32 Dr. Schar^ on 



majority of exhibits must, therefore, be placed under lock and 

 key. This was not all ; they must preserve them from fire, 

 mould, dust, and injurious insects. Hitherto wooden cases were 

 almost universally employed in museums. Within recent years, 

 however, it had been discovered that metal was far preferable to 

 wood. The cost of metal cases no doubt exceeded that of wooden 

 ones, but the advantages of the use of metal was so obvious that 

 the difference in price could not influence tbe choice. Metal 

 cases were much more readily made dustproof, they were more 

 fireproof, and more durable, and less apt to warp. They could 

 also enlarge the sashes very much without increasing the width of 

 the frames carrying the panes. A great German authority on 

 museum cases maintains that the architect entrusted with the 

 plans of the new museum should first find out exactly the size and 

 shape of all the cases the curator required, and strictly adapt the 

 size and lighting of the building accordingly. The same authority 

 remarked that the architect scarcely ever did so, but was content 

 with imitating the already existing faulty museum buildings. Now, 

 when they came to the building itself, by far the most important 

 feature was that ample daylight should be available for every room 

 and every nook and corner. And yet how many of their modern 

 museums failed lamentably in that very essential principle of 

 construction ! Some authorities were strongly in favour of top 

 light, others preferred side light. They could not easily make a 

 general rule in preference of either, because for certain objects, 

 such as large monumental columns and great plaster casts, they 

 must have top-light whether they liked it or no. For many 

 objects, particularly small ones, a strong side light was preferable, 

 and yet if the windows had a southern aspect the direct sunlight 

 was apt to be troublesome. In top-lighted galleries the position of 

 the cases was independent of the illumination, but they had 

 several drawbacks. In the first place, the objects in the upper 

 part of the cases overshadowed those in the lower ; secondly, if 

 they used horizontal or so-called table cases the light was reflected 



