434 Me)norial of George Brcrani Goode. 



The idea of an expedition to the Pacific was one which was hkely to 

 occur to an)" thoughtful American, and was, after all, simply the con- 

 tinuance of a plan as old as the Spanish days of discovery. Jefferson, at 

 all events, was an active promoter of all such enterprises, and after a 

 quarter of a century's effort the expedition was dispatched, while in 1805 

 General Z. M. Pike was sent to explore the sources of the Mississippi 

 River and the western parts of lyouisiana, penetrating as far we.st as 

 Pike's Peak, a name which still remains as a memento of this enter- 

 pri.se. 



The organization of these early expeditions marked the beginning of 

 one of the most important portions of the scientific work of our Govern- 

 ment — the investigation of the resources and natural history of the public 

 domain. The expeditions of I^ewis and Clarke and of Pike were the 

 precursors and prototypes of the magnificent organization now accom- 

 plishing so much for science under the charge of Major J. W. Powell. 



As early as 1806 Jefferson, inspired by Patterson and Hassler, urged 

 the establishment of a national coast survey, and in this was earnestly 

 supported by his Secretary of the Treasury, Albert Gallatin, who drew 

 up a learned and elaborate project for its organization, and an act author- 

 izing its establishment was passed in 1807. During his Administration, 

 in 1802 the first scientific school in this country was established — the 

 Military Academy at West Point. The Military Academy was a favorite 

 project of General Washington, who is said to have justified his anxiety 

 for its CvStablishment by the remark that "An army of asses led by a lion 

 is vastly superior to an army of lions led by an ass. ' ' 



Jefferson has been heartily abused for not gratifying Alexander Wil- 

 son's request to be appointed naturalist to Pike's expeditions. It is 

 possible that even in those days administrators were hampered by lack of 

 financial resources. It must also be remembered that in 1804 Wilson 

 was simply an enthusiastic projector of ornithological undertakings, and 

 had done nothing whatever to estal)lisli his reptitation as an investigator. 



One of Jefferson's first official acts was to throw his Presidential mantle 

 over Priestley. Two weeks after he became PrCvSident of the United 

 States he wrote these words: 



It is with heartfelt satisfaction that, in the first moments of my public action, I 

 can hail you with welcome to our land, tender to you the homage of its respect and 

 esteem, cover you under the protection of those laws which were made for the wise 

 and good like you, and disclaim the legitimacy of that libel on legislation which, 

 under the form of a law, was for sometime placed among them. 



. Yours is one of the few lives precious to mankind, and for the continu- 

 ance of which every thinking man is solicitous. Bigots may be an exception. 

 What an effort, my dear sir, of bigotry in politics and religion have we gone 

 through. . . . All advances in science were prescribed as innovations. They 

 pretended to praise and encourage education, but it was to be the education of our 

 ancestors. We were to look backwards, not forwards for improvement; the Presi- 

 dent [Washington] himself declaring in one of his answers to addresses that we 



