Science and Progress in the South. 57 



a conservative, but a progressive educational force ; that it has a 

 teaching- quahty or value peculiar to itself ; that the museum 

 succeeds if it teaches, fails partially if it merely amuses or inter- 

 ests people, and fails entirely if it simply mystifies." 



The State museum is a natural outgrowth in the promotion of 

 State Geological Surveys. The value of the museum as a means 

 of becoming acquainted at first hand with the varied productions 

 of the State is everywhere conceded. An example of one of the 

 most noted institutions is the New York State Museum, the out- 

 growth of a Survey which "gave to American geology a nomen- 

 clature largely its own and demonstrated above everything else 

 the value of fossils for purposes of correlation and incidentally 

 brought into prominence one man, James Hall, who was destined 

 to become America's greatest paleontoligist." * 



As a result of its first real effort to maintain an adequate geo- 

 logical survey, Tennessee is emerging from geological obscurity 

 and the need begins to make itself felt for the building up of a 

 State Museum. One of the functions of the Geological Survey is 

 to develop such an institution, but its efforts in that direction are 

 handicapped by the lack of suitable quarters for housing the col- 

 lections. As a result of this, valuable material that should remain 

 to interest and instruct our people goes elsewhere. It should be 

 one of the first duties of the State to provide a suitable building 

 for a good museum and sufficient funds for its maintenance and 

 growth. I would, therefore, suggest that the Academy seek to 

 promote the establishment of a State Museum and to that end 

 recommend the appointment of a standing committee whose duty 

 it shall be to take this matter in charge. 



4. There are in Tennessee two other societies which aim to 

 do for their respective branches what the Academy seeks to do 

 for the allied interests of Science in the State ; these are the Ten- 

 nessee Philological Society and the Tennessee Historical Society. 

 I believe that the amalgamation of all three organizations would 

 be greatly conducive to the interests of the causes represented by 

 each. Inasmuch as the scope of the Academy of Science is suf- 

 ficiently broad to include these as well as other allied lines of 

 work, it has been suggested that each be incorporated and made 



* Merrill, Geo. P., Report U. S. Nat. Mus., 1904, p. 344. 



