164 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



far as all practical use of them is concerned, have been lost. 

 Now, to a man who is a cosmopolitan as I am, with no prej- 

 udice for East or West, or for one part of the earth over 

 another, and from what I know of the resources of Missouri, 

 and which I have known in a general way for more than 

 forty years, it seems to me that they should no longer be 

 neglected. It is the duty of the authorities, of the Legisla- 

 ture of the State of Missouri, to erect a fire-proof building, 

 where all the natural products of the State of Missouri can 

 be brought together under one roof; that you should not 

 go on with your geological survey for a few years only, 

 your materials collected to be poorly housed and finally lost. 

 Go on with the work so long as new facts and new knowl- 

 edge can be acquired from the investigation; adding yearly 

 to the stock of information which will increase the general 

 intelligence of your people, and give them a true apprecia- 

 tion of the resources of this great commonwealth. Science 

 is truth ; and the workers in science are looking for the 

 truth. Indirectly we give you commercial advantages, 

 coming from our knowledge— economic advantages, I should 

 say, and it is not a fair thing toward men of science to 

 neglect the preservation of the records of their work; for 

 if this work is not made of economic importance, it does 

 not come home to you in any direct way. 



It is true the results of these investigations do come to us 

 in a greater enlightenment and cultivation by entering into 

 our sources of education and in becoming a part of our life. 

 Your streets, your houses and public buildings are lighted 

 here by these electric lamps, your cars are moved upon 

 the street by this same power. A few centuries ago the 

 men who were experimenting with electricity were ridi- 

 culed, but you have now the practical results. It is your 

 duty, I say, not only to your State but to those who would 

 come to your State to invest their capital in economic 

 workings, or to live among you as intelligent and cultivated 

 citizens, and above all as an inheritance for your children, 

 that you should have a place where all the resources of 

 your State can be exhibited under one roof. 



