﻿FEB, 
  19, 
  1922 
  brooks: 
  The 
  scientist 
  in 
  the 
  federal 
  service 
  81 
  

  

  discussions 
  were 
  reserved 
  for 
  the 
  Philosophical 
  Society, 
  long 
  the 
  

   meeting 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  investigators 
  in 
  all 
  sciences 
  who 
  were 
  not 
  too 
  

   highly 
  specialized 
  to 
  maintain 
  a 
  lively 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  their 
  

   colleagues. 
  

  

  The 
  atmosphere 
  of 
  Federal 
  science 
  during 
  this 
  early 
  period 
  may 
  be 
  

   likened 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  university, 
  at 
  present 
  it 
  resembles 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  

   industrial 
  establishment. 
  The 
  investigator 
  had 
  little 
  cause 
  to 
  make 
  

   concessions 
  to 
  the 
  public, 
  either 
  in 
  choice 
  of 
  field 
  or 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  

   devoted 
  to 
  a 
  problem. 
  To 
  him 
  came 
  conditions 
  favorable 
  to 
  construc- 
  

   tive 
  thinking 
  and 
  scholarly 
  presentation. 
  If 
  there 
  were 
  some 
  who 
  

   yielded 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  soporific 
  influence 
  in 
  their 
  tranquil 
  environment, 
  

   their 
  lack 
  of 
  results 
  was 
  offset 
  by 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  

   environment 
  the 
  opportunity 
  for 
  independent 
  effort 
  and 
  great 
  ac- 
  

   complishment. 
  

  

  The 
  great 
  changes 
  wrought 
  in 
  the 
  Federal 
  scientific 
  service 
  during 
  

   the 
  last 
  generation 
  were 
  accomplished 
  by 
  gradual 
  evolution, 
  but 
  this 
  

   was 
  greatly 
  accelerated 
  during 
  the 
  present 
  century. 
  Long 
  before, 
  

   however, 
  the 
  practical 
  applications 
  of 
  science 
  had 
  greatly 
  multiplied. 
  

   Federal 
  bureaus 
  had 
  been 
  much 
  enlarged, 
  and 
  their 
  scope 
  had 
  been 
  

   changed. 
  Along 
  with 
  these 
  changes 
  had 
  come 
  closer 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  

   investigator, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  clearer 
  recognition 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  spirit 
  

   and 
  the 
  letter 
  of 
  the 
  law. 
  The 
  change 
  from 
  the 
  individualistic 
  to 
  

   collective 
  method 
  was 
  indeed 
  fully 
  under 
  way. 
  

  

  The 
  improvement 
  of 
  business 
  methods 
  was 
  most 
  marked 
  after 
  1906, 
  

   when 
  the 
  recommendations 
  of 
  the 
  Keep 
  Commission 
  were 
  introduced 
  

   as 
  far 
  as 
  possible 
  without 
  legislative 
  action. 
  These 
  recommendations 
  

   fairly 
  revolutionized 
  departmental 
  business 
  methods 
  and 
  were 
  the 
  

   first 
  decisive 
  step 
  toward 
  eliminating 
  Governmental 
  red 
  tape. 
  The 
  

   Keep 
  Commission, 
  unlike 
  most 
  others 
  having 
  a 
  similar 
  purpose, 
  was 
  

   made 
  up 
  entirely 
  of 
  men 
  long 
  experienced 
  in 
  the 
  Federal 
  service 
  

   and 
  was 
  therefore 
  in 
  a 
  better 
  position 
  to 
  introduce 
  reforms 
  than 
  those 
  

   who 
  were 
  unfamiliar 
  with 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  departments. 
  

  

  Collective 
  action 
  by 
  scientific 
  service 
  first 
  crystallized 
  when, 
  because 
  

   of 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  the 
  conservation 
  policy, 
  the 
  Federal 
  investigators 
  

   undertook, 
  by 
  order 
  of 
  President 
  Roosevelt, 
  an 
  immediate 
  census 
  of 
  

   national 
  resources. 
  Then, 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time, 
  nearly 
  all 
  branches 
  of 
  

   Federal 
  science 
  acted 
  with 
  a 
  common 
  purpose 
  and 
  were 
  asked 
  for 
  very 
  

   definite, 
  practical, 
  and 
  above 
  all 
  quantitative 
  data. 
  This 
  taking 
  

   account 
  of 
  stock 
  by 
  the 
  trustees 
  of 
  the 
  Nation 
  revealed 
  both 
  the 
  

   strength 
  and 
  the 
  weakness 
  of 
  Federal 
  research 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  its 
  great 
  

  

  