846 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No. 439. 



more freedom to devote their energies to 

 the advancement of science, and the mu- 

 seum must receive more effectual rather 

 than greater financial support before it can 

 hope to attain to that exalted position 

 among the world's museums which should 

 be occupied by the National Museum of the 

 United States. 



On the whole, it appears that our most 

 successful museums are those in which 

 the financial control is vested in boards of 

 trustees composed of representative, pub- 

 lic-spirited men of affairs, who sei've with- 

 out salary and who determine the expendi- 

 ture of funds derived from both public 

 and private sources. Such boards of trus- 

 tees should be and usually are dependent 

 upon the advice of scientific men for sug- 

 gestions concerning the scope, management 

 and educational policy of the museum. 



The responsibility incident to the admin- 

 istration of public funds maintains the sta- 

 bility and efficiency of the board, and en- 

 ables it to secure the services of men of 

 culture, energy and influence, whose con- 

 nection with the museum becomes an im- 

 portant factor in maintaining public in- 

 terest and respect for the institution. 



II. SCOPE, DISTRIBUTION AND RESOUECES. 



From a study of Merrill's 'List of the 

 Natural History Museums of the United 

 States,' The American Art Annual, 1900, 

 and other sources of information, it ap- 

 pears that there are within the United 

 States at least 233 museums of natural his- 

 tory, 13 of science and the fine arts, 6 of 

 science and industrial arts, 34 of fine arts, 

 11 of industrial arts, 20 of history, and 26 

 which combine art, history, archeology and 

 ethnology in varying proportions. There 

 are thus at least 343 collections in the fields 

 of art, science and history open to the pub- 

 lic of the United States. 



It is evident that our country is already 



rich in incipient museums, for while many 

 of the collections recorded above are mere 

 'materials out of which museums may be 

 made,' there is reason to expect that a 

 large proportion of them will ultimately 

 develop into creditable museums. 



The fact that there appear, to be but 17 

 museums devoted to the industrial arts in 

 the United States is remarkable when we 

 consider the enormous progress which our 

 country has made in this direction. This 

 may possibly be taken as an indication of 

 the general lack of interest in museums 

 which prevailed until within recent years 

 in our country, and this explanation ap- 

 pears more probable when we consider 

 that among our most valuable industrial 

 collections are those in the Patent Office 

 building, which were accumulated not 

 primarily for the purpose of establish- 

 ing a museum, and that such exhibitions, 

 are either insignificant or altogether 

 wanting in our great industrial cities. 

 "With the exception of Philadelphia, our 

 industrial cities have not yet awakened 

 to an appreciation of the valuable educa- 

 tional influence which may accrue through 

 the exhibition of carefully selected and 

 clearly labeled models of machinery and 

 apparatus used in the arts and trades, and 

 displays of products in various stages of 

 manufacture. 



Certainly the remarkable advance which 

 Germany has achieved in manufacture and 

 in the industrial arts has received sub- 

 stantial aid from her great industrial mu- 

 seums, where these processes may be studied 

 in detail. Our technical schools and col- 

 leges should devote more attention to the- 

 establishment of well-planned museums, 

 wherein the processes of the arts and the- 

 history of inventions may be exhibited.. 



Although our museums are most de- 

 ficient in industrial exhibits, they are 

 but little better in their historical dis- 



