FIGHTING THE INSECTS 



can tell me, it has published (at the Government Printing Office — 

 at Government expense!) only a short series of biographic 

 accounts o£ deceased members. Now, I put it to you, gentlemen, 

 if this futile and pointless body of mutual flatterers attempts to 

 interfere with the actions of the law-makers of this great people, 

 would it not have been far better for the United States if the 

 number of laudatory obituaries had been far greater than it 

 is?" 



As a much later member of the Academy, and as a writer of 

 one of these biographical accounts (that of Stephen A. Forbes), 

 I am now in a position to appreciate that speech even better 

 than at that time. 



The mention of E. C. Manners reminds me that once, when 

 we were walking along a Washington street, I made a quotation 

 from something or other, and he remarked in his supercilious 

 way, "It's astonishing how many people there are with just 

 enough knowledge to misquote!" This remark rankled until 

 later I discovered that his statement itself was a misquotation! 



And, speaking of the Academy of Sciences, I always recall a 

 remark made by Professor J. McKecn Cattell, referring to the 

 springtime beauty of Washington: "The best reason known to 

 me for the existence of the National Academy of Sciences is 

 that it meets in Washington during the third week in April 

 each year!" Nevertheless, we are all proud of the Academy and 

 its beautiful building and its vigorous and useful child — the 

 National Research Council. It is not so old as the Royal Society 

 of England nor as the Academie des Sciences of France, nor as 

 the Academia dei Lincei of Rome, but it ranks as one of the 

 foremost National Academies of Science in the world. 



And as for the United States Geological Survey, it has justified 

 its existence, and the bill which the member for Colorado was 

 opposing has proved its value a thousand times. 



[64] 



