A temporary museum will, in all probability, be a Vacation- or
Summer-museum; there will, therefore, be no need for stoves or fires,
and scarcely any for artificial light. The sun rises in summer as early
as any members of the museum committee are likely to be stirring, and
by sunset it will be time to close. We will suppose, then, that the
season is summer and the place a small town in the country. In the
first place a small local committee of those interested in the scheme
should be formed, and a small sum of money guaranteed. The next step
should be to borrow a set of school premises, or hire for a couple
of months an empty house. If only a small cottage were obtainable
it should have a back garden in which a large wooden shed could be
put up. The essentials are plenty of room, plenty of light, and good
protection from weather. If the premises secured be those of a school,
the next thing will be to arrange with some carpenter for the hire of a
quantity of boards which, laid across the desks, will make tables. It
may be possible, on similar terms, to obtain from a draper a quantity
of baize, or its very cheapest equivalent, but this would not be
absolutely necessary. Having secured plenty of table-space, the next
point is to prepare the walls. It will be required to display on these,
Portraits, Maps, Illustrations, &c., &c., and for pinning these up
some sort of framework is desirable. The carpenter will soon put this
together and cover it with baize or flannel.
The rooms being made ready, the next step is to fill them, and about
this there will be no difficulty. As a preliminary measure a circular
will have been sent out, inviting all residents to contribute their
curiosities on loan. It will be strange if this be not bountifully
responded to by cases of stuffed animals and birds, collections of
eggs and of shells, and boxes of minerals. Ammonites, elephants’
teeth, mammalian skulls, butterflies, wasps’ nests, flint implements,
and Missionaries’ curios will be brought in great abundance. All
these, properly arranged, with descriptive labels, may be made most
interesting and instructive. A certain number of glass-covered
display-cases, with locks, will now be required in order that fragile
or valuable specimens, and especially those on loan, may be properly
taken care of. Such cases may be made inexpensively, and our Haslemere
Museum will be glad to supply patterns, or even, if wished, to loan the
cases themselves.
At this stage the Committee should remember that a museum has been
well defined as “a collection of labels illustrated by specimens,” and
should obtain, if it has not already done so, a set of our printed
labels, and ascertain for how many of them illustrative specimens
can be produced. Steps should next be taken to obtain elsewhere any
specially desirable exhibits which may not be forthcoming. Some
Horns, Antlers, Skulls, &c., are sure to be wanted, and no doubt
the Geological series and the Flint implements will need to be
supplemented. These deficiencies may be supplied in some instances by
borrowing from other adjacent museums, or they may be purchased at
various dealers.
A very important and attractive department of the temporary museum
will be the display of Pictures, Maps and Portraits. These, like those
just mentioned, may be hired, if they cannot be begged or borrowed.
A diligent ladies’ sub-committee, well supplied with bundles of old
unbound copies of _The Illustrated London News_, _Graphic_, _Vanity
Fair_ and _Punch_ would soon construct an attractive portrait gallery,
as well as sundry most interesting series in illustration of social
history, scenery, geography and natural science. There is not anywhere
a small town in which material of this kind may not be brought to light
from the cupboards in which it is uselessly stowed away. The best way
of dealing with it would be to procure some false-backed frames, such
as we have in use at Haslemere. In many instances portraits, maps, &c.,
will not need to be put into frames, but may be at once pinned up in
well-classified series on the walls.
We have said nothing as yet as to a department which ought to be made
one of the most important, especially at a sea-side resort. A Vivarium
for the display of local specimens in their fresh and living states
should be arranged either in an ante-room or hall, or in a shed, or
under a verandah outside the building. In this should be a stand
for flowers (all named), and bell glasses and large saucers for the
reception of shell-fish, sea anemones, sponges _au naturel_, sea-weeds
and corallines. Illustrations and explanatory labels for most of these
our Haslemere press can supply.
The charges for admission to the show should be: before its completion,
sixpence each person; when complete and in good order, threepence for
adults, half-price for children; and on Saturdays a penny all round.
Books of tickets, making a very liberal reduction, should be available.
The result would be, if circumstances were favourable and zeal
abounded, that the guarantors would lose nothing and might possibly
carry forward a modest balance to begin next year with. Meanwhile
the prosperity and reputation of the sea-side resort would have been
helped and a large number of persons would have been entertained and
instructed.
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The following paragraph appeared a short time ago in one of the daily
papers:--
The complaint is often made that there is little opportunity
to learn anything about the specimens exhibited in museums. At
Brooklyn the experiment has been tried of placing for the use
of visitors books bearing upon the subjects exhibited alongside
the cases. This experiment seems to have been most successful.
The Brooklyn experiment is not a new one. It has been practised for
many years past in our museum (_vide_ _Museums’ Journal_, vol. ii.,
1902).
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