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naval machines, and the edacational apparatus. An afternoon
thus spent leaves no good mental effect. To those who come
merely to pass the time, it carriee out this purpose; bat the
mental impremion is that of a nightmare of incomprehensible
machines, interminable stairs, suspicious policemen, turnstiles,
and staring fish.
But I must go a step further and question altogether the
wisdom of forming vast collections for popular educational
purpoaes. No doubt the very vastness of the Paris and other
International Exhibitions was in itself impressive and instructive,
bat speaking from full experience of the Paris as
well as the London exhibitions, I question whether it was
possible for any mind to carry away useful impressions of
n multitude of objects so practically infinite. A few of the
larger or more uuiquo objects may be distinctly remembered,
or 8 few specimens connected with the previous studies and
pursuits of the spectator may havo been inspected in a way
to produce real information; but I feel sure the general
rncutal state produced by such vast displays is one of
perplexity and vagueness, together with some impression of
sore feet and aching heads.
As regards children, at any rate, there can be no doubt that
a few striking objects are far better than any number of more
monotonous onea. At the Zoological Gardens, for instance,
the lions, the elephants, the polar bears and especially the
BOB lions, are worth all the rest of the splendid collection put
together. After the ordinary visitor, whether young or old,
has become well interested in these, it has an obviously
depressing and confusing effect to proceed through the long
aeries of antelopes.
In this, as in so many other cases, the half is better than
the whole. Much inferior as the Eambnrg Z0010gid Gardens
may be in the variety of the collection to that in the Regent’s
Park, I am inclined to prefer it as regards the striking manner
in which the principal snimels are displayed.
The evil &ect of multiplicity of objects used to be most
strikingly displayed in that immensely long gallery at the
British Museum which held the main part of the soological