THE MODERN MUSEUM

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 7 April 1945, Page 3

THE MODERN MUSEUM

Believing that one of the American Museum of Natural History’s primary functions is to give visitors an understanding of themselves and the region in which they live, Director Parr is planning two important new halls which will be introductory to all other exhibits. They are the “Hall of Man” and the “Hall of a Local Landscape.” Both will be started immediately after the war.

The "Hall of Man” will tell the story of man’s development. It will be made up in part of objects arranged so that they will trace man’s biological evolution from the earliest fossils to the present, with emphasis on the fact that man is a newcomer on the earth, having been here but a mere million of the earth's estimated 2,000 million years. On a 12-hour clock dial his culture will appear as but a few seconds old! The second project is the "Hall of a Local Landscape.” It will show what goes on in nature “within picnic distance of New York City.” Actually, Dr. Parr maintains, the region in which people live is the foundation of their national life. A nation is not just a place full of sentimental memories. Soil, climate, and the type of crops raised determine what kind of life a people will have.— (Creighton- Peet, in “This Week.”)