﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  SECRETARY 
  25 
  

  

  our 
  advancing 
  civilization 
  of 
  an 
  increasing 
  number 
  of 
  natural 
  forms. 
  

   Proper 
  provision 
  must 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  secure 
  everything 
  of 
  importance 
  

   obtainable 
  while 
  there 
  is 
  yet 
  opportunity. 
  

  

  Needs 
  for 
  housing 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Museum, 
  as 
  outlined 
  last 
  year, 
  

   include 
  additional 
  wings 
  on 
  the 
  Natural 
  History 
  Building 
  to 
  pro- 
  

   vide 
  for 
  relief 
  from 
  the 
  present 
  congestion, 
  which 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  is 
  

   now 
  acute. 
  Of 
  equal 
  importance 
  and 
  necessity 
  is 
  more 
  adequate 
  pro- 
  

   vision 
  for 
  the 
  collections 
  in 
  arts 
  and 
  industries 
  at 
  present 
  housed 
  in 
  

   the 
  old 
  National 
  Museum 
  Building, 
  which 
  when 
  constructed 
  in 
  1881 
  

   was 
  adequate 
  for 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  those 
  days, 
  but 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  designed 
  in 
  

   a 
  manner 
  commensurate 
  with 
  present 
  requirements. 
  This 
  building 
  

   should 
  be 
  replaced 
  by 
  another 
  much 
  larger 
  structure 
  that 
  will 
  pro- 
  

   vide 
  proper 
  housing 
  for 
  the 
  objects 
  in 
  this 
  collection. 
  These 
  have 
  

   great 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  Nation 
  as 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  industrial 
  

   development, 
  commerce, 
  and 
  engineering 
  in 
  all 
  its 
  lines. 
  The 
  series 
  

   of 
  Patent 
  Office 
  models 
  alone, 
  representing 
  the 
  basic 
  principles 
  from 
  

   which 
  our 
  important 
  economic 
  advances 
  have 
  grown, 
  is 
  of 
  itself 
  of 
  

   sufficient 
  importance 
  to 
  warrant 
  the 
  proposed 
  building. 
  With 
  these, 
  

   coupled 
  with 
  related 
  historic 
  objects 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  drawn 
  from 
  other 
  

   sources, 
  it 
  results 
  that 
  the 
  national 
  collections 
  contaiji 
  materials 
  that 
  

   can 
  not 
  be 
  duplicated 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  museum 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  

   or 
  in 
  the 
  world. 
  With 
  provision 
  being 
  made 
  for 
  industrial 
  museums 
  

   in 
  other 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  we 
  should 
  prepare 
  at 
  once 
  for 
  more 
  

   adequate 
  housing 
  for 
  the 
  national 
  collections 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  in 
  

   Washington. 
  

  

  The 
  collections 
  of 
  history 
  at 
  present 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  

   Natural 
  History 
  Building 
  and 
  in 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  building 
  given 
  over 
  

   principally 
  to 
  arts 
  and 
  industries. 
  The 
  historical 
  materials 
  concern 
  

   persons 
  and 
  events 
  of 
  supreme 
  importance 
  to 
  our 
  Nation, 
  since 
  they 
  

   treat 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  birth, 
  growth, 
  and 
  expansion 
  of 
  our 
  country. 
  As 
  

   such 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  absorbing 
  interest 
  to 
  every 
  patriotic 
  American 
  and 
  

   should 
  be 
  displayed 
  to 
  the 
  fullest 
  advantage. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  

   the 
  limits 
  of 
  space 
  are 
  such 
  that 
  many 
  interesting 
  objects 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  

   placed 
  on 
  public 
  display 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  at 
  times 
  to 
  decline 
  

   materials 
  that 
  should 
  be 
  accepted, 
  because 
  of 
  lack 
  of 
  proper 
  facilities 
  

   for 
  their 
  preservation. 
  

  

  Preparation 
  of 
  plans 
  and 
  other 
  necessary 
  arrangements 
  for 
  housing 
  

   space 
  will 
  require 
  considerable 
  time. 
  With 
  our 
  need 
  now 
  acute 
  the 
  

   preliminaries 
  necessary 
  before 
  actual 
  construction 
  may 
  be 
  begun, 
  

   should 
  not 
  be 
  postponed. 
  The 
  present 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  demands 
  

   prompt 
  action 
  in 
  these 
  matters. 
  

  

  The 
  steadily 
  growing 
  attendance 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  halls 
  is 
  in 
  itself 
  

   si^fficient 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  public 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  