﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  igi2 
  H 
  

  

  of 
  Education 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  such 
  its 
  ideals 
  of 
  research 
  have 
  never 
  

   faltered 
  or 
  been 
  contravened. 
  Now, 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  the 
  equipment 
  

   for 
  it 
  of 
  extensive 
  museum 
  halls, 
  it 
  enters 
  by 
  force 
  and 
  by 
  

   preference 
  into 
  more 
  immediate 
  and 
  direct 
  touch 
  with 
  the 
  citi- 
  

   zens. 
  The 
  burden 
  is 
  laid 
  upon 
  it 
  to 
  bring 
  home 
  to 
  the 
  people, 
  

   by 
  visual 
  appeal, 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  all 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  and 
  done 
  

   in 
  science 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  past. 
  The 
  " 
  State 
  Museum 
  " 
  has 
  

   long 
  been 
  a 
  statutory 
  designation, 
  intimating 
  scientific 
  collec- 
  

   tions 
  brought 
  together 
  for 
  the 
  exposition 
  of 
  our 
  natural 
  

   resources 
  but 
  in 
  reality 
  implying 
  and 
  covering 
  the 
  investigations 
  

   of 
  these 
  resources 
  themselves. 
  At 
  no 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  

   organization 
  has 
  there 
  been 
  an 
  adequate 
  museum 
  ; 
  not 
  once 
  

   in 
  all 
  its 
  career 
  have 
  the 
  people 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  come 
  into 
  actual 
  touch 
  

   with 
  the 
  materials 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  published 
  scientific 
  works 
  have 
  been 
  

   founded 
  or 
  to 
  learn 
  through 
  their 
  own 
  eyes 
  the 
  real 
  meaning 
  of 
  the 
  

   resources 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  nature 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  por- 
  

   trayed 
  on 
  the 
  thousands 
  of 
  pages 
  and 
  plates 
  of 
  our 
  public 
  reports. 
  

  

  The 
  fact 
  that 
  this 
  time 
  has 
  now 
  arrived, 
  that 
  capacious 
  quarters 
  

   are 
  about 
  to 
  be 
  fully 
  equipped 
  for 
  the 
  reception 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  

   objects 
  of 
  science, 
  brings, 
  in 
  effect, 
  a 
  new 
  function 
  to 
  this 
  division 
  

   — 
  that 
  of 
  making 
  an 
  efficacious 
  and 
  impressive 
  contribution 
  to 
  the 
  

   education 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  into 
  these 
  sources 
  of 
  knowledge, 
  in 
  a 
  build- 
  

   ing 
  devoted 
  throughout 
  to 
  the 
  official 
  diffusion 
  of 
  knowledge. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  certain 
  aspects 
  of 
  this 
  new 
  function 
  that 
  are 
  proper 
  

   in 
  this 
  public 
  report 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  equipment 
  of 
  this 
  museum 
  

   of 
  science 
  lies 
  just 
  a 
  step 
  ahead. 
  The 
  first 
  of 
  these, 
  

   first 
  in 
  significance 
  to 
  those 
  on 
  whom 
  this 
  large 
  duty 
  de- 
  

   volves, 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  thus 
  far 
  the 
  Museum 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  

   repository 
  of 
  the 
  materials 
  brought 
  together 
  by 
  men 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   the 
  solution 
  of 
  scientific 
  problems 
  ; 
  these 
  materials 
  are 
  not 
  in 
  

   any 
  large 
  sense 
  conspicuous 
  objects, 
  carefully 
  selected 
  for 
  special 
  

   purposes 
  of 
  display, 
  or 
  to 
  tell 
  their 
  own 
  story. 
  The 
  collections 
  

   of 
  the 
  Museum 
  are 
  very 
  large, 
  as 
  state 
  museums 
  go, 
  but 
  if 
  this 
  

   large 
  amount 
  of 
  material 
  now 
  contained 
  in 
  thousands 
  of 
  boxes, 
  

   drawers 
  and 
  cases, 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  divided 
  that 
  one 
  part 
  should 
  

   comprise 
  all 
  that 
  would 
  arouse 
  the 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  inexpert, 
  the 
  

   latter 
  would 
  be 
  but 
  a 
  slender 
  fraction 
  of 
  the 
  whole. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  science 
  of 
  paleontology, 
  a 
  science 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  

   New 
  York 
  has 
  for 
  years 
  been 
  the 
  especial 
  patron, 
  this 
  fact 
  is 
  

   preeminently 
  true. 
  The 
  Museum 
  resources 
  herein 
  are 
  large, 
  but 
  

   of 
  this 
  large 
  accumulation 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  part 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  

  

  