The Topeka State Journal

WANT THE BIRDS.

K. U. Is After the Famous Goss Collection.

Is Now in Possession of the State.

HAVE BEEN DERELICT.

Kansas Hasn't Fulfilled Conditions of the Gift.

University Doesn't Care for Academy of Science.

Rumors to the effect that the Kansas State university would make an effort to have the legislature move the headquarters of the Kansas Academy of Science together with all the valuable mineral collections and scientific libraries away from the present location in the state house to the State university at Lawrence, are emphatically denied by members of the State university faculty who are here attending the meeting of the Kansas Academy of Science.

Prof. L. E. Sayre of the university, says: "I want to deny in most emphatic terms the report that the university is trying to fix things so that it will get possession of the Kansas Academy of Science collections. The university does not want these collections, and has no desire to change the present arrangements. We have collections of our own down there at Lawrence, and they are all properly arranged and classified. We are crowded for room as it is and could not possibly accommodate the Academy of Science collections. I don't believe that Prof. Dyche would want to undertake the work of finding a place for these collections here."

In regard to the Goss Ornithological collections, which were given to the state by Prof. Goss on condition that the state would take care of them properly, the State university authorities take a rather different attitude. They evidently would not object to owning this wonderful collection of birds, which is valued at thousands of dollars, and is one of the most extensive in the world.

"In regard to the Goss collection," said Prof. Sayre in response to questions, "I will only say that the university will certainly come into possession unless the state takes proper care of it. The terms of the gift to the state are such that this is the only possible result, if the state fails to properly care for the collection."

At the present time the state is taking better care of the Goss collection than it has in times past. It has Prof. B. B. Smythe in charge as curator, and the birds are being well taken care of. The rooms where the collection are displayed are miserably adapted for the purpose, however. They are too small by about half, and are in the basement on the north side, where the light is the poorest in the whole building.

There is even some talk to the effect that the quarters of the collection will be still more curtailed, and the rooms which are already occupied by twice as many cases as they will properly hold will be reduced in numbers, and the collection still more jammed up.

The state has manifested by its treatment of the Goss collection that it does not appreciate the wonderful value of that gift. The state should give the collection a space on some of the upper floors of the state house, in a similar manner to the historical society collections. The Goss collections are about the most interesting thing which the state has to show to the taxpayers who visit the state house, and better facilities for showing the collection should be provided.