﻿FEB. 
  19, 
  1922 
  brooks: 
  the 
  scientist 
  in 
  the 
  federal 
  service 
  103 
  

  

  attempt 
  to 
  cover 
  too 
  wide 
  a 
  field 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  in 
  part 
  of 
  general 
  policy 
  

   and 
  in 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  ambitions 
  of 
  the 
  investigator. 
  The 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  

   attempt 
  is 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  conscientious 
  workers 
  in 
  the 
  Federal 
  

   service 
  are 
  overburdened. 
  It 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  nearly 
  every 
  bureau 
  is 
  

   undermanned 
  for 
  the 
  tasks 
  it 
  undertakes., 
  especially 
  now 
  that 
  so 
  many 
  

   of 
  the 
  investigators 
  are 
  newcomers. 
  Much 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  is 
  carried 
  for- 
  

   ward 
  by 
  the 
  wheel-horse 
  investigator, 
  whose 
  progress 
  is 
  slow 
  and 
  steady 
  

   and 
  whose 
  load 
  is 
  constantly 
  increasing, 
  sometimes 
  almost 
  to 
  the 
  

   breaking 
  point. 
  The 
  more 
  brilliant 
  but 
  often 
  eccentric 
  scientist, 
  

   riding 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  load, 
  may 
  be 
  employed 
  chiefly 
  in 
  pyrotechnic 
  

   displays 
  which, 
  dazzling 
  as 
  they 
  may 
  be, 
  do 
  little 
  to 
  carry 
  forward 
  the 
  

   burden. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  wheel-horse 
  scientist 
  who 
  needs 
  relief 
  and 
  more 
  

   opportunity 
  for 
  constructive 
  thought. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  often 
  forgotten 
  that 
  the 
  scientist 
  should 
  disseminate 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  increase 
  human 
  knowledge, 
  and 
  if 
  his 
  work 
  to 
  this 
  end 
  is 
  measured 
  

   by 
  results 
  the 
  American 
  man 
  of 
  science 
  has 
  much 
  neglected 
  his 
  duty. 
  

   I 
  venture 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  today 
  relatively 
  less 
  popular 
  know- 
  

   ledge 
  of 
  science 
  and 
  less 
  interest 
  in 
  its 
  methods 
  and 
  achievements 
  

   than 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  generation 
  ago. 
  The 
  Constitution 
  provided 
  that 
  

   Congress 
  could 
  advance 
  science 
  by 
  enacting 
  laws 
  for 
  granting 
  patents. 
  

   This 
  was 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  thirty-four 
  years 
  ago, 
  when 
  the 
  only 
  con- 
  

   cept 
  of 
  scientific 
  investigation 
  was 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  inventor. 
  

   Yet 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  our 
  people 
  research 
  and 
  invention 
  are 
  still 
  

   synonymous 
  terms, 
  and 
  even 
  among 
  those 
  who 
  are 
  well 
  educated 
  

   there 
  are 
  many 
  who 
  conceive 
  of 
  research 
  as 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  hocus-pocus 
  

   that 
  results 
  in 
  brilliant 
  discovery. 
  A 
  scientific 
  genius, 
  they 
  believe, 
  

   retires 
  to 
  his 
  laboratory 
  with 
  pad 
  and 
  pencil, 
  to 
  emerge 
  twenty-four 
  

   hours 
  later 
  hungry 
  but 
  triumphant. 
  Much 
  periodical 
  literature 
  that 
  

   is 
  ostensibly 
  devoted 
  to 
  disseminating 
  science 
  among 
  the 
  people 
  is 
  

   given 
  over 
  to 
  descriptions 
  of 
  inventions, 
  chiefly 
  of 
  the 
  simplest 
  type, 
  

   with 
  no 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  principles 
  involved. 
  

  

  The 
  lack 
  of 
  popular 
  knowledge 
  of 
  science 
  is, 
  I 
  hold, 
  directly 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  form 
  in 
  which 
  science 
  is 
  presented. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  easier 
  to 
  

   multiply 
  specialized 
  technical 
  vocabularies 
  than 
  to 
  express 
  results 
  

   in 
  clear 
  and 
  precise 
  English. 
  We 
  have 
  followed 
  too 
  blindly 
  the 
  Ger- 
  

   man 
  scientists, 
  who 
  with 
  all 
  their 
  thoroughness 
  seldom 
  elucidate 
  prin- 
  

   ciples 
  either 
  clearly 
  or 
  forcibly. 
  They 
  have 
  invented 
  that 
  wonderful 
  

   word 
  "allgemeinwissenschaftlichverstandlichkeit," 
  though 
  few 
  of 
  them 
  

   have 
  had 
  occasion 
  to 
  use 
  it. 
  The 
  German 
  has 
  the 
  advantage 
  of 
  a 
  

   language 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  written 
  in 
  an 
  accepted 
  form 
  and 
  yet 
  be 
  com- 
  

  

  