For those who are tone-deaf to comedy, the subject of Ms. Poundstone's piece
is children, not museums.

In an amusing way, she makes the observation that no matter how hard we try
(and she recognizes how hard museums try), kids will be kids; some will like
the velvet rope more than the exhibit, just as they like the empty box
better than the expensive birthday gift that came in it.  When I first took
my daughter to the Boston Aquarium, the fish were of no interest to her, but
she was fascinated by the air conditioning duct covers near the floor.

Gerald J. Prokopowicz, Ph.D.
The Lincoln Museum (which has no velvet ropes)
Fort Wayne, Indiana

=========================================================
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).