82 LIFE OF FLOWER 



this was but one side of his task, and that he laboured 

 hard during the whole time of his official connection 

 with the museum not only to increase the study, or 

 reserve, collections (which are those on which the real 

 scientific work of the museum is almost exclusively 

 based), but to add to the space available for their 

 storage and for the workers by whom they are 

 studied. 



Early in his career as Director he recognised the in- 

 sufficiency of the accommodation of this nature, although, 

 as usual, he expressed his opinion in extremely cautious 

 and guarded language. For instance, in his address as 

 President of the Museum Associations in 1893, a ^ ter 

 referring to the deficiencies of all, at that time, modern 

 museums, which were described as having been built 

 during a period when opinion was still divided as to the 

 proper function of institutions of this nature, he continued 

 as follows : 



" In none, perhaps, is this more strikingly shown than 

 in our own built, unfortunately, before any of the 

 others, and so without the advantages of the experience 

 that might have been gained from their successes or their 

 shortcomings. Though a building of acknowledged 

 architectural beauty, and with some excellent features, 

 it cannot be taken structurally as a model museum 

 when the test of adaptation to the purpose to which it 

 is devoted is rigidly applied." 



This unsuitableness, it may be added, is apparent not 

 only in the lack of accommodation for the study series, 

 but in the exhibition galleries themselves, where 

 architectural ornament interferes with the proper display 

 of the specimens, if indeed it does not absolutely 



