While I was pondering how to respond usefully, Pam stepped up with an excellent response about the human story involved - thank you Pam - well said!

The original post suggests that Gretchen is doing a paper, not working in a museum on an exhibit.  It also suggested to me that she has a bias about weapons being "grim" which is not shared by everyone, of course, and it may be important for her to recognize that.  Even if the intended purpose of a weapon is grim, many conflicts are celebrated in human history.   

Chris Dill

========================================================Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).