WAR MEMORIALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18206, 27 September 1922, Page 11

WAR MEMORIALS.

A PROVINCIAL MUSEUM. EDUCATIONAL VALUE. BY F. C. ROLLETT. Controversy regarding war memorials has been surprisingly vigorous in nearly every country which took part in the great conflict, and New Zealand has had its full share. Auckland, therefore, can .consider itself fortunate in having chosen a form of commemoration which, if not universally approved, is commended and 1 supported by the great majority of people, both in the city and the country. When one comes to think of it, it has to be acknowledged that few things could be more suitable for a memorial than a museum. In it can be stored flags and trophies and weapons, the spoils of war, but in it too can be shown the arts and sciences and industries which are emblematical of peace. It would be difficult to select 'any form of monument which would appeal to all classes of people, and' which time would not stale. A museum is so closely associated with the life and work and ideals of a people that it is perpetual in its interest, and should be ever increasing in attraction and use. A mere building or monument, no matter how impressive, would be chiefly a feature of the place where it was erected; a, museum appeals to all the country and to all peoples. A Credit to the Citizens. Auckland's War Memorial Museum is evidently a fortunate conception. Already it has received contributions to the amount of £122,000, and has been given a site on Observation Hill, which is one of the finest surely in the world, and' there seems little doubt that the building, as designed, will be worthy of both site and purpose. It is certainly a credit to the citizens of Auckland that such a generous response should already have been made in the shapeV of monetary contributions to Fhe war memorial. The fact that £122,000 has been secured, of it practically (with the exception of £25,000 from the Government) being given voluntarily by the business men and business institutions of the city suggests that the scheme will not be starved or mutilated for lack* of funds. But it must be remembered that Auckland's War Memorial 'is not for the city alone, it is for the whole province, and this is where the advantage of the museum idea is so manifest. The treasures which the old museum contains, and which the new museum is to house, do not belong alone to the city, but io Aucklanders scattered from the North Cape to Taupo. As a matter of fact there is scarcely a district or locality within the province which is not represented in some way, either in the shape of works of art, Maori curios, bird life, insect life, mineral or geological specimens, and it seems to me that the real success of the memorial will be in making it fully representative pf the province.

Suggested District Courts. It must not be forgotten that a museum can be, and should be, something more than a show place for curios, antiquities, and such like things. Under ordinary circumstances it is one of the most practical and democratic and wide-reaching of all our educational institutions. Ine worker, no matter how humble his occupation, can find some example of his craft to teach him within its walls; the artist, no matter how high his capabilities, can find something to inspire him. . Personally I believe that the new war memorial museum would perform an immensely valuable service if it were designed in pari at least to illustrate the industries and resources and attractions of the Auckland Province, and I see no reason why the various districts of the province should not be given an opportunity to make and maintain their own special courts. It vouW be both interesting and instructive to see the great divisions of the .province—the Northern Peninsula, the" Bay of Plenty, the Waikato, and the King Country—represented in detail, and one may Ibe sure that each district for its own sake would make a worthy display. Such district courts/could be mada to serve many useful and interesting .purposes—they might become the district's treasure house to hold what is rare and beautiful; they might show their natural resources and their • industries, and might even indicate some of the possibilties they possess in the shape of soils and minerals. lb is practically impossible for each district to have a museum of its own, but if the plan suggested were carried out they would realise at any rate that they had a living and practical interest and ownership in the central museum of the province.

▲ Practical Educative Force. There is no disguising the fact that if a museum is to fulfil to the uttermost its proper functions, it must become' a living practical educative force, and I am convinced that district courts if properly arranged could be made most valuable in showing city people and visitors the features and resources of the different portions of the Auckland Province. We have' seen at various exhibitions, which are rasrely temporary at the best, what wonderfully interesting displays can bo made when district pride and rivalry are stimulated. The aesthetic and scientific side of a museum need not suffer in the least from attention and space being given to industrial v and commercial features ; fact there is every reason to believe that the new war memorial museum would become a much more valuable and popular institution if such vital and important features were made even-a dominant part of its future expansion. The ethnological room or court will probably be the most wonderful of its kind; the displays of mineral and geological specimens may not be equalled elsewhere in the Dominion, but' I doubt whether any one of these would he more widely popular than the practical educative exhibits suggested. Certainly, they would not play such an important part in the education of our people, or the real development of both city and province. It is essential to the progress of Auckland city that- the industriss and resources and possibilities of the Auckland province should be better known t and district courts could, if properly arranged, be made to show the salient features of the vast areas in the north and the south, the east and the west, which to-day are as strange to them as some foreign countries. There can be no doubt that properlyarranged exhibits, even in a small court or room, could be made to show these thing? more vividly, and at the same time, more easily than any other way, and it is certain that these courts would prove a great attraction.