November 21, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



829 



velop systematically the whole field of anthro- 

 pology. A museum may, in special cases, 

 undertake a full investigation of a special 

 region which it may desire to represent ex- 

 haustively in its collections, but the primary 

 objects of the museum forbid the systematic 

 investigation of such subjects as mythology, 

 primitive law, languages, etc. The history 

 of anthropology in our country shows clearly 

 the predominant influence of museum inter- 

 ests. The publications of the Peahody Mu- 

 seum, of the Field Columbian Museum, of the 

 U. S. National Museum, of the American 

 Museum of Natural History, of the Free Mu- 

 seum of Arts and Sciences in Philadelphia, 

 except in so far as they deal with explana- 

 tions of specially full collections, refer to the 

 tangible side of human culture. Other re- 

 searches find their places in museum publica- 

 tions only accidentally. 



The rapid development of Anaerican anthro- 

 pology is largely due to the fact that the 

 Bureau of American Ethnology has been un- 

 hampered in its plans by museum interest. 

 Therefore, it has been able to produce the 

 linguistic map of North America, its valu- 

 able bibliographies, grammars, collections of 

 texts and of myths. Therefore, much progress 

 has been made in the study of the immaterial 

 side of the culture of American tribes. The 

 systematic preservation of languages, of 

 myths, of religious beliefs, has been the prime 

 work of the bureau, and of the bureau alone, 

 and it has contributed more than any other 

 agency towards a harmonious development 

 of all sides of anthropological research. 



The interests of anthropology make it im- 

 perative that the independence of the bureau 

 from museum interests be jealously guarded, 

 and that it be given the long-desired oppor- 

 tunity to expand its work over fields that 

 are of national importance, and that no mu- 

 seum can touch. The physical and mental 

 characteristics of Indian half-bloods, of 

 negroes and mulattoes, and the efl^ects of 

 adaptation and amalgamation of the many 

 European nationalities that settle in our 

 country, are the proper field of work for the 

 Bureau of American Ethnology. Owing to 

 restrictions imposed by law, this work has 



never been undertaken, although it is of the 

 greatest practical importance, and requires 

 the kind of training that is found among the 

 experts of the bureau. The bureau requires 

 the strengthening of its resources and of its 

 independence, not the weakening that will re- 

 sult from the combination of its administra- 

 tion with that of a division of the National 

 Museum. 



The effects of this combination may be not 

 less disastrous to the National Museum. It 

 is only a few years since the Secretary of the 

 Smithsonian Institution found it necessary 

 to establish the position of a head curator of 

 the Division of Anthropology in the TJ. S. 

 National Museum. At that time the work 

 of the National Museum had come, in a way, 

 to a standstill. The utter inadequacy of the 

 building, the insufficient number of employees 

 on the scientific staff, the constant demands 

 upon their time for preparing special exliibits 

 for the expositions of Chicago, Omaha, At- 

 lanta, Buffalo, etc., made it impossible for the 

 museum to make adequate use of its magnifi- 

 cent collections, and to contribute its share 

 to the advancement of science and education. 

 We hoped that the reorganization of the divi- 

 sions of the museum might indicate the inten- 

 tion of the secretary to devote his energies to 

 the development of the museum. In this we 

 have been disappointed. The makeshifts of 

 the last few years have not given us a mu- 

 seum worthy of a great nation. Is, then, the 

 work' for the head curator ended? Is not the 

 full energy of an experienced museum man 

 in that position needed just as much as or 

 even more now than it was a few years ago ? 

 I cannot believe that the anthropological col- 

 lections of the National Museum have so 

 much contracted during the last few years that 

 the need for an administrative head should be 

 no longer felt. 



The work of the director of the Bureau of 

 Ethnology, and that of the head curator of 

 the Anthropological Division of the Museum 

 is so extended, that each requires the full 

 time and energy of one man. The concentra- 

 tion of their administration can lead only to 

 one of two results : either inadequate super- 



