﻿FEB. 
  19, 
  1922 
  brooks: 
  the 
  scientist 
  in 
  the 
  federal 
  service 
  91 
  

  

  • 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  opportunities 
  that 
  it 
  gives 
  of 
  being 
  of 
  direct 
  human 
  benefit. 
  

   With 
  these 
  the 
  call 
  of 
  science 
  is 
  no 
  stronger 
  than 
  the 
  call 
  to 
  aid 
  their 
  

   fellowman. 
  

  

  Positions 
  in 
  newly 
  established 
  institutions 
  are 
  in 
  general 
  eagerly 
  

   sought, 
  because 
  of 
  their 
  promise 
  to 
  yield 
  opportunities 
  in 
  untrodden 
  

   fields. 
  As 
  a 
  consequence 
  the 
  scientific 
  personnel 
  of 
  such 
  institutions 
  

   will 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  type. 
  These 
  new 
  organizations, 
  moreover, 
  

   are 
  unhampered 
  by 
  the 
  inclusion 
  of 
  investigators 
  who 
  have 
  not 
  ful- 
  

   filled 
  the 
  promise 
  of 
  their 
  earlier 
  years. 
  Unfortunately, 
  the 
  psycholo- 
  

   gist 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  given 
  us 
  a 
  formula 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  hundredth 
  man 
  can 
  

   be 
  definitely 
  selected. 
  Moreover, 
  even 
  though 
  he 
  may 
  be 
  found, 
  a 
  

   transfer 
  to 
  a 
  new 
  environment 
  may 
  produce 
  an 
  atrophy 
  of 
  his 
  mind, 
  

   for 
  a 
  scientist 
  of 
  a 
  certain 
  type 
  seems 
  to 
  require 
  the 
  stimulus 
  of 
  ob- 
  

   stacles 
  to 
  do 
  his 
  best 
  work, 
  and 
  the 
  easier 
  his 
  path 
  the 
  less 
  productive 
  

   his 
  brain. 
  

  

  If 
  no 
  errors 
  are 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  choice 
  of 
  investigators, 
  the 
  very 
  in- 
  

   dependence 
  of 
  thought 
  that 
  characterizes 
  the 
  best 
  investigators 
  will 
  

   in 
  itself 
  make 
  difficulties 
  for 
  the 
  executive 
  head 
  of 
  an 
  institution. 
  He 
  

   must 
  foster 
  individuality, 
  yet 
  he 
  must 
  mold 
  the 
  whole 
  to 
  produce 
  

   collective 
  results. 
  The 
  most 
  valuable 
  investigator 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  very 
  

   one 
  who 
  most 
  strongly 
  resents 
  any 
  interference 
  with 
  his 
  personal 
  

   activities. 
  Even 
  Federal 
  scientists, 
  sometimes 
  pictured 
  as 
  a 
  set 
  of 
  

   brow-beaten 
  investigators 
  who 
  dare 
  not 
  call 
  their 
  souls 
  their 
  own, 
  are 
  

   in 
  truth 
  most 
  strongly 
  independent. 
  Their 
  faults 
  and 
  difficulties 
  

   have 
  been 
  clearly 
  portrayed, 
  but 
  little 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  of 
  their 
  duties 
  

   and 
  responsibilities. 
  

  

  The 
  scientist 
  who 
  joins 
  the 
  Federal 
  service 
  assumes 
  other 
  very 
  defi- 
  

   nite 
  obligations 
  than 
  those 
  expressed 
  in 
  his 
  oath 
  of 
  office 
  emphasizing 
  

   the 
  defense 
  of 
  the 
  constitution. 
  Generations 
  of 
  scientists 
  may 
  pass 
  

   who 
  are 
  never 
  called 
  upon 
  to 
  defend 
  the 
  constitution, 
  but 
  the 
  respon- 
  

   sibility 
  to 
  obey 
  both 
  the 
  spirit 
  and 
  the 
  letter 
  of 
  the 
  law 
  is 
  always 
  with 
  

   them. 
  Even 
  more 
  binding 
  is 
  the 
  moral 
  obligation 
  to 
  advance 
  the 
  

   interests 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  under 
  whose 
  bounty 
  they 
  are 
  working. 
  This 
  

   implies, 
  first 
  and 
  foremost, 
  that 
  they 
  work 
  for 
  the 
  truth 
  and 
  nothing 
  

   but 
  the 
  truth, 
  for 
  without 
  this 
  ideal 
  both 
  pure 
  science 
  and 
  applied 
  

   science 
  are 
  but 
  shams. 
  These 
  obligations 
  have 
  been 
  fully 
  lived 
  up 
  to 
  

   by 
  most 
  Federal 
  investigators. 
  A 
  few 
  attempts 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  

   gain 
  popularity 
  by 
  premature 
  announcements 
  of 
  assumed 
  epoch- 
  

   making 
  discoveries, 
  but 
  these, 
  like 
  other 
  short 
  circuits, 
  led 
  to 
  quick 
  

   disaster. 
  Some 
  Federal 
  investigators 
  feel 
  their 
  responsibilities 
  so 
  

  

  