34 Dr. Scharff on 



demand for lectures in connection with museums, t(- establish a 

 small lecture theatre within the museum building. Several of the 

 English provincial museums possessed such lecture theatres. 

 Before showing them a few lantern slides which his friend Mr. 

 Robert Welch had kindly prepared for him, and which illustrated 

 the subject of some of his remarks that evening, there was still 

 one other feature that he should like to say a few words about. 

 It was what had been called the "open-air museum." Many 

 beautiful and interesting objects, threatened with early destruction 

 in the rapid changes of the present day, were not suitable for 

 presentation in their museums. Such were, for example, some 

 of the very interesting primitive vehicles which had been dis- 

 covered and brought together by their versatile friend Mr. Welch, 

 illustrating the evolution and origin of the Irish outside car. 

 The varieties of ancient farm implements, obsolete coaches, 

 and many c>ther things, such as old types of cottages 

 with pecular thatched roofs were all worth keeping for 

 posterity as records. Mr. Alec Wilson suggested, in an 

 address on local museums, that a model Irish residence might 

 be set up in Belfast representing the time when Cuchulain was 

 fighting for Ulster. He (the lecturer) was not quite clear as to the 

 kind of dwelling he had in his mind, but if such an idea were 

 carried out it should be in the open ground. Now, in Scandinavia 

 such objects were mostly conveyed to the open-air museums. 

 Stockholm had its skansen and Christiania its bygdo, and both of 

 these establishments were among the most popular resorts of the 

 people of Scandinavia, and greatly fostered among them that 

 interest in the past history and civilisation of their country which 

 it was so important to preserve. 



At the close of the lecture Dr. Scharff showed by means 

 of lantern views a number of noted British, Continental, and 

 American museums. 



Discussion being invited, Mr. William Gray, M.R.I.A., 

 suggested that the lecture should be printed in extenso, 



