1 88 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



and other statistical material. I think that such an institute would 

 be of very great service, and, perhaps as far as possible, fulfill the 

 functions which Professor Newcomb proposes, without the great 

 amount of friction that a direct inquiry into the value of material 

 collected by men. many of whom would still be holding scientific 

 posts, would certainly involve. 



Of course one is far too apt to judge matters from one's own 

 little corner of the field of science. We have had a statistical lab- 

 oratory established for some little time, and we find that an increas- 

 ing number of workers send us their data for suggestion and report. 

 To such an extent has this become current that we shall probably 

 have either to institute a fee to check the flow of material or else 

 decline to examine such work, as we are only an academic depart- 

 ment, doing our own teaching and research work, and without pub- 

 lic support of any kind. Still our small experience may be useful 

 on the other side of the Atlantic ; and we have found a multiplicity 

 of workers, physical and biological, want assistance, and further 

 that public bodies and government departments seek statistical and 

 calculating aid also. If Professor Newcomb's ideas were carried out 

 first on material which was actually placed before the institute for 

 report, then the action of scientific societies and public bodies would 

 soon give the foundation an established position, from which pos- 

 sibly the more serious business of codifying and " scrapping " exist- 

 ing accumulations of observations and data could ultimately be 

 carried out without too great friction and controversy. 



Karl Pearson. 



{Letter of Lord Raylcigh.^ 



Royal Institution of Great Britain, 



November 20, igoj. 

 Dear Professor Newcomb : 



I am in complete sympathy with the views expressed in your 

 letter of October 30, and have indeed sometimes expressed myself 

 in a similar sense ; but my experience is far less than yours. 



I sincerely hope you may succeed in organizing such an estab- 

 lishment as you indicate. 



Rayleigh. 



