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the trustees of the two Museums to open them on Sunday. It was 
not a new question to the trustees of the Museum of Natural His- 
tory. They have had the matter before them for two years past. 
It is fair to believe that the Board of Aldermen and the Park 
Commissioners are honest in their conviction as to what the Museums 
ought to do in the matter. On the other hand, it is fair to believe 
that the trustees of the Museums have just as much regard for the 
public good as these Boards. 
Look over the list of the trustees and supporters of these Muse- 
ums up to the present time, and I think you will allow that they 
have a right to claim that they have as much at heart the interests 
of the people of New York,—their education, elevation, moral and 
temporal welfare, as any other citizens. 
There are two sides to the question before us. There are seri- 
ous difficulties in the way of opening the Museums on Sunday, 
which should be fairly looked at. 
1. Good faith in carrying out the contract between the City 
and the Museums, under which the Museums are conducted, seems 
to forbid their being opened on Sunday. 
As you are aware, the two Museums, that of Natural History, 
which I represent, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, existed 
as private institutions before their present relations to the city. 
They were each in possession of large and very valuable collections. 
It was desired that these should be made still more useful to our 
citizens generally. Accordingly, by authority of the Legislature, 
a contract was entered into between each of the Museums and the 
Board of Park Commissioners, by which contract the city agreed 
to put a suitable building at the disposal of each Museum, and to 
keep the same in repair, and each Museum agreed to open its col- 
lection to the public, under cerlain specified conditions. 

Let me quote the terms of the Contract with the Museum of 
Natural History : 
This Agreement, made and concluded on the twenty-second day 
of December, in the year one-thousand eight hundred and 
seventy-seven, between the Department of Public Parks of the 
City of New York, the party of the first part, and the American 
Museum of Natural History, party of the second part, witness- 
eth : 
Whereas, By an Act of the Legislature of the State of New York, 
passed April 22d, 1876, entitled ‘“‘An Act in relation to the 
powers and duties of the Board of Commissioners of the De- 
