August 3, 1883.) 



SCIENCE. 



121 



anil tnu' scientific conservatism when it as- 

 sumes the task of harmonizing the psychology 

 of all the races of men, especially in the pres- 

 ent almost unexplored condition of this field 

 in savage races, and when it declares that it 

 can present a true picture of the existing con- 

 dition of man by the method of gener.al com- 

 parison of things whose connections, as they 

 stand side by side, are obviously unnatural. 



The presentation of the results of achieve- 

 ment in all directions, as attained bj- each 

 race or natural association of races, could 

 not have been open to such serious objec- 

 tions, would have been far more effectual, 

 and more in accordance with the principles of 

 modern classification and the practice of mu- 

 seums of anthropology. It would, at any 

 rate, have retained the collections in what are 

 known to be their natural relations ; such a 

 presentation could not have failed, therefore, to 

 meet the wants of the future and the demands 

 of the present in a more effectual way than hy 

 any artificial classification, whatever its con- 

 venience. 



We do not think that the industrial side 

 would have suffered from this polic}', but, on 

 the contrary, we think its subjects would have 

 greatly gained in interest from being shown as 

 developed by the different races ; nor do we 

 believe that such a plan would have demanded 

 more room than the present plan, required any 

 more duplicate collections for its proper illus- 

 tration, or }-et have greatly increased the diffi- 

 culties of the classification of topics which 5Ir. 

 (Joode has so .ably handled in his scheme. 



The comparative method could then, if 

 deemed necessary, have been resorted to as 

 a crowning effort to show, side by side in a 

 single collection, the ultimate achievements 

 and results attained b}* each race, how fiir it 

 had been able to advance in civilization, and 

 what influence, if any, its finest work li.ad liad 

 upon the existing conditions of that civiliza- 

 tion. Such a summarv certainly could be so 

 limited by judicious selection as to be brought 

 witliin the mental grasp of the intelligent and 

 diligent student ; whereas a definite concep- 

 tion of 5Ir. Coode's sixty-four topics presup- 



poses mental powers of a titanic order. In 

 fact, the graphic picture of civilization which 

 thev will present will, from their number and 

 mode of arrangement, be necessarily heteroge- 

 neous, — an improvement, no doubt, on general 

 notions in being composed of objects fnstead of 

 individualized mental conceptions, but certain- 

 ly not capable of giving the harmonious effect 

 which the author aims at producing. 



The National museum is, however, to be 

 not onh' the representative educational mu- 

 seum of this country, but is also to be com- 

 bined with departments of research. We have, 

 therefore, to consider the probable influence of 

 the museum of education and its collections 

 upon the departments of research, bequeathed 

 to its care hy the Smithsonian, as well as 

 those likely to come under its influence in the 

 future. These last collections might, perhaps, 

 be safely left to themselves ; but it must be 

 remembered, that, though at present secure, 

 the}- will eventually obey the law of attraction, 

 and their curators must begin immediately to 

 t.nke an active interest in the collections which 

 are to represent their achievements before the 

 country at large, and the relations of these de- 

 partments to the prospects of investigators. 



At present the departments of research and 

 those of education are not only under one head, 

 but the subordinate offices are also united in 

 the same persons. Under these circumstances, 

 we view with apprehension certain tendencies, 

 which are evident in the pamphlet before us, 

 and especially the prominence given to the 

 industrial sections. Their present mode of 

 arr.angement and ideals do not definitively shut 

 out all possibility of co-operation with business ; 

 on the contrary, if we understand certain pas- 

 sages in Jlr. Goode's pamphlet, this co-opera- 

 tion is invited, and some firms are alreadj- 

 providing the cases with collections of indus- 

 trial products. We know that science is not 

 tiie weakest now in the National museum, and 

 our fears will probably highly amuse the officers 

 of the industrial sections ; but nevertheless, we 

 cannot see what is to prevent enterprising firms 

 from presently finding out the value of tliese 

 departments as advertising mediums, and being 



