INTRODUCTION
The ideal museum has been dreamed of but has not yet been built. The ideal museum presents, in logical order, the entire story of the universe, the earth, and its inhabitants, together with their total relation to each other. Practical limitations prevent such a museum from becoming a reality but the goal is there.
The American Museum of
Natural History works constantly toward that goal. A study of the Table of
Contents of this General Guide will give the Museum visitor a key to the
appreciationof its offerings in both a logical and a chronological order.
Astronomy mirrors the
universe and states the theories of the earth's origin. The hardened rocks
furnish the material of geology and the life-forms trapped in that rock are the
objects of the paleontologist's search. From fossils we advance to forms that
are familiar today - living creatures with backbones, insects, fishes,
reptiles, birds, and mammals - all leading to the study of man himself.
With the growth of man
from primitive savagery to what we call civilization, come changes in his
relation to his surroundings. The first living thing was affected by its
environment and affected it in turn. Man is no exception. He is one of a
species of animals, among which he is no more necessary to the continuance of
life than are the insects, the birds or the dinosaurs. His very existence in
the future may depend on his understanding of the world in which he finds
himself.
Man is still part of
nature, although he controls much on earth. He is still subject to great basic
laws and forces that restrict and restrain him within marked boundaries. A
shift in climate from marine temperate to glacial cold could wipe out the
traces of man and his works over a continent. A movement of the ocean bed could
send a tidal wave to destroy coastal towns thousand of miles away.
Closer to man's fate
than great earth changes are the difficulties he makes for himself through lack
of understanding of the consequences of his acts. Because he is the only living
organism with the powers of reason developed to a relatively high degree, he is
able to engage in thought-processes and actions that create in him needs and
desires that were not shared by his early ancestors. In the satisfaction of
these needs and desires he cuts down whole forests for his industries. He mines
the soil and uses up resources he cannot hope to replace. He waters the desert
and reaps his harvest. He plows the plains and sows the dust bowls.
The Museum is aware of
the urgency of the problems of soil, water, forest, mineral and wild life
conservation and of the conservation of man himself. As you read through this
general guide or walk through the Museum halls, note the theme expressed by
those who represent the many departments of science and education. This idea is
plain in their research, in their writings and in their exhibits for the
public. The scientist-educator is concerned with the interpretation of nature
rather than its mere presentation. The day of the thousand stuffed animals in
one long case is gone. The scientist-educator knows that man must see nature as
a whole since he must live as a whole being within its framework.
The American Museum
of Natural History is one of the
most wonderful places in the word. It houses the priceless objects of the
earth, displayed in dramatic settings that amaze and delight all who come to
see.
But it is more, much
more, than a treasure trove of the rare, the exotic, the beautiful and the
unusual. It is a great teacher that can tell man what has come before. What
exists in the present, and what the future hold, depending on man's choice of
direction. It would not be a great teacher if it did not indicate the best
direction for him to take.
The Museum should be
all things to all men. It should meet the needs of the housewife, the farmer,
the industrialist, the college student, the child. Each must find, among its
offerings, an answer to his questions, an understanding of daily living and an
appreciation of his own place in a highly complex and interrelated world.
Unless museums work
toward that objective, they fail in their obligation to mankind. Thi museum
realizes that responsibility and asks you, the visitor, to pass judgment on the
fruits of its labor and to take some of those fruits with you.
© 1958 by The American
Museum of Natural History
