Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/214

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184
THE MUSEUM

possible interest. It is of great interest, however, to know that household utensils in the days of ancient Greece were of pottery and bronze, instead of china and tin, and the museum which can reconstruct the life of remote times for us in a vital manner is bound to interest. Such a recon- struction cannot, of course, be made without the help of the student who spends long hours poring over quantities of material of a like nature in its comparison, classification, and arrangement. For his sake, therefore, as well as for our general public, let us have collections of archaeological material subdivided to suit the needs of both types of visitors. The student should have side-lighted rooms of a convenient size, with windows low enough to permit him to examine objects under a strong light. The rooms should be provided with long tables, running at right angles to the window wall, upon which the collection in use can be spread. Around the room there should be cases, made as tight as possible, with glass doors wherever practical and with locks. These rooms thus serve as storage space and also as workshops. They should open onto a corridor, but should not be intercommunicating as it is sometimes convenient to give a student the key to one room when you may not wish him to enter the other rooms.