THE USES OF MUSEUMS.

Press, Volume XVIII, Issue 2493, 27 April 1871, Page 3

THE USES OF MUSEUMS.

Professor Rolleston delivered a lecture to the members of the Exeter Naturalists' Club on this subject. We take the following report from tbe Exeter Gazette, of January 13 : — Professor Eolleston commenced by Baying that it was at the invitation of Mr H. S. Ellis that he paid them thia visit. He remarked that Mr Ellis had established a claim on the gratitude of all members of the British Association by the way that he exerted himself on the occasion of the meeting of the British Association at Exeter, and when he was *>sked by him to come to Exeter and give this lecture he felt bound to do so. He said he wanted to speak of Museums with reference to three classes of persons, first with reference to teachers, secondly, with reference to learners, and thirdly, with reference to the general public. Let them take one large principle underneath which all details might be subsummed, as tbe logicians called it, or in plainer English be arranged, collocated, or bound together. He believed

t that was a very proper way of come munieating knowledge, but he was sure 9 it was ft very improper way of trying to attain it. If a person started any investigation by grasping tin , result", and , then viewing the dotaiis in the lit;lit which it afforded, it was a very unwholesome way of trying to come to conclusions, but when the conclusions r J had been come to, and had no longer -i to be sought after, it was best to state I a great principle uuder which details 3 ranged themselves. That method of I 1 grasping a result and viewing tho der j tails by the light it afforded was what Jhe had heard spoken of as the historic ait-thud, taa it v\:is not the natural historic method. He had heard the method praised at great length by an exalted personage, who said that the recent advance in the explanation of the history of past uion p.nd past opinion was due to the adoption of the historic method, which was this—to realise to oneself what the condition of thinga was at any particular period, and, having done that, then go on to interpret what were really Iho events that took place. That seemed to him (Professor Eolleston) very much as if ho were to say he had a number of parts that he knew nothing of, and then proceed to explain them .by means of his ignorance of the whole which they made up. [Hear, and laughter.] He therefore apokgised for beginning with a large principle, for no doubt often tho tendency was to shape the facts to suit the principle. The use of Museums he thought, was resolvable into one great aim. The one great principlo was that as the world was governed, on every square area of its surface which was inhabited by human beings, they world Hnd a certain number of persons with special calls, as the theologians styled if, for parliculnr linos of life. And the use of museums was that it enabled them to identify those persons who had special fitness for a natural history or natural science line of life. And in securing a them so much capital was secured to i the nation, and to the world. He t referred to the circumstances attend- v ing the history of Sir Humphrey Davy, t who probably would never have been i known but for the kindness of Mr s Gregory Watt, Mr Davis Gilbert, and n Dr Beddoes, and pointed out what the a world would have lost had his talents d remained undeveloped. By having a b well-organised museum at work, with a its means, appliance, and plant for in- a struction, always on the spot, they l< were enabled to pick out persons like n that, and not leave it to chance, a p happy concurrence of eireumstauces, o or Providential interposition. By b having an organised scheme, when such is a person was born in a parti- c cular area, they were able to s put their finger on him and hold him, a in the interest of the State. If there si were not museums spread over the p land they were in danger of losing such si men. There was of m course a higher 1( motive than that, but it was as well p when they were dealing with things that cost money, to show that the C results could be measured by money v also. It was greatly to the credit of A Exeter that it had spent so much h money on this institution, and he ti hoped they would go on spending till c, they had made it perfect. Hβ quoted ci the opinion of Edward Forbes that it si was to the extension of local museums E that they were to look for the future ti intellectual development of this coun- tl try. He then proceeded to speak on o] the material conditions in reference to ai the three personal elements connected rt with museums. The first was that there ol should be work-rooms in which both n teachers and students could work a privately, the next was that there c< should be show-rooms such as the one 3< they were now in, where the eye could tc be instructed. The latter he argued fc should be open to teachers and pupils ai every day, and the general public o' should be admitted only for a certain tl time, say two hours every day. The tl third thing necessary was a good r« library, and the next a lecture room, ti He dwelt at length importance T of all three. Speaking of the functions b of the teachers, he said instruction v should be conveyed by demons- n tratiou by set lectures and by a exercises for rewards. In the show ii room he thought there should be first a a typical collection; thirdly, objects of s local interest; and besides that, some- t thing which spoke of the natural o history of their own species. He spoke fl at length on the advantages of a study ii of natural history, and said such g studies brought them face to face with o problems that concerned every one of p them. If a fever broke out the same tl line of evidence should be pursued, T whereby natural history problems were d elucidated. ii