176 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1946 
mous destructive power, it thus opens the way for an international 
organization to prevent war from ever occurring again. 
Second, atomic energy is now a source of useful new materials pro- 
duced by transmutation. It promises to supply us with heat and 
power available in large quantities wherever needed and thus to open — 
new economic frontiers. New advances in medicine, in industry, and 
in science are on the horizon. 
Third, as the most recent great step in the long progression of ad- 
vances in science and technology, the advent of atomic energy is 
forcing mankind along the difficult road to greater humanity. Grow- 
ing cooperation, education, and spirit of service are evident trends. 
The present is thus a time for hope. True, the atomic bomb has 
brought us face to face with the fact that continued world strife will 
mean disaster and death. It is, however, likewise true, and much more 
worthy of attention, that the way is now open as never before for 
the world to reach a true unity, with world peace a necessity that can 
and will be attained. 
When our first parents ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they 
became as gods, knowing good from evil. Much as they longed to 
return to the garden of innocence an angel with a fiery sword stood 
in their way. Their only hope for peace lay in work to make the earth 
give them a fuller life. Somehow the marvel occurred that in their 
work they became human souls who shared the task of their Creator 
and came to be called His children. 
The same angel with the same fiery sword prevents us from return- 
ing to a pre-atomic age. We have no choice but to use our great new 
powers in the effort to build a better world. 
In the fierce competition between social systems in the atomic age, 
the need for strength demands that we enable every citizen to con- 
tribute to the common welfare as his abilities may permit. Perma- 
nent peace can now be secured if we will work for it. Increased pros- 
perity with broader horizons lies before us. Greater development of 
the human spirit is the inevitable consequence of the increased 
responsibility for using our new powers. These are among the great- 
est of human goods. 
