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THE USE AND ABUSE UF MUSBUMS. 55
V8riOU8 kinds. AE a libmry contains bo& which rp& from
the printed page, or the ancient inscribed pmhment, so the
Museum contains the books of Nature, and the ge1plong whi&
are in stones. About the use and abuse of printed books there
annot arise mnch qnestion. It may be assumed a general
rule that when a person reads a book, he understands it and
draws some good from it. The labour of reading is a kind of
bbour test, and gives statistics to the effect that certain cIaesee
of books are used so many times in the year on the average ;
there is little need to go behind these facts. But it is somewhat
otherwise with public Museums, because the advantage which
an individual gets from the visit may vary from nil up to
something extremely great. The degree of instruction derived
is quite incapable of statistical determination. Not only is
there great difference in degree, but thore is vast dzerence
also in tho kind of benefit derived. Many go to a publio
Museum just as they take a walk, without thought or care as to
what they are going to see; others have a vague idea that they
will be instructed and civilised by seeing a multitnde of novel
and beautiful objects; a very small fraction of the total public
go because they really understand the things displayed, and
have got ideas about them to be verified, corrected, or extended.
Unfortunately it is difficult to keep the relative values of these
uses of a Museum distinct. There seems to bo a prevalent
idea that if the populace can only be got to walk about a great
building filled with tall glass-cases, full of beautifnl objects,
especially when illuminated by the electric light, they will
became civilised. At the South Kensington Art Museum they
make a great point of setting up turnstiles to record the precise
numbers of visitors, and they can tell you to 8 unit the exact
amount of civilising effect produced in any day, week, month,
or year. But these turnstiles hardly take account of the fact
that the neighbouring wealthy residents are in the habit, on a
wet day, of packing their children off in a cab to the so-called
Brompton Boilers, in order that they may have a good run
through the galleries. To the far greater part of the people a
large brilliantly lighted Musenm is little or nothing more than
8 promenade, a bright kind of lounge, not nearly 00 instructive