Chapter 20 



The 

 Visitors 



THE NATIONAL MUSEUM HAS ALWAYS BEEN a public 

 museum, and so far as one can determine, there 

 never has been an instance of anyone's being refused 

 admission during visiting hours. Because most mu- 

 seums in America either charge a fee or ask for a do- 

 nation, visitors expect to pay admission, but no one's 

 money has ever been accepted. This is not a trivial point, 

 for some years ago, under a Conservative government, 

 the British Museum of Natural History was ordered to 

 install a turnstile and charge admission. At that time 

 the Conservatives had already lost much support, but 

 to charge for a public museum was the final straw. A 

 few months later the Labor Party came in, and the 

 turnstiles went out. After the Labor government lost 

 and the Consei vatives returned to power, no one at- 

 tempted to reinstate the charge for entry into that 

 government-supported museum. 



If the National Museum of Natural History were to 

 charge an admission fee of, say, three dollars, it would 

 bring in enough money at least to maintain the building 

 and exhibits. However, in exchange for a few cents 

 apiece from their taxes, the people of America may 

 enjoy for free the exhibits in all the Smithsonian mu- 

 seums, have their priceless national collections cared 

 for, and, through scientific publication, reap the fruits 

 of the Museum's research. 



The American people seem to respect the Smithson- 

 ian Institution and all it stands for, judging from the 

 behavior of the visiting public. There is virtually no 

 trash on the floors, and graffiti on the walls are almost 

 nonexistent. Some of the older staff members cannot 

 quite get used to the casual dress of the tourists; when 

 they were young, going to a museum was a serious 

 business, requiring one's best clothing. Nevertheless, 

 casual dress is now a way of life throughout the world. 

 Some of the older guards have noted that the noise 

 level since the 1950s seems to be much higher, but this 

 is probably a result of the great increase in tourism. 



Visitors lined up along Constitution Avenue to see the 

 Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit i)i the foyer, March 1965. 

 Behind the young man slaminig near the east driiwivay is 

 the walkway to the east door of the wing, never opened. 



The number of visitors to the Museum of Natural 

 History and the other Smithsonian buildings has always 

 been closely watched. When the Institution was still 

 fairly young, an anonymous clerk compiled annual at- 

 tendance figures for the Castle and the National Mu- 

 seum. These show the dramatic increase that resulted 

 from the opening of the new National Museum, es- 

 pecially after Sunday hours were instituted: 



One of the most important events of the year 

 [191 1], if not in the history of the Museum, was 

 the beginning of Sunday openings to the public, 

 whereby the privileges of the establishment were 

 extended equally to all classes. First advocated by 

 the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution at 

 least 50 years ago, the means required for the 

 additional heating and watchmen only became 

 available in the provisions made for maintenance 

 since the completion of the new building. This 

 innovation applies for the present only to the new 

 building, with hours from 1:30 to 4:30 o'clock in 

 the af ternoon. . . . On the first date of opening, 

 October 8, 1911, the attendance reached the 

 almost unprecedented figure of 15,467. It fell to 

 4,570 on the second, to 3,885 on the third, and to 

 3,280 on the fourth Sunday, with an average for 

 all Sundays of 1,666 visitors, as against a week-day 

 average of 693 visitors. There is no doubt, 

 therefore, that the step has been fully justified, 

 and it is hoped that the provision of an additional 

 place to which people may resort on Sundays for 

 instruction and diversion has not been without 

 some moral influence.' 



fhe Sunday openings were a success from the very 

 beginning, and for thirty years, in spite of its shorter 

 hours, Sunday consistently drew more visitors than any 

 other day of the week. When there were sufficient funds 

 to open the other Smithsonian buildings on Sunday, 

 they too proved popular. During World War II Sunday 

 became a full day, and eventually the Museum was open 

 the same hours every day of the week. With the five- 

 day work week, Sunday is no longer the one big day, 

 but shares the weekend crowds with Saturday. 



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