Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/218

188 act of cutting the wires gives the alarm. Locks and bolts are not as efficient as such a device, which may be attached to windows, or doors of cases, or in any place where a thief might be expected to work. The system must be examined frequently and tested occasionally, and should not be allowed to influence in any way the vigilance of the guards and watchmen.

Plate glass can be cut on one side only, and should therefore be set in windows and cases so that the side which can be cut is on the inside.

For fire protection a large hose on each floor and a four-inch water pipe are of some assistance while in certain of the workshops a sprinkler system should be installed. Chemical fire extinguishers in the hands of ignorant or excited persons may prove very dangerous to works of art and should not be provided in a museum unless the guards and janitors are instructed how and when to use them.