26 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



buildings and the Army Medical Museum building. The practice 

 whicli has so largely obtained abroad in this respect is for many rea- 

 sons unfortunate, since much labor is duplicated and collections of 

 similar character are fouud growing up in different parts of the same 

 city. It has, however, its advantages, for where the national collec 

 tions are exhibited in a group of museums, each would have its own 

 space, and there would be employed in each building a staff as large 

 as that which is here concerned in the administration of the whole. 



The National IMuseuni will surely in time at least equal in size and 

 importauce the museums of similar character in any of the national 

 capitals in Europe. Now is the time for obtaining many kinds of 

 objects such as it will be impossible to obtain after the country has 

 become more thoroughly settled, when its natural features and its large 

 animals will have been destroyed, and its aboriginal inhabitants 

 deprived of their race characteristics. The time is rapidly approach- 

 ing when many desirable objects can no longer be obtained, audit is a 

 matter of deep regret that valuable collections are being constantly 

 exported to the Old World museums, which are able to pay for them 

 prices absolutely beyond the reach of any American institution, and I 

 repeat my statement of the regrettable fact that not oidy the American 

 student must leave America to study some important branches of the 

 history of native American races, but that the national collections are 

 relatively falling still further backward in this regard, as compared with 

 those of many other nations. 



It is not advisable, therefore, to check the current of accessions, for 

 each year a very Lirge number of objects are procured without cost, 

 which in a few years can not be secured at any price. 



The fact that the Museum is embarrassed for lack of space and for 

 lack of means to secure a more symmetrical development of the collec- 

 tions, renders it all the more necessary thai an efticieut staff of curators 

 should be constantly at work, in order to preserve tiie material already 

 here and that which is constantly coming in — this, indeed, being their 

 first duty. It is also desirable that they should continue, by scientific 

 study and by publication, to develop the facts which are essential to 

 the correct iiuderstanding of the material, and that the collections 

 should be arranged and classified in snch a manner as to be immedi- 

 ately accessible to the students of science from all parts of the country 

 and from abroad, who are constantly visiting Washington for the 

 purpose of consulting these collections iti connection with their own 

 scientific studies. 



The scientific staff is, in my judgment, as effective a one as can possi- 

 bly be exi^ected under its present condition. It is unfortunate, how- 

 ever, that so many of the men in charge of the de])artments should 

 be volunteers, without comix'usation, a system whicli is found advan- 

 tageous to a limited extent only. With only this aid from specialists, 

 not even connected with the Museum, it is imposible for the curators 



