ib2 



Till- C.UDK T< ) X ATI 'KM 



Carnegie [nstitution al Washington, 

 with a fund of ten million dollars and 

 later an addition of two millions i lore. 

 This institution is not a department ol 

 the government nor is it directly con- 

 nected with other scientific institutions 

 at the National Capital. Its object is, 

 as the articles of incorporation declare, 

 "to encourage, in the broadest and 

 most liberal manner, investigation, re- 

 search and discovery, and the applica- 

 tion of knowledge to the improvement 

 i if mankind." 



Some six and a half years ago the 

 Institution wisely decided to aid Mr. 



From "The Human Plant." Courtesy of The 

 Century Company, New York City. 



Burbank in his work, although he had 

 never asked for such aid. Officially, no 

 definite time was announced for its 

 continuance, but some of the trustees 

 assured Mr. Burbank privately that it 

 was to extend for at least ten years and 

 probably for his life. Scientific people 

 generally so understood it, and were 

 glad, with the exception of a few horti- 

 culturists who were probably actuated 

 by jealousy. 



.\h". Burbank loyally took hold of the 

 scientific work- ol the [nstitution, and 

 dictated, corrected and recorrected sev- 

 eral thousand pages of manuscript. 

 But several weeks ago a curl letter 

 1'nun the President of the Institution 

 announced without any explanation 

 the withdrawal of the allowance long 

 after the decision had been published 

 by many newspapers. 



( )ur interests are those of other sci- 

 entists. In justice to Mr. Burbank, to 

 his friends, to his enemies and to the 

 Institution, the exact situation should 

 be made known. A public insult to so 

 reputable and efficient a worker for 

 humanity as is Mr. Burbank should 

 not be allowed to pass unchallenged. 

 The Institution's real work is far too 

 good to be reduced or even influenced 

 by jealousy; but as the matter is now 

 understood by the writer and by hosts 

 of other friends of Luther Burbank, 

 the Carnegie Institution has disgraced 

 itself. 



Perhaps the Institution can explain. 

 If it can, that exolanation is respect- 

 fully requested. It is due, not only to 

 the Institution, to set itself rightly 

 before the scientific public, but it is due 

 to Mr. Burbank, to Ids admirers and 

 especially to his personal friends. Let 

 us have the explanation at an early date. 



"Thou Shalt Not." 



The number of signs bearing the 

 legend : "Keep off the grass," is aston- 

 ishing, but it is even more astonish- 

 ing that the injunction should be 

 needed, when the path is self-evident 

 and perhaps more convenient. 



It often seems as I go to the table 

 where I keep my periodicals and pam- 

 phlets, as if it had been "peppered" 

 with the command, "Thou Shalt Not," 

 and with warnings to "Keep oft" the 

 grass." Let us examine a few, just as I 

 have been reading them this evening; 

 in fact it was this reading that sug- 

 gested this soliloquy in print. 



First there came to hand "American 

 Forestry," fairly glittering with the 

 army of "thou shalt not" bayonets, 

 from the efficiency of its legislation 

 department. "Conservation" is the 



