The founding of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, the largest of American museums, in 1869, marked an important step, in that it definitely recognized the interest of the public in museums by providing for the housing and care of the building by the city, while the scientific work of the institu tion was to be carried on from private funds. This principle of "community of interest" has been widely adopted. It includes all branches of natural history (save botany) and anthropology. There are more complete skeletons of extinct animals, particularly dinosaurs, on exhibition than in any other institution in the world, and the series of reproductions of invertebrates in glass is unique.
The history of the United States National Museum, Washing ton, D.C., given by Dr. Goode in detail, in the Report of the United States National Museum for 1891, is involved. The germs of this institution may be ascribed to the collection of minerals included in the Smithson bequest (1826), and in the National Institution (long defunct) for the Promotion of Science (1840). The term National Museum was first used by Prof. Henry in 1847, but was not legally applied to the Government collections until 1876. Wilkes's exploring expedition gave a great stimulus to the United States National Museum, but the exposition of 1876 was the final cause for its establishment. The collections include, besides natural history in its various branches, anthro pology, history, technology and even art. The minerals and molluscs rank with the first. In technology, the material illustrat ing the development of the telephone, telegraph and electric light is unique.
The acquisition and preservation of material for study was, at first, the main purpose of museums of science, exhibition being a secondary consideration. The gathering of material was largely passive. Museums took such specimens as were brought to them. but as they grew in importance expeditions were sent out for the express purpose of securing material. Among the leaders (aside from the Government exploring expeditions) were the Peabody Museum of Yale University, under Prof. Marsh, and Princeton University, under the direction of Prof. Scott. This has now be come an important and essential branch of museum work. That museums of science might be a source of "rational amusement" was recognized by John Edward Gray in his appeal for a new building for the natural history collections of the British Museum ; their educational possibilities came later, and were largely due to Sir William Flower, when director of the British Museum. Dr. G. Brown Goode, in charge of the United States National Museum, under Prof. Baird, was an admirer of Flower, and a great be
liever in the educational value of museums, especially of their exhibition collections, and to him America owes, to a great ex tent, the "popularizing" of museums of science.
Once fairly started, the movement to make museums educa tional rapidly gathered weight, until it has become recognized as one of their important objects, and special attention is given to the arrangement and labelling of exhibits and to affiliation with schools. (See section on Visual Education in Museums.) The most recent instance of the change in policy of a museum of science is the rearranging of the collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard along educational lines, though the first step may be said to have been taken some years ago by the introduction of the Blaschke glass flowers.
There are, great and small, about 325 museums of natural history in the United States, but it is uncertain just how many of these are entitled to be called museums of science. The history of a few of the more important has already been noted; the location of other leading museums, and the more noteworthy of their collections, are as follows : The Field Museum of Natural History (originally Field Colum bian museum), Chicago, was founded by the gift of collections by Marshall Field at the close of the Columbian Exposition of 1893. It has important collections in natural history and ethnology, being particularly rich in birds of North and South America, and mammals of those continents and Africa. The collection of meteorites is the largest in the world; the exhibits in botany lead all others in the United States. A special gift from N. W. Harris provides for unusually fine circulating exhibits for schools.
The New York State Museum, Albany, was organized as the State Cabinet of Natural History, the original collections being the material gathered in the course of the natural history survey of the State between 1836 and 1843. In 1873 it was established as the State museum, and in 1889 made a part of the University of the State of New York. It is supported entirely by the State, is the largest of the State museums, and its publications the most important. It contains many types and figured specimens of the past and present flora and fauna of the State, and its historical collections are extensive. Other important State museums are those of Pennsylvania (Harrisburg), Illinois (Springfield), New Jersey (Trenton), Indiana (Indianapolis), Georgia (Atlanta) and Florida (Gainesville).