28 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



perfected whereby the desired uniforrait}- and excellence in paper 

 and presswork of the publications of the Institution may be secured. 

 A list of the twenty volumes published by the Institution during 

 the year will be found on page 42. They aggregate 2,339 octavo 

 pages and 1,450 quarto pages, making a total of 3,789 pages. 



SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING PENDING PROBLEMS OF THE 



INSTITUTION. 



Rationally considered, the development of a novel institution, like 

 the Carnegie Institution of Washington, can not be expected to pro- 

 ceed without encountering difficulties and dangers. 



Large versus Small 'pj^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ establishment of such an institution 

 Projects. 



is no eas}' matter is witnessed b)- the fact that the 



Congress of the United States debated the question of founding the 

 Smithsonian Institution for a decade before attaining a definite plan 

 of procedure. Although the Carnegie Institution of Washington has 

 been free in large measure from difficulties in the way of initial organ- 

 ization, it has nevertheless met with other difficulties of a somewhat 

 ominous character. Among these is that of the relative merits of 

 large and small projects and hence large and small grants. 



In the absence of experience it might well appear doubtful whether 

 the income of the Institution ma}' be best used in promoting a small 

 number of large projects not likel)' to be undertaken by other 

 agencies, or whether the income may be best used in promoting a 

 large number of small projects for which the ways and means are 

 already in part available. Strong a priori arguments ma)^ be adduced 

 in support of each of these extreme methods of administration of the 

 income, and the Executive Committee has no doubt acted wisely in 

 taking a mean course, testing thus simultaneously, by actual expe- 

 rience, the merits of both methods. 



While careful observation and study of these methods during 

 one year onl)' may not justify the recommendation of any radical 

 departure from the course hitherto followed, it seems essential to 

 indicate certain grave objections to the policy of awarding numerous 

 small grants. These objections are : 



First, the excessive amount of time and energy required in the 

 consideration of applications for and in the administration of small 

 grants. Thus far the Institution has formally considered about 

 1,200 applications for such grants and has made awards to about 

 300 applicants ; but the amount of attention given to the consider- 

 ation of formal applications represents only a part of the time and 



