TEE PROGBESS OF SCIENCE. 



475 



THE PEOGEESS OF SCIENCE. 



THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION. 

 We have the privilege of publishing 

 above the exact words of Mr. Carnegie's , 

 trust deed establishing the Carnegie : 

 Institution of Washington. The trust 

 has duly been accepted by the trustees, 

 and officers have been elected as fol- 

 lows: Dr. Daniel C. Gilman, president 

 of the institution ; Mr. Abram S. ; 

 Hewitt, chairman of the board of trus- 

 tees; Dr. John S. Billings, vice- 

 chairman; Dr. Charles D. Walcott, sec- 

 retary. The executive committee con- | 

 sists of Mr. Abram S. Hewitt, Dr. D. 

 C. Gilman, Secretary Elihu Root, Dr. 

 John S. Billings, Mr. Carroll D. 

 Wright, Dr. S. Weir Mitchell and Dr. 

 Charles D. Walcott. The first regular 

 annual meeting of the board will be 

 held in November next, and in the 

 meanwhile the executive committee 

 will elaborate definite plans for the 

 administration of the institution. It . 

 is understood that the advice of scien- 

 tific men will be requested and that 

 committees of experts will be formed. 

 Part of the income of the trust will be 

 used for the construction of an admin- 

 istration building in Washington. No : 

 appropriations will be made before 

 November, but applications may be 

 presented, and these would perhaps be I 

 a help rather than a hindrance to the \ 

 executive committee in formulating 

 their plans. Mr. Carnegie's views as 

 to the scope of the institution and its 

 possible relations to a national uni- 

 versity are further outlined in a brief 

 address made to the board of trustees 

 in presenting the deed of gift. He said : 

 I beg to thank you deeply for so 

 promptly, so cordially, aiding me by 

 acceptance of trusteeship. A note from 

 the president congratulates me upon 

 the ' high character, indeed, I may say, 

 the extraordinarily high character of 



the trustees ' — such are his words. I 

 believe this estimate has been generally 

 approved througliout the wide bound- 

 ary of the United States. 



My first thought was to fulfil the ex- 

 pressed wish of Washington by estab- 

 lishing a university here, but a study 

 of the question forced me to the con- 

 clusion that under present conditions 

 were Washington still with us, his 

 finely-balanced judgment would decide 

 that in our generation at least such 

 use of wealth would not be the best. 



One of the most serious objections, 

 and one which I could not overcome, 

 was that another university might 

 tend to weaken existing universities. 

 My desire was to cooperate with all 

 educational institutions and establish 

 what would be a source of strength 

 and not of weakness to them, and the 

 idea of a Washington University or of 

 anything of a memorial character was 

 therefore abandoned. 



It cost some effort to push aside the 

 tempting idea of a Washington Uni- 

 versity founded by Andrew Carnegie, 

 which the president of the Woman's 

 George Washington Memorial Associa- 

 tion was kind enough to suggest. That 

 may be reserved for another in the fu- 

 ture, for the realization of Washing- 

 ton's desire would perhaps justify the 

 linking of another name with his, but 

 certainly nothing else would. 



This gift, or the donor, has no pre- 

 tentions to such honor, and in no wise 

 interferes with the proposed university 

 or with any memorial. It has its own 

 more modest field and is intended to 

 cooperate with all kindred institutions, 

 including the Washington University, 

 if ever built, and it may be built if we 

 continue to increase in population as 

 heretofore for a generation. In this 

 hope I think the name should be 

 sacredly held in reserve. It is not a 

 matter of one million, or ten millions, 

 or even of twenty millions, but of 

 more, to fulfil wo'rthily the wish of 

 Washington, and I think no one would 

 presume to use that almost sacred 

 name except for a university of the 

 very first rank, established by national 

 authority, as he desired. Be it our 

 part in our day and generation to do 



