THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE 



619 



to authorize its use in the postoffiee 

 and this recommendation was enacted 

 into law by the congress. Other com- 

 mittees, as on protecting the bottoms 

 of iron vessels and on magnetic devia- 

 tion of iron ships, were directly con- 

 cerned with the conduct of the civil 

 war. As the scientific bureaus of the 

 government developed there became loss 

 need of committees of the academy for 

 investigation, and, as the president 

 pointed out in his introductory address 

 at the recent celebration, the govern- 

 ment has in recent years but rarely 

 called on the academy for its advice. 



The last time the academy acted was 

 in pursuance of a request by the con- 

 gress in 190S to report on the methods 

 and expenses of conducting the scien- 

 tific work under the government, but 

 the recommendations of this committee 

 appear to have been ignored. There is 

 reason to believe that while committees 

 for conducting scientific experiments 

 are no longer needful, the disinterested 

 advice of a body such as the National 

 Academy in the selection of the heads 

 of the scientific bureaus under the gov- 

 ernment and the conduct of their work 

 may be recognized. The officers elected 



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