1712 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 
March 23, 1896—Senate. } 
Mr. J. S. Morrmz, from Committee on Public Buildings and 
Grounds, submitted report (S. 540) on S. 698: 
The following extract is taken from the last annual report of Mr. 
S. P. Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution: 
In my last annual statement I pointed out three conditions which are operating to 
seriously retard the growth of the National Museum: First, the lack of space for the 
installation of objects which should be placed on exhibition; second, the unsymmet- 
rical growth of the collections; and third, the fact that the storage of collections 
in the wooden sheds south of the Smithsonian building, as well as in the basement 
of the building itself, is most undesirable and dangerous. The sum of $900, allowed 
for 1896, will be necessarily expended in the rental of shop and storage room in 
place of the ‘‘Armory building.’’ The actually dangerous wooden sheds must there- 
fore remain occupied until a sum of money is provided which will enable me to dis- 
continue their use altogether by renting other quarters, removed entirely from 
proximity to the Smithsonian building. 
The problem of even providing shelter of any kind for the vast amount of mate- 
rial daily received from persons interested in the growth and work of the Museum 
still remains unsolved. The Institution is placed in an embarrassing position. It 
has been designated by law as the only depository of collections offered to, or made 
under the auspices of, the Government, and can not, under the law, refuse to receive 
them. The fact remains, however, that when accepted there is no suitable place 
in which to store them, and no space in the Museum building to exhibit such of 
the objects as should properly be shown to the public. AsI have already pointed 
out, there is probably no museum in the world in which so small a proportion of 
the objects worthy of exhibition is visible to the public, or in which the objects 
exhibited are crowded together so closely. It is now more true than ever that if 
another museum building as large as the present one were provided it could be at 
once filled with specimens already on hand. 
Dr. G. Brown Goode, assistant secretary in charge, has furnished, 
at the request of the committee, the following details and statistical 
information: 
The Smithsonian Institution is the custodian of the National Museum, 
which is the only lawful place of deposit of ‘‘ all objects of art and of 
foreign and curious research, and all objects of natural history, plants, 
and geological and mineralogical specimens belonging to the United 
States.” The nucleus of the collections consists of the specimens 
brought home by the Wilkes and other exploring expeditions, but for 
many years the Museum was supported entirely at the expense of 
the Smithson fund, and a considerable portion of the collections is the 
property of the Institution. 
Professor Huxley defines a museum as ‘‘a consultative library of . 
objects.” The National Museum is such a consultative library, and it 
is a great deal more. It is an agency for the instruction of the people 
of the whole country, and it keeps in mind the needs of persons whose 
lives are not occupied in the study of science, as well as those of the 
professional investigator and teacher. 
Its benefits are extended without cost or reserve to hundreds of 
