August 13, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



205 



out the country." That this museum has 

 fulfilled and is fulfilling these high pur- 

 poses no one will gainsay. Not only has it 

 been a model institution in itself, but men 

 trained in it have been active in the up- 

 building of other museums. 



Whether stimulated chiefly by the influ- 

 ence of Agassiz or by that of the Salem 

 Museum, or if either, I do not know, but in 

 1867 the cause of college natural history 

 museums was further advanced by the gift 

 by George Peabody of $150,000 to Harvard 

 College for a museum of archeology and 

 ethnology, and of the same amount to Yale 

 for a general natural history museum. 

 Both of these funds have served to main- 

 tain important and valuable museums. A 

 large and attractive natural history mu- 

 seum has recently been established at 

 Princeton University, and many other uni- 

 versities and colleges in this country now 

 have such museums of size and importance, 

 some institutions of lesser means being 

 better equipped in this regard than those 

 with larger funds. 



The formation of natural history collec- 

 tions in connection with the work of learned 

 societies has often occurred and has led to 

 the founding of several important museums 

 in this country. Examples are the Museum 

 of the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, 

 founded in 1812, and that of the Boston 

 Society of Natural History, founded in 

 1830. Such institutions have performed 

 services of incalculable value by their pres- 

 ervation of specimens and stimulation of 

 continued interest in natural history. 



With the exception of the aid given to the 

 Charleston Museum by the city of Charles- 

 ton in 1850 the first establishment of a mu- 

 seum of natural history under municipal 

 auspices in this country seems to have been 

 that in New York City in 1869. Leading 

 citizens there, realizing the importance in 

 the cultural growth of the city of such an 



institution, procured a charter from the 

 legislature and obtained funds by private 

 subscription. At first the city was asked to 

 erect a single building to shelter both the 

 museum of natural history and the museum 

 of art, but fortunately sites were granted 

 for a building for each. Fortunately also 

 the plan of the building designed for the 

 natural history museum was on a scale suffi- 

 ciently large to provide for future growth. 

 The first unit of the contemplated building 

 was opened in 1877, and in less than forty 

 years a large part of the original plan has 

 been carried out, the present magnificent 

 structure has been erected and it has been 

 filled with precious material. In the view 

 of the Hon. Joseph H. Choate, "the money 

 spent by the City of New York in the devel- 

 opment of this Museum and the Museum of 

 Art is the best investment of public moneys 

 ever made by it, whether we consider the 

 direct benefit to the people or the prestige 

 and character attained by the city as the 

 great metropolitan center of knowledge and 

 culture. ' ' 



While the example set by New York City 

 of supporting a great natural history mu- 

 seum largely by public funds has not been 

 followed in exact form by many other Amer- 

 ican cities, the principle has been accepted 

 either by the donation of sites and other 

 privileges to museums founded by private 

 munificence, or by municipal assistance to 

 museums inaugurated by learned societies. 

 The city of Milwaukee supports its natural 

 history museum by a municipal tax, and 

 there are gratifying indications that other 

 cities will sooner or later adopt this method 

 of support of museums. All cities should 

 recognize such museums as an essential fea- 

 ture of their cultural equipment. Oakland, 

 Denver, Providence, Charleston and Grand 

 Rapids may be mentioned as cities which 

 have already shown sufficient appreciation 

 of such institutions to found or support 



