458 THE JOURNAL OF GEOLOGY. 



oped, but an effort can be made in this direction, and it is always 

 possible to state that a given material is not being mined. 



A properly arranged mining exhibit affords advantage in 

 two directions. In the first place, it benefits the exhibitor in 

 calling attention to his products, and in the second place it is of 

 great educational benefit to the general public as showing what 

 different regions produce. The best interests of the exhibitor 

 are served by a true exhibition of his products ; while the educa- 

 tional value of an exhibit depends almost entirely on the exact- 

 ness with which the exhibit reproduces the actual state of 

 affairs, for if the exhibit is exaggerated in one direction or 

 neglected in another it leaves with the uninitiated a false idea of 

 the resources of the region. 



Most of the state exhibits have been collected and arranged 

 by commissioners appointed by the state, and are supposed to 

 fully represent the resources of the state. Many of the foreign 

 exhibits, however, are made up of the individual exhibits of 

 different mining companies, and often show only a certain class 

 of the products of a given region. They are, therefore, not 

 claimed to always represent the whole of the mining industries 

 of a region 1 and cannot be criticised for not doing so. The 

 state exhibits, however, should fairly and honestly represent the 

 mining industry within their borders, giving undue prominence 

 to no one product, and neglecting nothing that should be repre- 

 sented. In this feature some of the states have been highly 

 successful, while others have done worse than make a failure, for 

 they have misled those who are not sufficiently acquainted with 

 the resources of the country to know that the exhibit is not char- 

 acteristic. Some of the states have exhibited and made very 

 prominent great amounts of materials which they do not possess 

 in paying quantities ; other states have actually exhibited mate- 

 rials which they do not possess at all, and which have been 

 obtained from other states, a proceeding which is very mislead- 

 ing to the general public. 



1 A notable exception to this is the New South Wales exhibit, which is one of the 

 best in the building. 



