﻿JOURNAL 
  

  

  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  

  

  Vol. 
  12 
  February 
  19, 
  1922 
  No. 
  4 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  SCIENCE. 
  — 
  The 
  scientist 
  in 
  the 
  Federal 
  Service. 
  ^ 
  Alfred 
  

   H. 
  Brooks, 
  Geological 
  Survey. 
  

  

  A 
  presidential 
  address 
  places 
  the 
  auditors 
  completely 
  at 
  the 
  mercy 
  

   of 
  the 
  speaker, 
  for 
  custom 
  rules 
  that 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  pitiless 
  his 
  barrage 
  

   of 
  heresies 
  they 
  may 
  not 
  return 
  his 
  fire. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  while 
  

   it 
  is 
  obeying 
  the 
  order 
  "Attention!" 
  the 
  audience 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  examine 
  

   the 
  enemy's 
  position 
  in 
  critical 
  detail, 
  to 
  note 
  the 
  accuracy 
  of 
  his 
  

   fire, 
  and 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  destructive 
  effect 
  of 
  his 
  projectiles. 
  Still 
  

   a 
  retiring 
  president 
  has 
  the 
  advantage 
  in 
  that 
  he 
  can 
  venture 
  a 
  frontal 
  

   attack 
  with 
  safety 
  and, 
  if 
  he 
  does 
  not 
  reach 
  his 
  objective 
  or 
  even 
  hold 
  

   ground 
  temporarily 
  gained, 
  can 
  retire 
  to 
  his 
  trenches 
  of 
  oblivion 
  before 
  

   a 
  counter 
  attack 
  can 
  be 
  launched. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  stronghold 
  of 
  Government 
  science 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  boldness 
  

   to 
  discuss 
  the 
  scientists 
  in 
  the 
  Federal 
  service, 
  about 
  which 
  most 
  of 
  

   you 
  have 
  first-hand 
  information 
  and 
  all 
  of 
  you, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  have 
  fixed 
  

   convictions. 
  As 
  some 
  measure 
  of 
  defense 
  I 
  shall 
  not 
  omit 
  the 
  time- 
  

   honored 
  plea 
  of 
  lack 
  of 
  opportunity 
  for 
  exhaustive 
  study, 
  though 
  it 
  

   may 
  come 
  very 
  ungraciously 
  from 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  greatly 
  honored. 
  

  

  The 
  conceptions 
  of 
  the 
  Federal 
  investigator 
  are 
  so 
  varied 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  

   the 
  task 
  of 
  giving 
  a 
  composite 
  picture 
  of 
  him 
  absolutely 
  hopeless. 
  

   To 
  the 
  man 
  on 
  the 
  street 
  the 
  Federal 
  scientist 
  is 
  a 
  learned 
  gentleman 
  

   who, 
  supported 
  by 
  Government 
  bounty, 
  leads 
  in 
  general 
  an 
  easy 
  and 
  

   indolent 
  life 
  but 
  who 
  on 
  occasion, 
  by 
  some 
  legerdemain, 
  saves 
  a 
  sit- 
  

   uation. 
  In 
  the 
  industries 
  he 
  is 
  classed 
  by 
  some 
  as 
  a 
  saving 
  angel, 
  

   by 
  others 
  as 
  a 
  freak, 
  who, 
  because 
  he 
  asks 
  foolish 
  questions 
  and 
  shows 
  

   a 
  tendency 
  to 
  pry 
  into 
  affairs 
  of 
  others, 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  public 
  pest, 
  one 
  who 
  

   at 
  long 
  intervals 
  avenges 
  any 
  slight 
  by 
  inflicting 
  a 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  public, 
  

   written 
  in 
  words 
  that 
  cannot 
  be 
  understood. 
  A 
  few 
  academicians 
  

   appear 
  to 
  view 
  the 
  Federal 
  scientific 
  corps 
  as 
  composed 
  chiefly 
  of 
  

   persons 
  of 
  mediocrity 
  who 
  are 
  occupied 
  in 
  routine, 
  propaganda, 
  

   lobbying, 
  and 
  self-aggrandizement. 
  

  

  ^ 
  Presidential 
  address 
  delivered 
  before 
  the 
  Washington 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences, 
  January 
  

   10, 
  1922. 
  

  

  73 
  

  

  