THE SCHOOL MUSEUM.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10239, 16 May 1911, Page 5

THE SCHOOL MUSEUM.

AN INTERESTING COLLECTION. I Ihe Museum at the Masterton District High School, which was formally opened by the Acting-Prime Minister yesterday, is an institution of which the headmaster, teachers, School Committee and public might well feel proud. The history of the Museum may be traced in brief: For many years Mr Richard Brown, when Town Clerk, employed , his, timie and energy in.getting together the extMbdits. At length he had a sufficiently valuable collection to warrant their being placed in casts and thrown open to the'puibli.?.-'. They, were carefully guarded by Mr E. §.,' Richards in a .room of .the Borough Council Chambers for some years. Then they were placed at the'dispefeal of the Trust Lands , Trust, and J now they have been handed over to j the school, toge-bneir with the building which, at one time did duty as a post office. The building, which is sikiaited in the reserve provided hy the Trust Lands Trustees, is divided into four"compartments. In one of these is efhown the natural history exhibits, in. another the valuable;;■ collection, of mineral and agrioult/urnl specimens, and . in' a third a very fine " assortment of curios, whilst, the fourth is utilised for mounting and storing-the-speci-mens. The collection of minerals,, mo'st of which are common to the district, is a particularly good one, while the native .fauina is wejl represented. There is also a good collection of Ajus'tnalian snakes and birds, and valuable documents. The whole of the specimens have been nicely arranged, and ticketed by Mr W. H. Jackson, andi the Museum altogetliei- reflects the greatest credit upon the founder (Mr Brown), and upon those who have assisted in bringing it to its present condition.