33 2 The Smithsonian Institution 



seum at later foreign and domestic exhibitions, in accordance 

 with the best museum methods. As a result the exhibits of 

 the Institution always won high praise, and it is not too much 

 to say that the work of the National Museum in this direction 

 has had a powerful influence in revolutionizing exhibition 

 methods in America. 



Since the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, few years have 

 passed in which the Museum has not been engaged in pre- 

 paring for a public exposition of greater or less magnitude. 

 It made displays at London in 1883, at Louisville in 1884, at 

 Minneapolis in 1887, at Cincinnati and Marietta in 1888, at 

 Madrid in 1892, at Chicago in 1893, and at Atlanta in 1895. 

 The necessity of carrying on exhibition work outside of 

 Washington has affected the National Museum in many 

 ways. Probably no other great permanent museum in the 

 world has had constantly before it the problem of guarding its 

 treasures from deterioration, and at the same time transport- 

 ing no inconsiderable portion of them thousands of miles and 

 displaying them under the ordinarily unfavorable surround- 

 ings of temporary exhibitions. The advantages lie in the 

 direction of making the work of the Museum known to the 

 people of the Republic and the world at large, and securing 

 new objects with which to fill out the deficiencies in its vari- 

 ous collections. The disadvantages are found in damage 

 done to objects in the collections by breakage or otherwise, 

 the interruption of the regular Museum work, and the dissi- 

 pation of the energies of the scientific officers ; for a mu- 

 seum, like any other permanent institution, requires abundant 

 time and uninterrupted activity for its best development, and 

 does not flourish in the midst of commotion and excitement. 



Thus far I have considered the National Museum in its 

 historical aspects. It remains to explain briefly its function 



