Notes and Comments. 3II 
maypole for the children and a bowling green for their elders. 
A dancing floor would be laid out for national dances, and 
an open-air theatre prepared for the performance of historical 
pageants and stage plays. 
THE CRYSTAL PALACE 
As to the Crystal Palace itself, it would serve for the 
exhibition of objects of all sorts illustrating the daily life, 
occupations, and amusements of the peoples of these islands. 
One room could be devoted to children’s toys, another to 
objects used by women in indoor amusements, another to 
the apparatus and methods of producing fire in past times, 
another to inventions, another to models to enable the blind 
to gain, by tactual means, a knowledge of some of the more 
interesting objects in the various departments. 
THE AGE OF THE EARTH. 
Mr. E. Jobling, in Knowledge for August, gives reasons 
why Lord Kelvin’s estimates of the age of the earth have been 
shown to be too small, and he considers the evidence to be 
derived from the examination of the time it must have taken 
to carve out the continents, to lay down the various strata, 
to evolve living plants and animals, and also considers the 
matter under the heading of Radio-activity. He states 
that from all points of view it must be conceded that.a period 
of one hundred million years is a reasonable estimate of the 
age of the Earth. It cannot be expected, however, that finality 
is attained, nor do we admit that Mr. Jobling has advanced 
the discussion very much. His estimate, like its predecessors, 
may have to be discarded if further investigation requires it. 
It is suggested that the best attitude is to regard the one 
hundred million years as the earth’s minimum age; and, if 
occasion demands, to consider impartially an estimate of 
greater—it may be much greater—magnitude. 
PUBLIC UTILITY OF MUSEUMS. 
Lord Sudeley, who has taken such a keen interest in the 
popularization of our museums and galleries, has favoured us 
with a copy of the second edition of his pamphlet with the 
above title. In Parliament recently Lord Sudeley ‘rose to 
move for an annual return to the 31st December in each year 
from all public museums, including the Tower of London, 
picture galleries and botanic gardens, in or near London, and 
in Edinburgh and in Dublin, and to ask His Majesty’s Govern- 
ment whether as it has been found difficult to obtain at present 
a Return from provincial Institutions, the Board of Education 
will undertake to call the attention of the local authorities to 
the desirability of enabling the public to obtain information 
by means of “‘ guide demonstrators,’’ as far as possible, in all 
the principal local museums, galleries, and gardens throughout 
1913 Sept. I. 
