REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT, 1912. 17 



RESUME OF INVESTIGATIONS OF THE YEAR. 



It is now nine years since the earliest of the departments of research 

 estabhshed by the Institution were authorized and six years since the latest 

 of them was authorized. This lapse of time has now fully 

 Departments of demonstrated that these departments are all engaged in 

 enterprises which, by reason of their magnitudes, were 

 unlikely to be carried out under other auspices. They have grown very 

 rapidly and have become highly productive. All of them tend continually, 

 and in many respects properly, to expand as their several fields of investiga- 

 tion are developed. They thus tend constantly to press closely upon the 

 available income of the Institution and hence to become a source of concern 

 by reason of their highly commendable progress. But the remedy for this 

 paradox does not lie alone in increased expenditures ; to an equal extent, at 

 least, it lies in increased efficiency under slowly increasing, or even station- 

 ary or decreasing, expenditures. It is a special duty of the man of science 

 to show how more and better work can be done at less cost than has been 

 practicable to his predecessors. 



Although these departments of investigation, like the Institution as a 

 Avhole, have fallen short of popular expectations in the rapidity of their 

 growth, it now appears plain, in the light of their actual experience, that this 

 growth has been somewhat too rapid for safety. Along with this rapid 

 growth and with the signal success of these departments in their several 

 fields of research, there are now coming also numerous requests for cooper- 

 ation with other organizations and with individuals. But while these re- 

 quests are in general gratifying and often praiseworthy, they present some 

 obvious hazards. There is need, therefore, of constant caution against the 

 dangers of undue expansion and affiliation which lead to dissipation of 

 effort and resources. It should be kept in mind that concentration on defi- 

 nitely limited programs, continuity of effort, and energetic assiduity are the 

 factors most essential to progress in the domain of research. 



The plan referred to a year ago, of inviting one or two eminent specialists 

 to become associated with each of the departments for limited periods of 

 time, has thus far worked quite advantageously and promises to become in- 

 creasingly fruitful. Eight such specialists have been connected with the 

 departments during the past year by direct appointment of the Executive 

 Committee, with varying compensations, as shown in the financial section of 

 this report. Some other Research Associates have served without compen- 

 sation and several collaborators have also partaken in departmental inves- 

 tigations or availed themselves of departmental facilities without direct 

 expense to the Institution. 



As usual, in the President's report, reference must be made to the depart- 

 mental reports, to be published in full in the current Year Book, for com- 

 prehensive accounts of departmental investigations, publications, and plans 



2 — YB 



