Mtcseums and Museums 479 



MUSEUMS AND MUSEUMS. 



The little contretemps which has just occurred between 

 ourselves and the Editors of an ably conducted Natural 

 History Journal in the North of England, has made it evident 

 that misunderstandings are possible as to th$ terms by 

 which Museums are designated. We propose, therefore, to 

 offer for consideration, supplemented by explanations, a few 

 definitions. We had written in an Editorial note, a strong 

 expression of opinion that Local Museums are much less well 

 adapted than general ones for educational purposes, meaning 

 by the term "local" those which restrict themselves exclu- 

 sively to objects collected within a limited radius. For this 

 opinion we were taken sharply to task, and were told that 

 there are in the North many nourishing "Local Museums" 

 which are doing excellent educational work, and York, Chester 

 and Perth were instanced as cities possessing " strictly Local 

 Museums " of the best kind. Our personal knowledge did not 

 include Perth, but respecting York and Chester, we knew that 

 those cities possessed most excellent collections of instruc- 

 tive objects, but gathered from all parts of the world. It 

 seemed impossible that our critic could be referring to them, 

 but on enquiry we ascertained that no others existed. In 

 each instance the museum is located in a city rich in Roman 

 remains, and also a good centre for the collection of prehistoric 

 objects, and naturally antiquarian exhibits have somewhat 

 preponderated. In neither, however, has there been any 

 exclusiveness, but quite the reverse. The word local has 

 obviously two meanings, a general one and a conventional 

 one. The York Museum is local because it is at York and 

 not in London, but in the conventional sense — the one, we 

 submit, in which the word local should be used amongst 

 museum workers — it is not in the least applicable. It seems 

 a pity that misunderstandings should needlessly arise amongst 



