THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY OF THE 

 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS^ 



By Frank Collins Baker^ Curator of the Museum. 



In these days of strife, when Democracy, Autocracy, 

 and Anarchy are fighting and seeking to control the world, 

 such an institution as a museum, devoted to the peaceful 

 work of interpreting nature's laws, is likely to receive 

 scant consideration. It will be remembered, however, that 

 early in the late war, England for a time closed the 

 museums, art galleries, and kindred institutions, and 

 otherwise curtailed the usefulness of these instruments of 

 education ; but the British public sent forth such a protest 

 that the government hastened to reopen the halls and to 

 encourage the people to visit such places, justly realizing 

 that at this particular time such interesting places for 

 healthful recreation are of the greatest value. And not 

 long since, a report came from France, when a vindictive 

 enemy was pounding for admittance within seventy miles 

 of its gates, that a new museum had been founded to 

 exhibit the history and use of the horse — from the time 

 this animal roamed the plains and swamps of America, in 

 those far off Eocene days when it was no bigger than a fox 

 and had five toes, to the present time w^hen it has become 

 one of man's most faithful and important helpers. With 

 these examples before us of niuseum activities conducted 

 under the stern stress of war, no apology for such an 

 institution seems necessary. 



Value of Museums 



Museums differ greatly in their relative values, but all, if 

 rightly conducted, have a very real value to the commun- 

 ity. Dr. G. Browne Goode, considered by many the 

 father of the modern American museum, has defined the 

 museum as "a collection of well written labels illustrated 

 by specimens.'' And the noted English museum expert, 



1. Contribution from the Museum of Natural History, University of Illinois, 

 Number 3. 



57 



