THE COLLECTION OF MINERALS 
beauty, scientific interest and educational use. The esthetic 
influence of a collection of minerals need not be dwelt upon. It 
is evident that minerals are beautiful in their colors, in their 
varied forms and, sometimes, in the extreme delicacy of their 
development. 
THE History OF THE COLLECTION. 
The growth of the Mineral Collection of the American Museum 
has been gradual. Its nucleus was the Bailey collection, which 
contained many of the more common minerals and, while not 
conspicuous for beauty or completeness, was a fairly representa- 
tive series serving very well the purpose of an introduction to 
mineralogy. The Spang collection was purchased in 1891 and 
more than doubled the number of specimens of minerals in the 
Museum. This acquisition, furthermore, added a large number 
of new species, and in many groups increased the variety and 
richness of form represented. 
Previous to the purchase of the Spang collection, a very re- 
markable group of specimens of Malachite and Azurite (the green 
and blue carbonates of copper) had been presented to the Museum 
by the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company of Arizona. 
This unique and very striking assemblage of specimens, together 
with later additions from the same source, is now installed in the 
large single case at the north end of the smaller hall (lettered 
“B” in the diagram). 
In the ten years following the acquisition of the Spang col- 
lection, many valuable gifts were added to the Museum’s series, 
but preéminence among the exhibition collections in the country 
was not attained until the close of 1900, when J. Pierpont Mor- 
gan, Esq., purchased the Bement collection of minerals and 
meteorites and presented it to the Museum. This remarkable 
collection was brought together by Mr. Clarence S. Bement of 
Philadelphia. It is the result of the careful expenditure of a 
great deal of money, the purchases having been directed by ex- 
quisite taste as well as by scientific judgment. Although the 
Bement collection contains many rare species, its widespread 
fame has rested upon the variety of forms representing the com- 
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