The Daily News. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1900. A TARANAKI MUSEUM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 204, 2 October 1900, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1900. A TARANAKI MUSEUM.

Although New Plymouth presents greater attractions to visitors than most New Zealand towns, the proposal to establish a museum should receive very hearty support. We hope, therefore, to see the public meeting called by Bis Worship the Mayor for this (Tuesday) evening very numerously attended. The Recreation Ground is a great attraction and a source of pleasure to all visitors, while the surrounding district is very rich in historical associations, which will be more and more valued as time goes on. A museum is, however, an attraction that is of value in a far wider sense; besides, its attractiveness to visitors, its educational value, and as a repository of works of nature and art, of geological and mineral specimens, old relics, etc., is very great. Indeed, no town of any size and importance is considered properly equipped without a museum. If we are rightly informed, the nucleus of a museum is already in existence in New Plymouth, and many of the residents have articles which they would doubtless donate to such an institution, if one were in existence, We understand that two rooms are available in the municipal buildings if satisfactory arrangements can Jbe made for the management. Besides other advantages such an institution gives residents of the district something to care and work for when visiting other countries and districts. An instance of this is seen in a marked degree in our sister town of Wanganui, where quite a number of curiosities from South Africa have been sent by members of the various Contingents who have gone to that country from Wanganui. One very interesting curio is a family Bible found by a Wanganui trooper in a deserted Boer farm house. It had not been considered of any value by those who had looted the house, but the Wanganui trooper, with a thoughtfulness that does him credit, saw what an attraction it would lend to the museum of his native town, and found time, amid all the hurly burly of war, to send it to the custodian of that institution. We might dwell at great length on the many ways in which such an institution would be useful and valuable to the district, both town and country, but have said enough, we hope, to induce our readers, who are able to do so, to devote an hour to furthering the establishment of such an institution in our midst,