Country and City 65 



We are in the era of making great libraries : 

 perhaps the time will come when we shall think 

 more of dispersing books than merely of col- 

 lecting them. Perhaps it will be better to have 

 one thousand books with one hundred families 

 than ten thousand books in one library. The 

 library should be a home idea as well as a 

 collection idea. 



The old idea of the natural history museum 

 was for persons to "see." It was largely an 

 exclamatory institution. It is now supple- 

 mented by specimens to work with ; and speci- 

 mens to work with are being related to the 

 fields where their places are. Dead things 

 alone are for dead teachers. The museum and 

 collection idea is necessary, but it is still largely 

 an exhibition idea. 



I brought a live bittern to my house ; 

 the children left their books to watch it. 

 The bittern died and I had it stuffed and 

 put it on the mantel ; the children left the 

 bittern for the books. I gave the bittern 

 to the museum ; it was not good enough for 

 children. 



