THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. I03 



Smithsonian Museum at Washington, or the one at Ottawa, which 

 is but in its infancy, I say to the extent of these there should be no 

 hmit but those imposed by nature herself. 



In the case, however, of all other museums, large or small, be- 

 longing to a town, institution, society or school, the first considera- 

 tion in its establishment should be, to have some definite and limited 

 object or purpose to fulfil, and the next, that means should be 

 forthcoming not only to establish it but to maintain it in a suitable 

 manner to fulfil that purpose. Some were enthusiastic enough to 

 think that a museum in itself was so good an object that they had but 

 to provide a building and cases, and a certain number of specimens, 

 no matter exactly what, to fill them, and then the thing was done, 

 whereas in truth the work had then only begun. 



What a museum really depended on for its success and useful- 

 ness, was not its building, not its cases, not even its specimens, but 

 its curator. I look upon it that the local museum, to take its place 

 among the educational forces of the present time, must have a de- 

 finite object in view. I have already said that the success of such a 

 museum depends chiefly upon its curator and his staff. He is the 

 life and soul of the mstitution. We might as well build a church 

 and expect it to perform the duties required of it without a minister, 

 or a school without a schoolmaster, or a garden without a gardener, 

 as to build or form a museum and not provide a competent staff to 

 take care of it. I think at this point, and before I more definitely 

 say what I earnestly hope may be done with our museum, I may be 

 permitted to say that even our own little collection, miscellaneous 

 as it is, would not have been in the excellent condition in which we 

 find it to-day if it had not been for the unremitting devotion and 

 painstaking care, I had almost said loving care, manifested by our 

 valued and much esteemed curator, Mr. Caviller, and with him I 

 would bear testimony to that part of our treasures which is by far 

 the most valuable, viz., the geological specimens that have been 

 brought together and arranged by our honored friends, Colonel 

 Crant, Mr. A. E. Walker and the President. 



As I have already hinted, the first consideration in founding a 

 museum is to have a definite object or purpose to fulfil. 



What in such a city as Hamilton should be the object ? As I 

 have already said, we founded a museum about fifteen years ago, 



