CHAPTER XIII.

STEINHEIM.

TEINHEIM with its contents represents the spare moments of the years when President Allen's life

was so filled with care and labor that it would seem

there could not be leisure for such an undertaking.

'Where did you get the plan for your museum, the Steinheim?" was often asked of President Allen. The answer always was, "It grew." We both loved the natural sciences, and all through our earlier course of study collected many specimens, especially in botany and geology. My brother, Matthew Maxson, who had traveled extensively, often added to these, till we had a very fair working collection. As the class in geology passed from one instructor to another, we gladly loaned these specimens for their use, but as there was no good place for keeping them, they were mutilated and scattered, until one lone representative was left. This was a specimen of lead ore, so rare for the beauty and perfection of its crystals that my brother was offered ten dollars for it at his mines at Galena, Ill. Happening in the geology class one day, what was my astonishment to see this pride of our treasures a mere fragment of its former self, and without a single perfect crystal. I took it home, but not without a few tears on the way. When the geological studies came under President Allen's charge, we went to work vigorously to make another collection. I had charge of the botany, and both classes did a great deal of field work. During the term of thirteen weeks the members of the botany class would often collect, analyze, and arrange as many as three hundred specimens. Students in geology were quite as enthusiastic, often

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forming what was to them a most valuable nucleus for long continuing their studies in the future.

During the long vacations many a summer day was spent with hammer, basket, and botany box, in creek beds and ravines, or over the hills, for something new. In a few years the collection represented many miles of the adjacent territory traveled over in that manner, stretching out as far as Buffalo on the west, Rochester on the north, on the east to the Atlantic, and as far south as the Natural Bridge in Virginia.

Here at Alfred we are especially favored for the study of geology and paleontology. In his description of this section, President Allen writes: "This valley is the southern limit of the drift, so that within three miles of the University there may be found, in large and small bowlders, specimens of most of the rocks as far north as Labrador that were hard enough to stand the pressure of the journey. These are given to the students, by nature, to be assisted and classified by them for their separate collections." The native rocks of the Chemung groups are rich in fossils, and the enthusiasm for years was such that men, women, and children became earnest collectors. Often before breakfast some little urchin would come to our door, ring the bell, and, offering a little basket of his treasures, say: "President Allen, do you want these? I got them for you." There might not be a pebble of any value, but they were accepted with thanks, for it was the right culture for those young souls, which he so desired to cultivate. Strangers often brought samples. from a distance for classification, and were disappointed when their iron ores turned out shale, or their gold proved to be only iron pyrites.

Brothers, sisters, and friends sent boxes, until the library and much of the home was given over to cabinet shelves, cases, and other arrangements for the accumulating specimens. In our Eastern trips we had secured some Atlantic shells and became interested in conchology. The land, and fresh water, shells of this and the western regions were rapidly collected.

About this time Professor Larkin was professedly engaged

in Peru, and, returning to Alfred once a year, brought large numbers of South American shells. A distinguished conchologist had spent some time with him on the west coast of Chile, and, with his usual enthusiasm for a new study, Professor Larkin entered into the spirit of the collector, spending every leisure hour in the new science, even dredging for the rarest shells. During the vacation months he spent his evenings at our house with Mr. Allen, classifying and arranging, often working till after midnight. Everyone in the family became inspired with the collector's spirit; even baby Alfred, just beginning to walk, brought in his share of snails. When there were duplicates, they exchanged specimens, and in study, as everywhere, were mutual helpers. Professor Larkin left a very choice and wellarranged collection, which is now the property of the University.

During the summer vacations we sometimes spent weeks in traveling with horse and carriage, collecting and examining the specimens found in perhaps over a hundred miles of territory. When the load became heavy, it would be boxed and sent home. In this way the collection kept on increasing till it threatened to fill the whole house.

About this time Mrs. Ida F. Kenyon arranged to build a small home just north of ours. After the land was surveyed, the design selected, and the foundation laid, the idea was given up. Mr. Allen had long desired a suitable building for his collection. This being a convenient location, he bought it and went on with the building. When completed, he found there was not sufficient room for advancement, so, without much change, he built on in front and at the rear, nearly doubling the extent of museum room, yet keeping all so in harmony that the beauty of the building was thereby enhanced. The whole is of native rock, or that found in the drift, within a circuit of three miles. It was Mr. Allen's idea to have the exterior of the building an exponent of the geological formation of this region, and the finish of the interior representative of the native woods, and also of as many kinds as could be gathered from other parts of the world. There are between seven and eight thousand