Attendance at the Metropolitan had reached an all-time high during the month the Mona Lisa was shown there. What is to be gained from visiting museums? Museum exhibits can teach us about the world in which we live — the materials it is made of, the trees and plants that cover it, and the animals that have lived on it since its beginning. We can learn about the activities of man — his history and development and his accomplishments in arts and crafts. Most people see a great work of art for the first time in a museum. We can see wonderful examples of what man has been able to create out of clay, stone, metal, and wood or with a paintbrush and paints. We cannot all be explorers or collectors in other lands. But in a museum we can see for ourselves the objects that have been gathered from every part of the world.