Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 1.djvu/528

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

dorse y] MUSEUMS OF CENTRAL EUROPE 469

the curators have not always been able to follow this ideal scheme of installation, consequently many of the collections cannot be seen to advantage by the general visitor ; indeed, a majority of the collections can leave only a feeling of confusion in the mind of even the most careful observer. This condition, however, is not the fault of Dr Bastian, nor of his able assistants, but is due to the fact that the museum building has long proved to be inadequate, and also to the rapidity with which the collections have increased.

The collection at Munich, while of importance to the special- ist in certain fields, such as China and Japan, is not of sufficient interest to demand special consideration. It is housed in a building wholly unsuited to museum purposes; the collections are crowded, and do not seem to be well arranged or labeled. In Dresden, also, the building was not designed for use as a mu- seum, but, considering the limited space, the objects are well arranged.

In Hamburg the space allotted to ethnography is inadequate for a proper exposition of the specimens. While a few regions are fairly well represented, and while the museum contains many priceless specimens, as a whole it ranks far below those of Berlin and Vienna. In Leyden there are very valuable and interesting collections from many parts of the globe, notably China, Japan, the Dutch possessions in the Pacific, and parts of Africa. The collections are divided among three unsubstantial, poorly-lighted buildings, and it is with great difficulty that one can make any satisfactory examination of them. It seems a pity that collections so valuable as these cannot be assembled in a single structure located either in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. Nevertheless, in spite of great difficulties in the way of a satis- factory examination of specimens, no student of ethnography can afford to neglect the Leyden museum.

Apart by itself, but worthy of special mention, is the Mus6e Guimet of Paris, which occupies a very handsome building devoted

�� �