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TUE USE AND ABUSE OF MUSEUMS. 73
curators. They will appoint st chief curator or librarian, and
in a case of D largo Museum, tho chiefs of the separate branches;
but will probably leave to tho chief curittor tho minor appointmenta.
If a happy and successful choico is u~nde us regards
the curators, especially tho chief, it will probably bo fouud that
the whole direction of the iustitution will centre in tho latter,
mho will form tho medium of communication between his colleagues
ths branch curators, and the board. All important
matters involving the scientific organisation of the Museum
will be discussed among the curators and reported to tho board
before the latter pass any final decision upon t,hern. Tho
adventages of such a constitution for the purposes in view are
manifold.
In the first place the fear of political influence and jobbery
in the appointments is reduced to a minimum, the board consisting
of men of such diverse character and interests that thy
are not as a body accessible to private influence. To securo
this end, however, it is quite essential that tho board should not
be elected by themselves, or by any single power having Loth
tho means and the motive for one-sided appointments. The
system of representative elections regularly adopted of lato in
the schemes of the Endowed Schools or Charities Commissions
sufficiently secures this end. A second advantage is that the
board, having no common opinions on scientific matters, practically
leave the curators in the perfect freedom of thought and
action which is requisite for the prosecution of learning and
science. Ths officialism of a government office is absolutely
incompatiblo with the labour of discovery. Tho tendency of
an oficial is always to elevate himself at tho expense of his
subordinates. Ho serves the stab or some branch of tho state
and they serve him; but any distinction which those subordinates
attain, except through serving their chief, is sure to detract so
far from the conspicuous merits of the latter.
Under the kind of board of control described, the action of
affairs is very different. The different curators of branches
being appointed directly by the board, their services, whether
to the institute or to science in general, stand out separate
from that of the chief curator, mho being only primus inter