the V. S. National Museum for 

 having taken the initiatory steps in this direction. In his report for 188!),* the Sec- 

 retary of the Smithsonian Institution called attention to the importance of collec- 

 tions of articles of worship, and since that time an excellent beginning has been 

 made in the departments of American and Oriental antiquities. Messrs. Fewkea, 

 Adler, and Kockhill have been instrumental in advancing the section of comjjarative 

 religions in the National Museum and with the admirable facilities possessed by a 

 Government institution for obtaining objects from all parts of the world, the scope 

 of this section ought at an early day to be made coequal with the universe. At 

 the University of Pennsylvania, also, the place of the Museum as the laboratory for 

 study of religions was emphasized by a special loan exhibition of objects used in 

 religious worship, which was opened last spring. The catalogue, which is of the 

 entire exhibition, is due to the energetic and well-directed etforts of Mr. Stewart 

 <Julin, the director of the University museums, and is an admirable piece of work, 

 distinguished for its method, clearness, and accuracy. The exhibitiou, embracing 

 Egypt, India, China, .Japan, America, and Mohammedanism, is noteworthy as the 

 first of the kind in the country. 



The history of the collection has been epitomized in a paper prepared 

 I)y Dr. Adler for the Anthropological Congress in Chicago, a revision 

 of wdiich is printed in Part ii of this lleport. 



The special exhibit shown in Chicago is limited to a selection from 

 the religions of the nations iidiabiting the Mediterranean basin, with 

 special regard to the ceremonies, as forming the starting point for a 

 comparative study of religious. 



'The plan was first announced in the Report of the Assistant Secretary for 1881. 



