Jan. 9.
Shanghai has two museums which have valuable, collections. The Siccawei museum houses. large collections of materials which have been accumulated over long periods fof time and which have come from various parts of China. The Catholic Fathers have for many years been terested in the study of the natural] history of this country and much of the material which they have] studied and written about is kept] in this museum, The library of the Museum also contains many old and rare volumes on the natural It is not always the really necessary things in life that become an accomplished fact, no matter how persuasive their advocates, nor how favourably inclined} the general public at the time of an appeal. The difference of only a day may be sufficient] effectually to offset arguments in favour of anything, however essential it may be, provided it does not affect the stomach or the pocket-book in the way of lighten-ug the financial burdens on either. So far as one can see, all the ink! and breath expended by Mr. A de C, Sowerby have not brought Shanghai any the nearer to the possession of a museum, library and educational institute such as tthe Settlement should boast. Even though Dr. Chatley demonstrate ed how the Settlement could acquire such a thing practically for} nothing, still it remains but ai vision dimly apparent only to a few. Now we have Mr, N. Gist Gee, an acknowledged authority, coming forward with a plex for more concerted action in the study of China's fauna and flora, his excuse being, "0 little scientife work of a correlated nature has Been accomplished on the fauna) and flora of China that we are hoping to interest a number of people in various parts of the country and in this obtain material which will enable us to make some distributional studies." Mr, Gist Gee nowhere suggests great museum for Shanghai—in fact, he seems by inference to support an appeal for something! more in Peking—but the whole thing seems to work in so closely with what has been advocated for} Shanghai that we are forced to} become more' than merely interested.
Mr. Gist Gee starts his appeal history of Chin The Shanghai Museum of the rth China Branch of the] fe Society has been for many years] some very _valu-The exhibits of amphibians and reptiles in this museum are especially good and there are also other materials which make its collections well worth study, This museum/also has a ood library and one often used for reference by people all over China, Its collection of old books is a rare one, If the need is so great—and we will admit that it is—and if Shanghai, with so good a start, insistently has been urging something greater, why not—concentrate on Shanghsi? And again, Mr, Gist Gee says—
Another thing much to be desired that thave should be some clearing house for information concerning what, work is now going along biological lines, by whom these problems are being carried on, ete. If some individual oF organ: ization would undertake this and ring together such information as Jean be obtained for publication it would be a most valuable cent tion to biological work in China In this way it would possible to avoid needless duplication of effort and also the proper ce-operation might be secured between those who fare working on problems which concern the whole country.
Well, is not the China Society of Science and Arts just the very thing for this work? Frankly the present does not appeal to one as} 4 particularly favourable time for an appeal for museums of fauna and flora, however desirable such may be. But as there are ill people so fortunate that they can afford to disregard polities, Mr. Gist Gee's proposal may fall on fruitful ground. with the following:— is a rather significant fact that} the second resolution passed by the! representatives of the educational workers of China when they gathered in Changsha in October as guests of the Hunan Educational Association for the annual meeting of the Federated Provincial Educational Associations of China "was one urging that "Biological research' must be developed throughout, the country in order to have drawings and records of the flora and fauna fof China, ro as to improve scientific education." This organization national one of great importance! and the members have large inflam ence in their respective provinces when they return to direct in the shaping of local educational _poliies, While it is easy enough account for this resolution when one understands the background with which it was presented yet it indi ates how ready the intelligent edan caters of the country are to £0 on record as approving a policy of this Kind whenever it finds one champions it and advocates it wi This may be all very true, but tone would hesitate to parody that pronouncement so frequent-heard in Manchester and "What Changsha says to-day China will say to-morrow." Chou sha does not strike one as quite the place in which to make a demand for a rear national scum. This more when, after referring to Whitewright's famous institu-¢ion at Tsinan, the headquarters
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.