The Museum Gazette 



those who are interested in the same pursuits, and accordingly 

 we venture to submit our definitions and explanations. 



We will take first the words which have caused the quarrel 

 — Local Museum. All such should have a rule restricting the 

 collection to local objects. The late Mr. Toynbee, who was 

 an earnest advocate of museums of this kind, instituted one 

 at Wimbledon, and wrote a valuable little book (long ago 

 out of print) descriptive of their aims. They were intended to 

 promote field study, and the exhaustive investigation of the 

 natural history of the included area. In addition it was 

 proposed to collect local history, old maps and engravings, to 

 photograph the churches, public buildings, and anything and 

 everything of local interest. It is obvious that so long as 

 they are vigorously worked such museums must be invaluable 

 in promoting local investigation, and accumulating topo- 

 graphical facts. It is, however, difficult, we believe, to make 

 them prosper for long, and the line of argument which we 

 have taken in advocating a large multiplication of museums 

 for educational purposes has been, that whilst they should 

 be general in scope they should have local sections, and 

 endeavour in all ways to accomplish, in addition to their 

 primary functions, the admirable objects which Mr. Toynbee 

 and his followers had in view. 



We have urged that the curator of a restricted museum 

 of this kind is, as an educator, at great disadvantage. It is 

 obvious that he is precluded from producing before his class 

 a multitude of objects which are invaluable as material for 

 instruction. He might, for instance, show the skull of a pig, 

 but would not be allowed to produce for comparison those 

 of the babiroussa, or the hippopotamus. What is yet more 

 important, he could not leave these skulls, well labelled, to 

 tell their own tale in his display cases. Local collecting is 

 of value chiefly to the collectors themselves, for the herbarium 

 and the little groups of local animais and birds seldom offer 

 much to attract or instruct the outside visitor. 



We cannot but think, however, that the whole ground is 



