﻿74 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  THE 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOL. 
  12. 
  NO. 
  4 
  

  

  One 
  who 
  would 
  know 
  the 
  Federal 
  scientist 
  must 
  trace 
  him 
  to 
  his 
  

   lair 
  and 
  must 
  learn 
  his 
  habits 
  while 
  he 
  is 
  running 
  wild 
  on 
  his 
  native 
  

   heath. 
  His 
  environment 
  is 
  peculiar 
  and 
  must 
  be 
  studied 
  to 
  under- 
  

   stand 
  his 
  reaction 
  to 
  it. 
  Are 
  his 
  physical 
  and 
  mental 
  variations 
  from 
  

   the 
  type 
  of 
  Homo 
  scientificus 
  sufficient 
  to 
  justify 
  the 
  setting 
  up 
  of 
  a 
  

   new 
  species? 
  The 
  biologic 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  problem 
  is 
  beyond 
  my 
  ken, 
  

   but 
  I 
  venture 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  Federal 
  scientist 
  does 
  not 
  differ 
  

   from 
  the 
  average 
  investigator. 
  During 
  a 
  century 
  of 
  evolution 
  this 
  

   great 
  army 
  of 
  scientists 
  fortunately 
  has 
  not 
  developed 
  a 
  sufficient 
  class 
  

   consciousness 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  a 
  unit. 
  The 
  strongest 
  critics 
  of 
  Federal 
  

   science 
  come 
  from 
  within 
  the 
  service, 
  not 
  from 
  without. 
  

  

  The 
  unique 
  intellectual 
  and 
  social 
  atmosphere 
  of 
  Washington, 
  

   the 
  History 
  and 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  Governmental 
  scientific 
  institutions, 
  

   and 
  the 
  definite 
  limitations 
  set 
  by 
  law 
  have 
  developed 
  an 
  environ- 
  

   ment 
  for 
  the 
  Federal 
  scientist 
  quite 
  different 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  investi- 
  

   gator 
  supported 
  by 
  private 
  funds. 
  His 
  field 
  is 
  multifarious 
  in 
  character 
  

   and 
  continental 
  in 
  dimensions; 
  it 
  includes 
  every 
  branch 
  of 
  science 
  

   and 
  every 
  industry, 
  and 
  it 
  ministers 
  to 
  the 
  material 
  and 
  educational 
  

   needs 
  of 
  over 
  a 
  hundred 
  million 
  people. 
  His 
  available 
  resources 
  

   in 
  funds, 
  however, 
  limit 
  his 
  activities 
  to 
  only 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  field, 
  and 
  his 
  

   apparently 
  boundless 
  opportunities 
  are 
  closely 
  circumscribed 
  by 
  very 
  

   definite 
  laws 
  which 
  prescribe 
  both 
  his 
  methods 
  and, 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  

   his 
  objectives. 
  

  

  Detailed 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  Federal 
  research 
  must 
  needs 
  

   be 
  based 
  on 
  a 
  close 
  scrutiny 
  of 
  every 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  forty-odd 
  bureaus 
  

   devoted 
  in 
  whole 
  or 
  in 
  part 
  to 
  scientific 
  inquiry. 
  This 
  scrutiny 
  I 
  

   have 
  not 
  essayed, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  beyond 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  anyone 
  even 
  had 
  he 
  

   infinity 
  of 
  time. 
  Moreover, 
  I 
  have 
  a 
  suspicion 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  self- 
  

   imposed 
  critical 
  inquiry 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  conducive 
  to 
  the 
  long 
  and 
  

   happy 
  life 
  in 
  Washington 
  that 
  I 
  hope 
  to 
  enjoy. 
  It 
  is 
  fortunate, 
  

   therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  affairs 
  of 
  individual 
  bureaus 
  is 
  not 
  

   essential 
  to 
  learn 
  the 
  general 
  conditions 
  that 
  control 
  Federal 
  research. 
  

   The 
  peculiar 
  atmosphere 
  of 
  Washington, 
  a 
  city 
  of 
  Government 
  and 
  

   little 
  more, 
  has 
  exercised 
  an 
  important 
  influence 
  on 
  Federal 
  science. 
  

   Here 
  science 
  has 
  been 
  advanced 
  by 
  prescription 
  of 
  law 
  and 
  not 
  by 
  

   force 
  of 
  tradition 
  or 
  local 
  demand. 
  During 
  a 
  century 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  

   developed 
  here 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  scientific 
  centers 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  a 
  center 
  that 
  is 
  not 
  greatly 
  affected 
  by 
  outside 
  influences. 
  Only 
  

   during 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  decades 
  have 
  researches 
  other 
  than 
  Governmental 
  

   found 
  seat 
  at 
  the 
  National 
  capital. 
  Washington's 
  institutions 
  of 
  

  

  