NA TURE 



565 



THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, i{ 



THE SCIENCE COLLECTIONS AT SOUTH 

 KENSINGTON. 



THE English, like their American cousins, are a re- 

 markable people, and in nothing more remarkable 

 than in their toleration of incongruities. 



They are gradually amassing at South Kensington an 

 art collection which has but few rivals in the world, and 

 the approach to it is shadowed by architectural monstro- 

 sities which, if regard is had to their position, are 

 absolutely unrivalled. Within, they visit with apparent 

 pleasure a hall decorated by the hand of Sir Frederick 

 Leighton, and filled with the most exquisite masterpieces 

 of Oriental art. Without, they are satisfied with the 

 *' Brompton boilers." 



They concentrate, during a quarter of a century, col- 

 lections to illustrate natural history, the physical sciences, 

 and art, on one spot. They make it the head-quarters 

 of State-aided education in science and art. Under the 

 highest auspices a building is growing there, in which 

 the products of the colonies are to be displayed to view. 

 Close to it stands the Central Institute of the City and 

 Guilds of London for Technical Education. Thus, in 

 their own peculiar way, by apparently disconnected steps, 

 and under the management of half-a-dozen independent, 

 authorities, they evolve the noble idea of a great centre 

 in which collections of all that is interesting, beautiful, 

 and useful in the history and present applications of science 

 and art shall illustrate, and be illustrated by, the re- 

 searches and teaching of men like Profs. Huxley and 

 Flower. They arrange a scheme by which the benefits 

 are not confined to the metropolis only. The collec- 

 tions are circulated through the provinces, and pro- 

 vincial teachers are brought to the collections. Having 

 done all this, they leave it in the power of one of the 

 authorities — a set of irresponsible Commissioners— to cut 

 into the heart of the site thus dedicated to science and 

 art, with rows of stucco "mansions." 



They house their natural history collections in a palace, 

 and place its management in hands which have made it 

 a palace of delight. They store invaluable collections to 

 illustrate the progress of science and technology in sheds 

 which are barely water-tight, and liable to burn like a 

 tinder-box. They rely for their arrangement upon the 

 "good-nature" of Professors of whose formal duties it 

 forms no part, and upon the patriotism of men like Mr. 

 E. A. Cowper, who, rather than see a good thing left 

 undone, are willing, at great personal sacrifice, to do it 

 themselves. Lastly, they leave questions as to the success 

 of this haphazard system to be raised, not by some 

 recognized scientific authority, but by the Treasury 

 clerks. 



Fortunately, as is so often the case in England, the 

 results are better than the system. The suggestion that 

 a great collection of scientific apparatus should be formed 

 at South Kensington was made by the Duke of Devon- 

 shire's Commission. The ideal to be aimed at was defined 

 by Commissioners appointed by the Science and Art 

 Department, under the Chairmanship of Sir Frederick 

 Vol. XL.— No. 1041. 



Bramwell. The Treasury, however, alarmed by " com- 

 plaints of want of space in the galleries," recently deter- 

 mined to reconsider the matter for themselves, and 

 appointed another Commission, which was, as it was 

 doubtless intended to be, a very strong one. Had the 

 Report, signed by the Treasurer of the Royal Society — 

 Dr. Evans — as Chairman, by Lords Rayleigh and P>ancis 

 Hervey, by Mr. Bernhard Samuelson, by Sir Douglas 

 Galton and Sir Henry Roscoe, been adverse to the prac- 

 tical results attained by the collections, apart from the 

 system under which they have been achieved, their 

 opinion would doubtless have been regarded as con- 

 clusive. As it is, the Treasury will now have to bear in 

 mind the following, which it will perhaps legard as in- 

 convenient, facts. 



The Commissioners were asked " whether there are 

 any duplicates or other objects no longer essential to the 

 value and representative character of the collections, 

 which might be removed in order to provide additional 

 accommodation for new objects of greater importance." 

 They reply that " little, if any, space can be gained by 

 weeding the existing collections." 



They were requested to " investigate the existing prac- 

 tice of circulating scientific objects on loan to museums 

 and schools so far as it affects the question of accom- 

 modation for storage or exhibition purposes at South 

 Kensington." They reply that the space used for such 

 purposes " has no practical bearing as to the housing of 

 the collections." 



They were not explicitly asked as to whether the exist- 

 ing museum accommodation is or is not adequate, but 

 they assert that the question cannot be separated from 

 those which were referred to them, and they recommend 

 that, instead of the 60,000 square feet at present occupied, 

 " an exhibition space of about 90,000 square feet should 

 be provided without delay" in order to secure "a 

 creditable Science Museum." 



They also assume that this space will be covered with 

 buildings " well arranged, well lighted, and of a durable 

 character," a series of conditions which, as is evident to 

 the casual visitor no less than to the Commissioners, is 

 not fulfilled by some of those at present in use. 



In short, the South Kensington Museum contains only 

 objects which ought to be exhibited, in buildings not 

 suited for their preservation and exhibition, and in space 

 so cramped that it ow^X. without delay to be increased by 

 50 per cent. 



The Report was very well received by the daily press, 

 and is certainly justified by the facts. It now only 

 remains for public opinion to urge the Treasury to 

 carry out the recommendations of its own Commission. 



The Museum appears to be appreciated by the general 

 public, and even to compete with the Natural History 

 Museum on more equal terms than could have been 

 expected. During the last four years there has been a 

 steady increase in the number of visitors. In 1888 the 

 Science Museum was inspected by 259,588, and the 

 Natural History Museum by 372,802 persons. 



Teachers under the Department are allowed, with 

 certain reasonable restrictions, to bring their classes to the 

 galleries, and to have the apparatus taken out of the 

 cases for their inspection. The number of visitors who 

 have thus had the cases opened for them, or in other ways 



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