﻿88 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  THE 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOL. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  4 
  

  

  most 
  scientists 
  are 
  and 
  must 
  remain 
  hewers 
  of 
  wood 
  and 
  drawers 
  of 
  

   water, 
  and 
  a 
  proper 
  organization 
  of 
  research 
  will 
  take 
  due 
  account 
  

   of 
  this 
  fact. 
  

  

  In 
  former 
  days 
  each 
  investigator 
  advanced 
  science 
  by 
  interpreting 
  

   facts 
  he 
  had 
  himself 
  ascertained. 
  In 
  contrast 
  to 
  this, 
  there 
  are 
  now 
  

   many 
  problems 
  whose 
  solution 
  depends 
  on 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  precise 
  facts 
  that 
  the 
  task 
  is 
  far 
  beyond 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  

   the 
  individual 
  observer. 
  This 
  condition 
  has 
  developed 
  the 
  obser- 
  

   vational 
  type 
  of 
  scientist, 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  is 
  both 
  highly 
  trained 
  and 
  makes 
  

   an 
  enormous 
  contribution 
  to 
  knowledge 
  and 
  whose 
  very 
  lack 
  of 
  marked 
  

   mental 
  independence 
  makes 
  him 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  valuable 
  as 
  an 
  observer 
  

   and 
  recorder. 
  The 
  observational 
  investigator 
  obtains 
  his 
  best 
  op- 
  

   portunities 
  in 
  a 
  closely 
  administered 
  institution. 
  This 
  is 
  also 
  true 
  

   of 
  the 
  investigators 
  of 
  minor 
  problems 
  of 
  science, 
  whose 
  best 
  results 
  

   will 
  be 
  achieved 
  under 
  close 
  supervision. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  

   scientist 
  of 
  marked 
  individuality 
  may 
  not 
  obtain 
  the 
  best 
  results 
  

   under 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  organized 
  research. 
  The 
  rare 
  scientific 
  genius, 
  

   however, 
  needs 
  no 
  special 
  environment 
  to 
  reach 
  his 
  highest 
  develop- 
  

   ment, 
  for 
  he 
  cannot 
  be 
  suppressed. 
  

  

  With 
  this 
  classification 
  of 
  investigators 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  

   vast 
  majority 
  will 
  do 
  better 
  work 
  as 
  members 
  of 
  an 
  organization 
  than 
  

   as 
  individuals, 
  and 
  this 
  alone 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  strong 
  argument 
  for 
  institutional 
  

   research. 
  Such 
  a 
  conclusion, 
  however, 
  postulates 
  good 
  adminis- 
  

   tration 
  of 
  science, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  difficulties 
  of 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  considered. 
  

  

  A 
  director 
  of 
  research 
  should 
  have 
  the 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  impresario,, 
  

   for 
  the 
  scientist, 
  like 
  the 
  artist, 
  is 
  temperamental 
  and 
  refuses 
  to 
  be 
  

   cast* 
  in 
  the 
  common 
  mold. 
  Though 
  originality 
  of 
  thought 
  must 
  be 
  

   cultivated 
  in 
  every 
  scientific 
  institution, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  constant 
  danger 
  of 
  

   its 
  overproduction. 
  A 
  scientist 
  may 
  apply 
  his 
  originality 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  

   research 
  but 
  also 
  to 
  financial 
  and 
  routine 
  matters, 
  at 
  a 
  serious 
  loss 
  

   of 
  efficiency. 
  It 
  is 
  indeed 
  astounding 
  how 
  many 
  unnecessary 
  diffi- 
  

   culties 
  a 
  brilliant 
  investigator 
  can 
  create 
  by 
  ignoring 
  simple 
  business 
  

   methods. 
  

  

  Many 
  scientists 
  have 
  for 
  years 
  groaned 
  under 
  the 
  Federal 
  system 
  

   of 
  accounting, 
  without 
  ever 
  understanding 
  its 
  basal 
  principle. 
  Govern- 
  

   ment 
  disbursement 
  is, 
  indeed, 
  complex 
  and 
  growing 
  needlessly 
  more 
  

   so, 
  but 
  difficulties 
  come 
  chiefly 
  to 
  executives 
  and 
  professional 
  ac- 
  

   countants; 
  the 
  average 
  investigator 
  meets 
  only 
  its 
  simplest 
  forms.. 
  

   The 
  days 
  are 
  past 
  when 
  the 
  efficiency 
  of 
  a 
  Federal 
  bureau 
  was 
  gaged 
  

   by 
  the 
  perfection 
  of 
  its 
  vouchers, 
  and 
  although 
  disbursements 
  must 
  

  

  