﻿FOURTH 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE* 
  DIRECTOR 
  I907 
  III 
  

  

  VII 
  

  

  A 
  STATE 
  HISTORICAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Section 
  22 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  Law 
  as 
  amended 
  to 
  1904 
  reads 
  in 
  

   part 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  State 
  Museum: 
  how 
  constituted. 
  All 
  scientific 
  specimens 
  and 
  

   collections, 
  works 
  of 
  art, 
  objects 
  of 
  historic 
  interest 
  and 
  similar 
  

   property 
  appropriate 
  to 
  a 
  general 
  museum, 
  if 
  owned 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  

   and 
  not 
  placed 
  in 
  other 
  custody 
  by 
  a 
  specific 
  law, 
  shall 
  constitute 
  

   the 
  State 
  Museum. 
  

  

  The 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  has 
  made 
  provision 
  for 
  the 
  acquisition 
  

   and 
  preservation 
  of 
  historical 
  records 
  but 
  these 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  

   documents, 
  written 
  or 
  printed, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  State 
  Library 
  has 
  now 
  

   become 
  a 
  vast 
  treasure-house. 
  The 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Military 
  Statistics 
  

   pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  department 
  of 
  the 
  Adjutant 
  General 
  has 
  brought 
  

   together 
  by 
  voluntary 
  cooperation 
  an 
  extensive 
  store 
  of 
  military 
  

   relics, 
  in 
  very 
  large 
  part 
  memorials 
  of 
  the 
  Civil 
  War; 
  the 
  State 
  

   Historian 
  is 
  authorized 
  by 
  law 
  to 
  " 
  collect/ 
  collate, 
  compile, 
  edit 
  and 
  

   prepare 
  for 
  publication 
  all 
  official 
  records, 
  memoranda 
  and 
  data 
  

   relative 
  to 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Wars, 
  War 
  of 
  the 
  Revolution, 
  War 
  of 
  

   Eighteen 
  Hundred 
  and 
  Twelve, 
  Mexican 
  War 
  and 
  War 
  of 
  the 
  

   Rebellion, 
  together 
  with 
  all 
  official 
  records, 
  memoranda 
  and 
  statis- 
  

   tics 
  affecting 
  the 
  relations 
  between 
  this 
  commonwealth 
  and 
  foreign 
  

   powers, 
  between 
  this 
  State 
  and 
  other 
  States 
  and 
  between 
  this 
  State 
  

   and 
  the 
  Lmited 
  States." 
  He 
  is 
  not 
  empowered 
  to 
  acquire 
  other 
  

   historical 
  materials 
  than 
  the 
  data 
  above 
  referred 
  to, 
  nor 
  has 
  he 
  

   authority 
  of 
  law 
  or 
  appropriations 
  to 
  acquire 
  historical 
  " 
  objects 
  " 
  

   as 
  distinguished 
  from 
  records, 
  memoranda 
  and 
  documents. 
  There 
  

   is 
  thus 
  no 
  department 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  which 
  has 
  adequate 
  authority, 
  

   breadth 
  of 
  scope 
  and 
  available 
  funds 
  for 
  acquiring 
  and 
  conserving 
  

   "objects" 
  of 
  historical 
  importance, 
  in 
  distinction 
  from 
  historical 
  

   " 
  documents," 
  except 
  the 
  Education 
  Department 
  through 
  the 
  agency 
  

   of 
  the 
  State 
  Museum. 
  

  

  Importance 
  of 
  a 
  State 
  historical 
  museum 
  

  

  Throughout 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  commonwealth 
  no 
  systematic 
  effor? 
  

   has 
  ever 
  been 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  to 
  conserve 
  the 
  relics 
  

   of 
  its 
  history. 
  In 
  the 
  early 
  career 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Museum 
  a 
  good 
  

   many 
  objects 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  early 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  

   came 
  into 
  its 
  possession, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  museum, 
  

  

  