﻿FEB. 
  19, 
  1922 
  brooks: 
  the 
  scientist 
  in 
  the 
  federal 
  service 
  101 
  

  

  the 
  fault 
  of 
  the 
  individual; 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  

   to 
  appreciate 
  the 
  true 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  investigator. 
  

  

  The 
  attempt 
  is 
  sometimes 
  made 
  to 
  classify 
  scientists 
  not 
  by 
  their 
  

   achievements 
  but 
  by 
  their 
  environment. 
  The 
  result 
  is 
  as 
  artificial 
  

   as 
  to 
  classify 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  capital 
  letters 
  they 
  have 
  the 
  

   right 
  to 
  print 
  after 
  their 
  names. 
  Though 
  scientific 
  leaders 
  have 
  

   generally 
  received 
  recognition 
  by 
  well-earned 
  honors, 
  the 
  tuft 
  hunter 
  

   is 
  not 
  unknown 
  even 
  among 
  scientists. 
  An 
  honor 
  conferred 
  on 
  such 
  

   a 
  one 
  evidently 
  proves 
  nothing 
  but 
  success 
  achieved 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  special- 
  

   ized 
  field. 
  This 
  condition 
  is 
  unavoidable, 
  and 
  it 
  in 
  no 
  sense 
  detracts 
  

   from 
  the 
  dignity 
  of 
  the 
  honor 
  rolls 
  of 
  learned 
  institutions. 
  It 
  gives, 
  

   however, 
  an 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  any 
  measure 
  of 
  merit 
  except 
  

   that 
  of 
  accomplishment. 
  

  

  The 
  greatest 
  scientists 
  come 
  from 
  those 
  whose 
  love 
  of 
  truth 
  impels 
  

   them 
  to 
  make 
  every 
  necessary 
  sacrifice 
  to 
  advance 
  knowledge, 
  and 
  

   if 
  by 
  so 
  doing 
  they 
  also 
  better 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  mankind 
  they 
  deserve 
  

   all 
  the 
  more 
  honor. 
  Their 
  devotion 
  to 
  science 
  is 
  too 
  apparent 
  to 
  need 
  

   shouting 
  from 
  the 
  housetops, 
  nor 
  does 
  its 
  purity 
  require 
  the 
  stamp 
  

   of 
  any 
  registered 
  brand. 
  Such 
  investigators 
  evaluate 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  

   their 
  colleagues 
  by 
  results 
  and 
  not 
  by 
  hair-splitting 
  distinctions 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  pure 
  and 
  applied 
  science. 
  They 
  know 
  nothing 
  about 
  that 
  

   rarified 
  atmosphere 
  that 
  is 
  so 
  pure 
  that 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  deadly 
  to 
  the 
  

   Federal 
  scientist 
  if 
  by 
  accident 
  he 
  should 
  be 
  permitted 
  to 
  breathe 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  Federal 
  bureau 
  chief 
  who 
  devotes 
  the 
  resources 
  over 
  which 
  

   he 
  has 
  control 
  to 
  some 
  urgent 
  problem 
  of 
  public 
  welfare 
  is 
  sometimes 
  

   charged 
  with 
  truckling 
  to 
  popularity. 
  This 
  charge 
  is 
  occasionally 
  

   just, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  enough 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  unpopular 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  contro- 
  

   versy 
  being 
  taken 
  solely 
  from 
  motives 
  of 
  public 
  duty 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  general 
  rule. 
  Indeed, 
  many 
  an 
  executive 
  has 
  with 
  deep 
  

   regret 
  turned 
  from 
  some 
  important 
  and 
  attractive 
  field 
  of 
  research 
  

   solely 
  because 
  of 
  a 
  conscientious 
  interpretation 
  of 
  the 
  law. 
  

  

  The 
  resources 
  of 
  the 
  Federal 
  bureaus, 
  though 
  considerable 
  in 
  the 
  

   aggregate, 
  are 
  always 
  inadequate 
  to 
  cover 
  their 
  fields 
  of 
  science. 
  

   A 
  choice 
  must 
  therefore 
  be 
  made 
  among 
  many 
  problems, 
  and 
  this 
  

   choice 
  will 
  be 
  guided 
  by 
  the 
  wants 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  The 
  selection 
  of 
  

   the 
  field 
  of 
  inquiry 
  by 
  a 
  Federal 
  executive 
  may 
  be 
  likened 
  to 
  that 
  

   made 
  by 
  the 
  explorer 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  land 
  . 
  In 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  broad 
  knowledge 
  

   and 
  by 
  personal 
  preference 
  the 
  explorer 
  may 
  first 
  essay 
  the 
  precipitous 
  

   and 
  difficult 
  slopes 
  of 
  its 
  highest 
  peak. 
  He 
  may 
  hold 
  that 
  the 
  wide 
  

   view 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  summit 
  will 
  so 
  greatly 
  advance 
  knowledge 
  as 
  

  

  