The Historical Department.

THE
MUSEUM GAZETTE.

No. 2.

JUNE, 1906.

Vol. 1.

OUR HISTORY ROOM. (See Frontispiece.)

A department of our Museum to which, as regards its educational usefulness, we attach very great importance, is that which attempts the illustration of Human History. It is displayed in a separate division of the main building, and is arranged, as far as possible, on “the space-for-time method.” This method, which, following the pattern of an ordinary diary, allots to every period of time the same amount of space, is, of course, possible only where the time-periods and dates are fairly well established. It is not well adapted, excepting as a sort of open and, to some extent speculative, framework for the illustration of prehistoric times. A courageous example of such use of it we ventured to offer in our last number in reference to prehistoric man in Britain. It was not history in any other sense than that the periods of time were real; the events assigned to them were largely conjectural. In the Museum itself we do not attempt to deal with very remote periods in this manner. Our space-for-time arrangement begins only with 2000 B.C. It might now, perhaps, fairly begin with 4000 B.C., but, unfortunately, we have not space enough. In this Schedule, which occupies the whole of one side of a long room (70 feet), a measured space on the wall, of nearly two feet, is allotted to each century. The centuries are marked out by strong black lines, drawn vertically from roof to the table-shelf below. This table-shelf is 18 inches wide, and runs the whole length of the room. It is upon it that the busts shown in our frontispiece are standing. Each bust is supposed to be in its appropriate century, and with it are placed any other illustrative objects belonging to the period—medals, coins, small architectural models (when we have them), and the like. For instance, a model of Stonehenge stands in the century in which it seems probable that that most remarkable structure was built, and portions of Roman pavement and other relics mark the period of the Italian occupation of Britain. Upon the wall itself are placed engravings, photographs, and the like, illustrative of the century, and representing either human personality or some results of human effort. In order to aid the memory each century is designated by the name of some prominent person of the time, to whom other associations may conveniently cling. These names, painted in bold characters, head the columns which represent the centuries. Beneath these prominent names we have (in the case of a considerable number of the most recent centuries) put up schedules of the principal events, and lists of some of the principal persons. The appended schedule is one of them and will illustrate what is meant:—

FOURTEENTH A.D.

Chaucer.

Wallace and Bruce. Dante. John of Gaunt. Rienzi. Van Artevelde.
Wickliffe. Huss. Boccaccio. Petrarch. William Tell.

It will, if what we have tried to describe has conveyed its intended meaning, be seen that an observer passing slowly down the length of the room, may appreciate at a glance the relative position of the principal events in the world’s history. He can hardly avoid noticing, with fair accuracy, the distance between Homer and Socrates, between Socrates and Paul, and between the Christian epoch and the times of Milton and Shakespeare. He will be impressed at once, as, possibly, he never was before, with a perception of the brief and very recent portion of time which contains the whole of the annals of our own nation. If, in addition to thus obtaining a sort of bird’s-eye view of the progress of the world, it is desired to go into detail and devote time to the enquiry, a certain amount of help will be found to have been provided on the table-shelf. Detailed schedules taken from the “The Centuries” (see advertisement) have been mounted on board conveniently for hand use, and are placed on the table-shelf at the foot of each century. A few books of reference in biography and history, and numerous maps, have also been suitably placed, and there are chairs.

The “Historical Schedule” described takes up, as we have said, the whole of one side of the long room. The other side of it, as well as much of the floor-space, is occupied by somewhat miscellaneous illustrations of prehistoric times, and of nations and races which have not as yet attained to history. The anthropoids, anthropology and ethnology in general here find illustration, in large part, but not wholly, by pictorial aid. We have also a few interesting objects suitable, as illustrating social progress, for what is now known as a Folk-Museum.

It is believed that this department of the Museum offers special facilities to teachers, who bring their classes into it and give explanations on the spot, and that by enabling the pupil to obtain a wide purview of historical times, it may do somewhat to obviate the inevitably cramping influence of the too detailed study of single epochs.