﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  I912 
  7 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  Legislature 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  that 
  a 
  place 
  be 
  provided 
  in 
  its 
  polity, 
  

   not 
  alone 
  for 
  the 
  museum 
  of 
  science, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  existence 
  

   for 
  sixty 
  years, 
  but 
  for 
  additional 
  museums, 
  as 
  their 
  need 
  may 
  

   become 
  appreciated, 
  all 
  under 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  Education 
  Depart- 
  

   ment. 
  This 
  is 
  clearly 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  a 
  law 
  which, 
  in 
  state 
  legis- 
  

   lation 
  on 
  this 
  subject, 
  is 
  not 
  surpassed 
  for 
  conciseness 
  and 
  breadth. 
  

  

  THE 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  IDEA 
  AND 
  ITS 
  PLACE 
  IN 
  THE 
  POLITY 
  

  

  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  

  

  This 
  State 
  has 
  thus 
  far 
  developed 
  its 
  magnanimous 
  conception 
  

   of 
  the 
  Museum 
  only 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  science. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  gone 
  

   it 
  has 
  doubtless 
  done 
  well 
  in 
  this 
  single 
  direction, 
  for 
  its 
  museum 
  of 
  

   science 
  has 
  brought 
  credit 
  to 
  it 
  and 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  shared 
  in 
  

   its 
  development. 
  The 
  State 
  Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  has 
  

   achieved 
  a 
  distinctive 
  and 
  worthy 
  repute 
  among 
  such 
  scientific 
  

   museums 
  whose 
  interests 
  are 
  of 
  necessity 
  somewhat 
  restricted 
  by 
  

   political 
  boundary 
  lines. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  doubtful 
  if 
  any 
  state 
  museum 
  

   of 
  science 
  should 
  attempt 
  to 
  enter 
  the 
  wider 
  field 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  and 
  

   thus 
  compete 
  with 
  the 
  great 
  privately 
  endowed 
  museums 
  of 
  the 
  

   larger 
  municipalities. 
  Its 
  function 
  is 
  well 
  and 
  adequately 
  defined 
  

   in 
  portraying 
  in 
  fulness 
  the 
  natural 
  resources 
  of 
  its 
  state. 
  The 
  

   good 
  repute 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  Museum 
  of 
  science 
  has 
  come, 
  

   however, 
  more 
  from 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  original 
  research 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  

   fostered, 
  than 
  from 
  the 
  educational 
  service 
  thus 
  far 
  rendered 
  

   through 
  its 
  collections. 
  These 
  collections 
  have 
  been 
  assembled 
  very 
  

   largely 
  for 
  the 
  service 
  of 
  the 
  investigations, 
  rather 
  than 
  with 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  of 
  elucidating 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  the 
  significance 
  of 
  these 
  re- 
  

   searches. 
  So 
  far 
  is 
  this 
  the 
  case 
  that 
  the 
  science 
  museum, 
  now 
  

   entering 
  a 
  new 
  building 
  with 
  capacious 
  and 
  well-equipped 
  halls, 
  

   finds 
  itself 
  deficient, 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  quantity 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  scientific 
  

   materials 
  suitable 
  to 
  display 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  or 
  competent 
  lucidly 
  to 
  

   explain 
  the 
  facts 
  they 
  represent 
  and 
  the 
  researches 
  which 
  the 
  

   Museum 
  has 
  prosecuted. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  condition 
  which 
  must 
  be 
  reme- 
  

   died 
  if 
  this 
  Museum 
  is 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  vigorous 
  arm 
  of 
  the 
  educational 
  

   service. 
  In 
  a 
  very 
  real 
  sense 
  the 
  science 
  museum, 
  notwithstanding 
  

   its 
  long 
  history 
  and 
  its 
  large 
  collections, 
  is 
  beginning 
  anew, 
  for 
  

   never 
  within 
  its 
  history 
  has 
  it 
  possessed 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  locus. 
  Its 
  

   collections 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  scattered 
  through 
  many 
  different 
  build- 
  

   ings. 
  But 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  assembled 
  material 
  now 
  brought 
  together 
  in 
  

   the 
  Museum 
  halls 
  of 
  the 
  Education 
  Building, 
  is 
  to 
  develop 
  a 
  series 
  

   of 
  scientific 
  collections 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  departments 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  

  

  