16 



KNOWLEDGE. 



January. 1913. 



a number of rooms, of varying sizes, each crammed 

 with as many mid-Victorian funereal exhibition cases 

 as it could hold, and each case similarly crammed 

 with as many specimens as possible. But each 

 absolutely without any attempt at classification or 

 arrangement. Even the rooms were not set apart 

 for definite purposes, but similar objects were to be 

 seen in almost every room, and in many instances, 

 in several different cases. 



By the press reports I was foolishly led to believe 

 that I should first see specimens illustrating London 

 in prehistoric times, then, step by step, through 

 Roman, Saxon, Danish, and other periods, down to 

 the present day. Nothing of the sort. Any object 

 of almost an}- date could be seen in almost any 

 room — nay — in almost any case ! It is quite possible 

 that the new London Museum is not unique in this 

 respect ; there may still be seen some musty 

 collection formed by a " Literary and Philosophical " 

 Society a century ago, in some old-world town, 

 which is similarly " arranged." But in such instances 

 the news is kept quiet. Anyway, it is not trumpeted 

 forth, east and west, south and north, that perfection 

 and classification lies here. And only of the new 

 London Museum can it be said that the specimens 

 are displayed (I am quoting now!) "Moreover, as 

 much with a view to scientific precision as with a 

 keen appreciation of the artistic effects of suitable 

 surroundings and grouping ; all, moreover (whenever 

 " moreover " appears, I am quoting ! ) with the ever- 

 present aim, not so much of instructing and 

 educating the public, as of arresting their attention 

 and stimulating their imagination — in a word — 

 interesting and amusing them." 



I am not quite sure whether the curator, or 

 director, or keeper and secretary (who, by the way, 

 did not write the Guide) has tried to act up to this 

 ideal of amusing the public : but in some respects 

 he has certainly succeeded. 



To an ordinary mortal (if a provincial museum 

 curator can be thus described) "classification" 

 implies that objects of a similar kind, or similar 

 period, are arranged together. Just as we should 

 expect to find cabbages in a greengrocer's shop, 

 trousers in a tailor's, and blouses at the draper's ; 

 so in the new model museum one might expect 

 to find the pre-historic objects together, Roman 

 objects together, mediaeval, and so on, all sorted and 

 arranged, and china in one case, enamels in another, 

 iron objects in another, coins in another, and so on. 

 Such a method is the very alphabet of classification. 



But, instead, case after case is filled with objects 

 dating from pre-historic or Roman times to the 

 nineteenth century, and case after case with iron 

 objects, coins, pottery, embroidery, and so on, hope- 

 lessly and unaccountably jumbled. There is a good 

 collection of bellarmines, all similar in shape and 

 design, and of the same period, and all presumably 

 found in London. Yet one must examine about 

 fourteen different cases, and a mantelpiece or two, 

 in various parts of the building, if he wishes to see 

 all the bellarmines. Iron objects, such as knives 



and daggers, are well represented ; but they are 

 scattered in different sections of different cases, in 

 different rooms. The china, enamels, embroideries, 

 coins and medals might be considered to be repre- 

 sentative, had one the patience or time to search for 

 them all, and endeavour to carry them in one's mind. 

 It can only be assumed that it is possibly the intention 

 to illustrate the various historical periods in each 

 individual case so that the visitor need not examine 

 them all, but simply stand in front of any one case 

 and then walk away with the history of London at 

 his finger tips. 



In addition to the Palace proper there is an 

 " annexe," with prison cells, a Roman boat, a 

 wooden Ancient Briton, Adam's fireplaces, and 

 models of old London. This is arranged after the 

 plan of the maze in Hampton Court, and there is 

 quite an army of officials to push visitors the right 

 way each time they go wrong. An extraordinary 

 exhibition, and quite of a Madame Tussaud flavour, 

 is that of a model of Jack Sheppard, the thief and 

 robber, in his cell, apparently at dead of night, with 

 a lantern dimly burning. And dare I interject, for 

 the benefit of "the author," that even the name of 

 this great hero is spelt incorrectly in the guide ? 



Still another building, a magnificent one that 

 might be used so well, contains half-a-dozen palm 

 trees and a " Handsome" cab. The number of people 

 who stop and read the brass plate, and examine the 

 cab, is astonishing, especially as probably many of 

 them found their way to the museum by taking a 

 seat in one. 



I have already explained that I bought a guide. I 

 thought perhaps it would act as a key to the collec- 

 tions. It cost a shilling. One shilling. I presume 

 the price is arranged so that the Guildhall and South 

 Kensington Collections may soon be purchased from 

 the profits, and thus make the London Museum, the 

 London Museum indeed. Anyway, I am not the 

 first Northerner who has " Banged awa twa 

 saxpences " in London ! 



The cover is a brilliant danger-signal red, and in 

 the centre are the Royal arms, and " G.R." in large 

 letters, which the policeman told me stood for King 

 George, though he did not quite know how. On the 

 inside cover we are informed of the hours of opening, 

 the hours of closing, and that visitors are invited to 

 communicate with the author if they have any 

 suggestions to make ! As I was not spending my 

 holidays in the museum, I declined the modest 

 request, but hope to forward a cop}' of this paper to 

 him. There is no date on the cover of the guide. 

 There is a portrait of Queen Mary as frontispiece, 

 and the next page is dated 1912, so that one page at 

 any rate is up-to-date. There is an introductory 

 note (from which we have already quoted), then a 

 view of Kensington Palace and Gardens in the reign 

 of Queen Anne, and a portrait of the late Queen 

 Victoria at the age of eight. This is dated May 

 24th, 1819. Then follows a "preface" which is 

 dated May 24th, 1899, so that there seems to be the 

 same glorious uncertainty with regard to the date of 



