2 STUDIES, SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL CHAP. 



Public museums of natural objects being such entirely 

 modern institutions, we can hardly wonder that no 

 generally accepted principles have yet been laid down for 

 their construction or arrangement. They most frequently 

 originated with private collectors, whose plan was naturally 

 followed in their enlargement; and when they outgrew 

 their original domicile, an architect was called in, who, 

 according to his special tastes, designed a temple or a 

 palace for their reception. However inconvenient or un- 

 suitable the original mode of exhibition might turn out, 

 or however ill adapted to its purpose the new building 

 might prove, it would, of course, be exceedingly difficult 

 and expensive to alter either of them, more especially as 

 the modified plan might be found, after trial, to have 

 defects as great as that which it replaced. 



Two eminent naturalists, Sir Joseph Hooker and the late 

 Dr. J. E. Gray, both connected with great public museums, 

 have made suggestions towards a more rational system ; and 

 as it is evident that museums will increase, and may be 

 made an important agent in national education and the 

 elevation of the masses of the people, it seems advisable 

 that the subject should be brought forward for popular 

 discussion. 



Accepting as a basis the few essential principles that 

 seem now to be agreed upon, I propose to follow them 

 out into some rather important details. 



I shall consider, in the first place, what should be 

 the scope of a Typical Popular Museum, and then sketch 

 out the arrangements best adapted to make it both enter- 

 taining and instructive to the young and ' ignorant, and a 

 means of high intellectual culture and enjoyment to such 

 as may be disposed to avail themselves fully of its 

 teachings. 



Museums are well adapted to illustrate all those 

 branches of knowledge whose subject-matter consists 

 mainly of definite movable and portable objects. The 

 great group of the natural history sciences can scarcely be 

 taught without them; while mathematics, astronomy, 

 physics, and chemistry make use of observatories and 

 laboratories rather than museums. The fine and 



