3fi 



In the first place, I wish to say that I have the greatest 

 sympathy with the desire to make our museums as intelligible 

 and useful to the people as possible. 



A great national museum like that in Cromwell Road is 

 carried on with two main purposes in view: — 



A. The obtaining and preservation of objects of natural 

 history to be kept as records for all posterity, and for the 

 purposes of scientific study and progress. 



B. The exhibition of such portions of the collections as are 

 fit for this purpose in public galleries for the *' edification " of 

 the public. The persons aimed at under this second head are 

 not merely children or young persons undergoing courses of 

 instruction, but every fairly intelligent member of the com- 

 munity. It is to me often somewhat surprising that there arc 

 a large number of benevolent persons who are anxious to 

 arrange for the visiting of museums by children or young 

 people and yet have never visited such museums themselves, 

 and are, apparently, not aware that the exhibitions in the 

 museums are meant for their delight and instruction, even more 

 than that of children. 



I may say that the two purposes which I have mentioned are 

 those which have been from the first recognised by the Trustees 

 of the British Museum, and are nunc or less clearly indicated 

 in the Act of Parliament of 1753. On the other hand, the 

 Trustees have never aimed at what may be called " academical '* 

 or " scholastic " instruction, and probably it will be recognised 

 that they are right in this attitude. 



Schools and colleges have their own small collections specially 

 arranged in connection with class teaching. The Trustees have 

 never proposed to supply this kind of exhibition; on the other 

 hand, they open the galleries to all the world for the instruction 

 and edification which they can give on every day in the year 

 except Good Friday and Christmas Day. Any teacher may 

 bring young or adult pupils to the museum and explain the 

 contents of the cases to his party, but only on condition that he 



