﻿106 
  JOURNAL, 
  OF 
  THK 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOL. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  4 
  

  

  scientist, 
  finds 
  this 
  exceptional 
  type, 
  usually 
  not 
  a 
  difficult 
  task, 
  and 
  

   takes 
  him 
  at 
  his 
  own 
  valuation. 
  In 
  so 
  doing 
  it 
  may 
  forget 
  that 
  the 
  

   efficiency 
  of 
  a 
  steam 
  engine 
  cannot 
  be 
  gaged 
  by 
  the 
  volume 
  of 
  sound 
  

   produced 
  by 
  its 
  whistle. 
  If 
  science 
  is 
  permitted 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  average 
  

   man 
  principally 
  through 
  the 
  agency 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  self 
  -selected 
  mouthpieces, 
  

   investigators 
  have 
  only 
  themselves 
  to 
  blame. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  higher 
  mis- 
  

   sion 
  than 
  the 
  dissemination 
  of 
  science 
  among 
  the 
  people, 
  and 
  those 
  

   who 
  undertake 
  it 
  with 
  no 
  thought 
  of 
  self-glorification 
  and 
  often 
  at 
  the 
  

   expense 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  researches 
  certainly 
  deserve 
  the 
  highest 
  praise. 
  

  

  A 
  more 
  amusing 
  and 
  perhaps 
  less 
  valuable 
  type 
  is 
  the 
  restless 
  

   scientist. 
  He 
  usually 
  devotes 
  far 
  more 
  time 
  to 
  exposition 
  than 
  to 
  

   origination. 
  If 
  the 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  restless 
  scientist 
  take 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  

   publication, 
  they 
  may 
  appear 
  with 
  the 
  noise 
  and 
  regularity 
  of 
  the 
  

   projectiles 
  from 
  a 
  machine 
  gun. 
  We 
  should 
  remember, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  the 
  destructive 
  effect 
  of 
  an 
  automatic 
  weapon 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  volume 
  of 
  

   fire 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  accuracy 
  of 
  aim 
  ; 
  also 
  that 
  its 
  projectiles 
  are 
  machine 
  

   made 
  and 
  of 
  light 
  weight. 
  At 
  other 
  times 
  the 
  restless 
  scientist 
  mani- 
  

   fests 
  himself 
  by 
  close 
  attention 
  to 
  public 
  meetings. 
  No 
  convention, 
  

   society, 
  or 
  committee 
  is 
  complete 
  without 
  him, 
  and 
  if 
  not 
  on 
  the 
  plat- 
  

   form 
  he 
  is 
  at 
  least 
  on 
  a 
  front 
  seat. 
  His 
  voice 
  is 
  heard 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  popular 
  reform 
  of 
  the 
  day, 
  and 
  he 
  is 
  critical 
  of 
  his 
  colleagues 
  who 
  

   do 
  not 
  join 
  the 
  chorus. 
  

  

  We 
  marvel 
  at 
  the 
  publicity 
  scientist, 
  who 
  often 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  bearing 
  

   the 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  Nation 
  on 
  his 
  shoulders, 
  but 
  we 
  must 
  acknowledge 
  

   that 
  he 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  valuable 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  politic. 
  Though 
  he 
  

   has 
  usually 
  abandoned 
  research, 
  yet 
  he 
  stirs 
  up 
  his 
  less 
  progressive 
  

   colleagues, 
  and, 
  above 
  all, 
  he 
  keeps 
  science 
  in 
  the 
  public 
  eye. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  these 
  men 
  are 
  doing 
  most 
  valuable 
  work, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  for 
  those 
  who 
  

   hold 
  themselves 
  aloof 
  from 
  the 
  public 
  to 
  take 
  them 
  to 
  task. 
  He 
  who 
  

   sacrifices 
  his 
  own 
  scientific 
  career 
  with 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  bringing 
  to 
  

   the 
  people 
  better 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  results, 
  needs, 
  and 
  methods 
  of 
  

   science 
  merits 
  the 
  highest 
  praise 
  and 
  should 
  have 
  the 
  full 
  support 
  of 
  

   every 
  scientist. 
  Adverse 
  criticism 
  must 
  be 
  reserved 
  for 
  him 
  whose 
  

   publicity 
  work 
  is 
  largely 
  devoted 
  to 
  self-advertising. 
  

  

  The 
  working 
  corps 
  of 
  publicity 
  scientists 
  is 
  recruited 
  in 
  part 
  from 
  

   the 
  Federal 
  service, 
  but 
  I 
  believe 
  the 
  Federal 
  recruits 
  are 
  outnumbered 
  

   by 
  those 
  from 
  other 
  sources. 
  Recent 
  legislative 
  restrictions 
  have 
  

   rather 
  discouraged 
  the 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  familiar 
  type 
  of 
  traveling 
  

   scientist 
  of 
  the 
  Federal 
  service, 
  who 
  was 
  most 
  often 
  found 
  elsewhere 
  

   than 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  laboratory. 
  

  

  