120 Kansas Acadcmij of Science. 



achievement; its opportunity is now at hand to rise to the 

 first rank. Let us not stand appalled at the European con- 

 flict, but enter at once with greater effort in the scientific work 

 that our hands find to do. This country needs more trained 

 investigators, but especially it needs better facilities for their 

 work. The call came recently for help for the starving Bel- 

 gians, and America quickly responded with $10,000,000. Let 

 the call be earnestly made for the funds that are sorely needed 

 for the development of scientific work and it will surely be 

 heard and adequately answered. While our government is 

 seriously considering the advisability of additional expendi- 

 tures for national defense, its attention should be called to the 

 urgency of our scientific needs. It is said that more men are 

 needed in our army and navy and that they should be drilled 

 for service. A greater need is for more brilliant young men 

 to be thoroughly trained for scientific pursuits. Throughout 

 the length and breadth of our land a greater effort should be 

 made to enlist able young men and women in scientific work. 

 Not only should we encourage our own, but we should give a 

 hearty welcome to scientific workers of other lands who, dis- 

 contented with conditions there, may become interested in lo- 

 cating here. 



The effort that is now being made by the American Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of Science in the greater develop- 

 ment of research should meet with widespread approval and 

 aid. From the very nature of their work, scientific bodies 

 must necessarily be exclusive in character. This leads to a 

 weakness in the lack of cooperation and understanding be- 

 tween these bodies and the general public. The latter is en- 

 titled to know what is being undertaken and what is being ac- 

 complished by scientists if it is expected to contribute to the 

 support of their efforts. The general public is unable to read 

 the reports of their work in the scientific journals. Its source 

 of information must be the daily papers, the popular maga- 

 zines, and popular lectures. Too often the articles of the 

 popular press fail to properly present the results of scientific 

 investigations. It is clearly the duty of scientists to reduce 

 their results to language comprehensible by the general public 

 and give their reports through the popular press. The writer 

 has tried the plan of writing articles on scientific subjects in a 

 popular form for the daily press, and has always been pleased 

 with the demand for them. 



