BASIC RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES 



ate until the period following World War I. There are, per- 

 haps, historical reasons for this. Brooke Hindle, in his book, 

 The Pursuit of Science in Revolutionary America, observes: 



With respect to science, there was serious question whether 

 America could support scientific work of the sort Franklin de- 

 manded in 1743. Nowhere in the colonies could be found the 

 rich libraries, the ancient universities, or the conversation of the 

 learned that graced the centers of Old World culture. Great en- 

 dowed institutions were lacking. So, for the most part, was the 

 patronage of the king and of enlightened nobles. Stimulus and 

 support from Europe could supply only a part of the deficiency. 

 Communication was slow and uncertain and the encouragement 

 offered was not balanced but biased by the particular needs of the 

 individuals who offered it. Development of a fruitful scientific 

 life demanded far more of the people and the society that sought 

 it than did the successful practice of self-government. As Dr. 

 Thomas Bond later remarked, "[Science] is a child of a thousand 

 Years — Approaches slowly to Maturity, and is long in dving." 



In this passage, the key word is "patronage." The advance- 

 ment of knowledge has always required patronage. Many of 

 the early scientists were men of wealth and position who sup- 

 ported their own studies out of their private purses. Those less 

 fortunately situated required the patronage of king or noble. 



In a republic such as the United States, this form of 

 patronage was lacking, and the universities and colleges, which 

 were the only institutions equipped to do research, derived 

 support from their respective states or from endowments, ac- 

 cording to whether they were public or private institutions. 

 The notion of the federal government supporting scientific 

 research came much later. A question for our own times is: 

 To what extent should basic research be supported out of tax 

 funds and to what extent by industrial firms, endowment funds, 

 and other sources of private support? 



Once the idea of government support took hold, it gained 

 momentum, and today a little less than half of all the basic 



21 



