CHILDREN'S ESSAYS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15939, 28 June 1917, Page 10

CHILDREN'S ESSAYS.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS' COJIPETITION. "WHAT I SAW AT THE— MUSEUM." Tho competition promoted by the "Evening Ncus' for the best essays written by children of the three upper standards of the public schools, on "What. 1 Saw at the Museum," closed with between 1-50 and 2CO entries. Some unavoidable delay occurred in carrying out the task of judging the essays, but last week we were able to submit to Mr 11. Speight, the. Curator of the Museum, who had kindly agreed to make tho final adjudication, the best six from each standard. Mr Speight has selected the essays Kent in by the following competitors as tho most meritorious: — .STANDARD IV. F.'ilin Woodward (We.it Christchurch), J st; Kathleen Orchard (Linwood), '-nd. STANDARD V. E. Hansen. (Waltham), Ist; Edna Anderson (Sydenham), 2nd. STANDARD VI. Isabel Penlington (Richmond), Ist; Ireno Laing (Elmwood), 2nd.

j The prize-winners are requested to call at. ■'Tho Press'' offiec any day this ■week up to 5 p.m., when cach will he given an order on a local bookseller for the value of his or her prize. TIIE PRIZE ESSAYS. STANDARD IV. Oil my lirst visit to the Museum. I was bcwildoreu al the many 3iybtii which I beheld. Tho. tilings that took my fancy most were the many ancicut relics of countries all over the world. Some are tlie relies of our own country. 'the .Maori dwelling were fw beautifully carved, that hardly an inch of uncrnamentcd wood was left. Then thexo ia a tomahawk mado of greenstone. and another made oi stouo, thai aro very much like our axes. 11l tho Antique .Room tlicio is a rclio of Egypt—a "niummie," bound round and round with wrappings worn in many places through. Xho bindings are made of a eoit of canvas. This is »n example of tho way in which tho ancient Egyptians treated their dead. Not so much as their face is left uncovered. There aro two fiercu-looking soldiers standin"; in their glaag cases, and leaning 011 their spears. Their armour is made of steel, and their helmets alO made of tho same, .with picces coming down over the cars. Their long, drooping, moustaches har.g down nearly to their chins. They look really very deadly, because of their unusual appearar.co (in general). Then, if you go upstairs, there, jmt as you go in, thevo is a chest with little drawers, in which are fixed buttorflics of all hues, climateu, and countries. The tropical epccics of butterfly possess all tho colours of tho rainbow. Ono butterfly ia blue, and comes from India. Tho blue t'udes to.cream at the edges of the wings. Another one has bright yellow wings, dotted with brown. Its body is also of tlie same brown; and yol another diflors from all the rest. That one is crimson, and comco from Egypt. It ia a most beautiful specio of butterfly, and almost dazzles your ryc3 when you open its drawer where it rests, with large other butterflies of all rolouw. . One of its companions is a largo and beautiful green butterfly. They all appear to have been caught ill tho perfection of their life. The Museum is a placo where I would not like to bo on a dark night.; not that I am ever likely to be in there at that time. EDIE WOODWARD. Anioug the many wonders of the world is the Museum. The ono in Chris tchurch is supposed to bo tho largest ill Australasia* As wo draw near to the portico, these words catch our eves: "Lo, those are parts of His ways, but how little a portion is heard of Him." Entering the door, the first room that is scon is the Mammal Room. lu this there aro enough animals to fill a menagerie, and over. Tlie largest of theeo is tho elephant, which camo from East India, wliilo tho baby lion cubs appear to bo the emalleet. j On leaving this place, we come to the early eottcra' room, which is filled with ! many ancient curios. Just inside the door ia a* very old spinning wheel, given by Mre Chumlcy. Standing by this is a bicycle, with a very enrions 6eat and spokes, ■Walking a few yards, and going through a largo_ door, ia the New Zealand Birl Room, in which is a vory large object, like a sponge. Thia is not so, for it is a vegetable* sheep. Taking another way, we come out into tho open air onco more, but thia time it is at tho other end oi tho building. When we look in front of us, we aee a large skeleton, which is of a huge blue whale. Thia is eighty-seven feet long, and weighs nine tons. Retracing our steps onco more, we go up a flight of etairs, the Bides of which aro decorated with beautiful paintings of flowers, landscapes, and portraits. KATHLEEN ORCHARD. STAXDARD V. Ono of the ehicf attractions of Christchurch ia the Canterbury Museum, founded by Haast. whoso memorial can Ixi toon on ono of tho walls. A trip through this placo is very interesting, an things from a.ll parts of tlie globe are exhibited in glass cases of various sizes, while the picture gallery gladdens the eyo of all lovers of art. Going through the open door, and turning to tho right, visitors behold tho Mammal Room, with it. multitude of animals of all. ppccies and kinds, from the lion, the leo, of ancient Rome, to tho pigmy flying fox, with its hroa<l back. Two old ship's guns carry one'a imagination far back to the days of -powder and shot, when tho« 0 old piecea barked furiously acros3 a narrow strip of water, •throwing Tound balle of iron to cripple their oppononta, whoso grim, hla<ck mouths almost touched theirs. Many a primitive implement and woapon, together with hideous idols, before whom mnny a luckless captive met his death, are displayed in another large apartment built for tho purpose. Birds from many lands Jhavo sat motionless •upon th«iir perches for years, alwayo in tho same attitude.

Carvings, somo of which are done by the natives of New Zealand, who loved tho art above all things known to them, aro to bo peen in certain too me. On tho second floor remains of old civilisations, particularly that of ancient Egypt. meet tho eye. Most prominent among these relics of dead, long dead, nations, are embalmed bodies, papyri, sacTcd animals, cooking utensils, weapons, and priestly wands. Prehistoric implements, mostly from tho excavations at Troy, are arranged in compartments made for th 0 purpose of holding tliefo articles, which, mark man's progress, and his clow, but sure, steps towaida civilisation. Osiris, flame sea, and the Hellenic heroes have thoir likeness in tho Statuary Room. In certain apartments there is glassware. china,.etc., "from oil countries on earth. The Museum possesses fin© collodion of fish and reptiles from every corner of the world, among them 'beinjj tho whale, tho shark, black bass, ribbon fish, and skate, while a German -machine-gun has lately been added. These articles do a vast amount of good from an educational point of view, eo we may well thank Haast for what he has done for our city. E. HANSEN*. During our holidays I paid a visit to the Museum. . , , On that occasion I felt very important with my notebook under my arm, and marched in quite bravely, but when I saw so many wild beasts glaring at me, and eo many people's images, people who had been dead hundreds of years, and skeletons in oveTy direction, I felt like running away; but I soon became bo interested in what I saw that my nervousness left me. One .old mrtn with the funny iiania of Von Haast looked at me out of marble, and I was wondering who ho was, when I caught Bight of Shakespeare hiding behind the door. The wild beaste did not look too pleased, either. It wemed to mo they were trying to see who could look tbe moat angTy, the lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, pumas, or the bears, while the elephants and giraSea were looking on in contempt, and tbe monkeys end hyenas were grinning. I saw the skeleton of a man beside that of a gorilla, and the man's bones seemed very frail compared to the other. My father explained to me that Von Haast was one of the chief founders of the Museum, nnd much thought of by Canterbury people, but it must hive baen the animals that Shakespeare wa6 hiding from.

I tv;_s interested in i-rioas' ijoces 'tid ake'.elor.s. end the si:e o; their e-rrs. In aiulKer pLa<e I ei»- statues of Maoris ami force o' :hcir carrin .'3. I v.ondcrc-d ho*' tlicr did it tvitJi stouo loo^s.

In one room thero was a caar- containing medals. They must have Ueen valuable, as I saw tho caretaker taking them out to lock them up for tho night. I admired the beautiful birds from the littlo .humming bird to the big ostrich. In tho corridor there was a model 6hip, also examples of tho cablo which supplies us with Dew 6 from Australia, and pieccs of cannon which were from tho old Elizabethan ehipe. I I eaw bara of iron mace out of Tajanaki sand, and also the ekeletoe of a monster whaie. Upstairs I caught a jrlunpso of Perseus holdinjr up tho head of Medusa, with manv mare imagc3 around him. Suddenly tho gong sounded, and I rushed downstair*}, nearly knocking ove- a boy who W3s rushing up looking for his lest notebook. I wa* :n horror of being locked in, so 1 did not help him to find it. EDNA. ANDERSON. STANDARD VI. T . "Lo these are parts of His way? ( jut how little a. portion is heard of Him.'" These words above porch, first catch the eye as one cntors the Museum, but ono understands them Letter after tic 'visit- is over. The fir?t Tooro w c enter '-3 the Foreign Hist ory Room. How well I remember my first visit. *hen I found myself surrounded by glaring lior_> and tigers—they looked eo fcrocioi:s that I clung to my mother, fearful lest they should spring on me. Here is a lion, which may have roared ia the forests of far-away Africa, and tbis tiger, which may have hunted its prey in the jungles of India. Not far away is a. great bison, with shaggy coat. Very probably he belon-jed to a herd which roamed tho vaat American prairies. In a large glaas caee near-by are monkeys, some bigger than men, others small as catsAmong them is a mighty gorilla, -which with arms outspread appeara to be about to break the rough walls of its cage and bo free. We also see kangaroos from and Arctic foxes, which have hunted for their food among tho snow and ice. In the Ethnological Room arc things from ail parts of the world—o'.d coins with the heads of sovereigns who ruled long a?o, ancient carvings, valuable pottery, and old-fashioned weapons which eorne native chieftain may have used in battle.

In tho New Zealand Room wo find the skeleton.* <>f giant moas, which once abounded. in New Zealand. So tall aro they tb&t n man standing near seems a dwarf. A further on is the model of a Maori home. Here, very lifo-like, stands & Muori chieftain, with two huia feathers in his hair, and his faco wonderfully tattooed. Hia wahico stands in tho doorway, a. basket on her arm, and seated "near by ib tho daughter weaving: some fancy garment. Wo now enter tbo Whale Room; tho gigantic skeleton quite our breath away, as wo look from «nd to end. Its head is a mass of j hones, ita ri'->s great archcs—what a dinner he could have eaten! In tho Bird GalVsry upstairs is a great eaglo j)oi?ed aloft peering at the birds in the below, and wondering which ho will select for Ilia prev. Here there aro hundreds of birds, from the gorgeous piurota and peacocks to the dull brown owls, from the mighty ostrich to tho tiny humming birds. Wo pass through the Statuary Room -with its white figures into the Antiquity Loom, which even wnolls old. Hero is Been old armour, ancient pottery, Egyptian mummies, •and rclke of marry past axes. But h:vrk! tho gong Bounds the hour ot clnshur. and I must leave, unless I wish to stay here with lions and tigers, or sloop with tho Just before I entered the Museum. I read tho words over tho door:— . "Lo, these arc parts of His ways, but how little a- portion is heard of Him. ' Tli"li I entered and turned my attention to tho room where the stuffed animals aro kC \\'iien. I was first takeii to the Museum, it was to see the animals which in my story books. I remembered this, and looked on most of tho animate aa old friends the case just inside the door, for instance, "Shere kahn," tho tiffer, looked out on mc with a very ferocious expression, while the jaguar, although ho looked fairly well fed, did not rnako mo feel comfortable. In tho next case is the gorilla. I did cot like hiiu as much aa the because, although the tiger looked as though ho was out for his supper, tho gorilla made mo have horrible dreams. • Tho crocodile looked safe enough in the enclosure at tho end of the room, but the giraffe cvidentlv did not think he was "\erj safe, for ho had backed away till he was stopped. by the wall, where he stood with a very fatuous expression on his face.. In one case thero was an armadillo that looked just like a brown pinc-cono, while in another a whole Arctic scene had been arranged, and, so realistic was it that, as I looked at it, the very air eeemod to grow colder, and I wondered at tho thirst for knowledge that men to risk life and limb inside the .Arctic and Antarctic j circlcs. A case by tho door was full of j bears of all kind?, but as I was not interested in them. I wandered on until I came | to a fallen star or meteor. It was com- j posed almost wholly of iron, and after I had poked my pencil into some of the holes, I went on to another room. Just inside tho doorway stood tho skeleton of tho great Irish deer. It fitood as though it was guarding all that the room contained, and. realising it 3 responsibilities, was proud of its position. Two long, narrow cases were filled with models of pro-historic animals, most of them about eighteen feet high. One of them whom scientist call Ichthyosaurus, but whom I call "Ichthy," as "saurus" is only a family name, is something like a whale, but his* ove* were as big as a man's head. I liked Ichthy because he was always hungry. Sometimes he ate Plecpaurus, his cousin, and whon ho met his own brothers and sisters they shared a similar fate. I obtained some idea oE the size of trie piant Sloth from a skeleton at one sido ot the room. Tho Sloth lived chicfly on leaves, so that when the great forest, in which he lived, died, the Sloth became estinct. Thcro wero dozens of other models, and a. good many fossils, but I did not havo timo to study them closely. I glanced at ono or two of tho othor rooms, but, as r.ono of them interested mo especially, I went outside' anU glanced again at the inscription! over the door, and as I did «o, I thought of the truth of those words, and how. althonrh the things in the Museum were wonderful, none of them were imbued with that wonderful and most myßtcrious of all thiegs, Life. IRENE LAING. SOME COMMENTS BY TTIK JUDGE. • Mr Speight, to whom our thanks aro duo for the trouble Jin took ovor tho task of selecting thn prize-winning essays out of those submitted to him, writes as follows: —

"A consideration of tho t»elcctcd essays on tho visit to tho Museum shows that most of the writers had exercised considerable powers of correct observation, and thoroughly appreciated the sailrnt features of the characteristic exhibits in tho Mnseum. Some indeed had noted tho minute cliaractcrs of many of the objects. Occasionally ono found evidence of maturity of thought and expression that was somewhat surprising as coming from pupils in public schools. This speaks well for the general character of tho instruction given in theni in the subject of composition. Most writers, however, tended to give a kind of guidebook account of what they saw which resulted in scrappy and discontinuous descriptions. There were the usual number of foolish mistakes, e.g., one boy described the two small cannons in the entrance as at one time bcin<» charged with slugs and snails, a rote<> what natural mistake in a natural history museum. A littlo girl, expressed her horror of skeletons, and said that she would not like to see her skeleton in a museum for people to admire—an illustration of both a vanity and a shyness natural to a little girl. It is pleasing to note that some were quite alive to the imperfections of the exhibits, although most thought the correct_ tiling was to express unqualified admiration of all they 6aw. One littlo girl rightly drow attention to tho deficiencies of the giraffe at the end of the mammal room, while another recognised tho inappropriateness of putting Shakespeare's bust near tho lions and tigers These little criticisms showed that the writers looked on exhibits with critical eye. and it is verv illuminating at times to hear the results of observations of children who n IS? I . t6d . , " th fl , desire to speak the truth without regard to persons or institutions. I am sorry that the giraffo cannot be remedied, excent by getting a new one, but we shall find some more appropriate nlace for onakespeare. •''The consideration of the e«savs naturally introduces the quest ion of the adaptation of museums to the mental i-apaeitv of children. Thi.- has been aitempte 1 in -.onio nf thrOarye cities of tnr tvoHU. wuoro there ;irv large and well-endowed institution*. The first

method is by means of organised travelling exhibits, which aro handed on to different schools in turn. This method has certain obvious difficulties, and docs not appear applicable to our conditions. However, several schools in this town have a -small muse*ini of their own, and however small and iinro present at ivo this mav be it promotes habits of observation. and encourages boys and girls to arrange specimens m proper order on scicntific lines. In cases this is done in the larger centres of tho old world, specialists occasionally go round and give advice and assistance as to arrangement and description "The second method, which has been tried with especial success in tho Natural History Mmcura of New \ork is to havo a room devoted entirely to children, where the exhibits are Arranged P o as to attract immature minds. Such exhibits would include. series illustrative of, say. tho protective devices of animals, modificaE£?of claws to suit their life history ot insccts. et< . Tins would require such an extension of room at our own museum, and a much increased staff of socialists, iar beyond what the fund's of'the. institution allow, but it would be a development that would bo entirelv warranted d it could be arraScd. In New York Museum children'Tdav is quite an event, and days are set aside when even hhnd deaf and dumb, havo tho run of the P 3 **' and their special wants are provided for fn the wayV descriptive talks suitable for such unfortunate children.