﻿138 
  ANNUAL, 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  From 
  these 
  authoritative 
  figures 
  we 
  learn 
  that 
  the 
  Federal 
  Gov- 
  

   ernment 
  is 
  appropriating 
  one-third 
  of 
  1 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  its 
  annual 
  budget 
  

   for 
  science 
  and 
  research, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  pursuit 
  of 
  economy 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   possible 
  that 
  this 
  and 
  other 
  public 
  welfare 
  items, 
  regarded 
  as 
  extra- 
  

   neous 
  to 
  the 
  true 
  business 
  of 
  Government, 
  may 
  be 
  subject 
  to 
  future 
  

   reduction. 
  This 
  raises 
  the 
  question 
  : 
  Should 
  science 
  be 
  supported 
  at 
  

   all 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  so, 
  by 
  whom 
  ? 
  

  

  People 
  fall 
  in 
  several 
  classes 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  outlook 
  upon 
  

   science. 
  There 
  are 
  those 
  who 
  hold 
  that 
  because 
  "A 
  little 
  knowledge 
  

   is 
  a 
  dangerous 
  thing 
  " 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  knowledge 
  is 
  a 
  calamity. 
  Over 
  

   against 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  little 
  group 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  love 
  knowledge 
  for 
  its 
  

   own 
  sake 
  as 
  the 
  soul 
  of 
  civilization 
  and 
  a 
  great 
  prize 
  worth 
  sacrifice 
  

   to 
  gain. 
  Between 
  these 
  extremes 
  lies 
  the 
  great 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  

   whose 
  first 
  question 
  about 
  a 
  new 
  discovery 
  is 
  " 
  What 
  good 
  is 
  it 
  ? 
  " 
  

  

  If 
  it 
  were 
  possible 
  to 
  change 
  this 
  attitude 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  in 
  the 
  street 
  

   to 
  that 
  of 
  faith 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  value 
  of 
  all 
  truth, 
  such 
  as 
  indeed 
  past 
  

   experience 
  warrants, 
  there 
  would 
  remain 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  write 
  this 
  

   article. 
  Government 
  would 
  then 
  support 
  research 
  by 
  more 
  than 
  

   one-third 
  of 
  1 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  its 
  budget, 
  because 
  the 
  voters 
  would 
  demand 
  

   it, 
  and 
  men 
  of 
  wealth 
  would 
  increasingly 
  bequeath 
  new 
  foundations 
  

   for 
  scientific 
  research 
  or 
  strengthen 
  existing 
  ones. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  pity 
  that 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  loves 
  and 
  creates 
  knowledge 
  should 
  

   be 
  so 
  remote 
  from 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  creates 
  wealth. 
  The 
  press 
  of 
  our 
  

   country 
  does 
  little 
  to 
  bridge 
  the 
  chasm 
  between 
  the 
  man 
  of 
  science 
  

   and 
  the 
  public, 
  not 
  because 
  the 
  papers 
  are 
  not 
  eager 
  to 
  print 
  every 
  

   new 
  thing 
  — 
  far 
  from 
  it. 
  But, 
  unlike 
  the 
  press 
  of 
  many 
  foreign 
  coun- 
  

   tries, 
  and 
  notably 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Australasian 
  colonies, 
  our 
  writers 
  

   place 
  small 
  value 
  on 
  accuracy 
  and 
  appear 
  by 
  comparison 
  with 
  Aus- 
  

   tralian 
  reporters 
  to 
  belittle 
  the 
  intelligence 
  and 
  good 
  taste 
  of 
  their 
  

   readers. 
  Few 
  news 
  reporters 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  are 
  qualified 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  to 
  write 
  on 
  science, 
  but 
  when 
  interviewing 
  a 
  research 
  man 
  on 
  

   the 
  subject 
  of 
  his 
  latest 
  discovery 
  they 
  seldom 
  use 
  shorthand. 
  They 
  

   take 
  a 
  few 
  notes 
  in 
  a 
  longhand 
  code, 
  but 
  their 
  prime 
  object 
  is 
  to 
  pry 
  

   for 
  something 
  sensational 
  to 
  associate 
  with 
  the 
  story. 
  When 
  the 
  

   piece 
  appears 
  the 
  sensation 
  is 
  the 
  kite, 
  the 
  discovery 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  

   a 
  mutilated 
  tail. 
  The 
  discoverer 
  shudders 
  and 
  vows 
  it 
  shall 
  be 
  the 
  

   last 
  interview 
  he 
  will 
  grant. 
  His 
  fellow 
  investigators, 
  seeing 
  the 
  

   news 
  story, 
  may 
  make 
  a 
  shrewd 
  guess 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  he 
  has 
  done, 
  but 
  

   the 
  public, 
  with 
  little 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  as 
  a 
  guide, 
  is 
  led 
  ever 
  

   deeper 
  into 
  the 
  xllice 
  in 
  Wonderland 
  world 
  which 
  our 
  newspapers 
  

   invent. 
  There 
  are 
  some 
  gallant 
  exceptions 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  press. 
  

   More 
  power 
  to 
  them 
  ! 
  

  

  Doubtless 
  the 
  blame 
  should 
  alight 
  partly 
  upon 
  the 
  man 
  of 
  science. 
  

   For 
  if 
  he 
  will 
  not 
  or 
  ean 
  not 
  present 
  his 
  news 
  in 
  an 
  interesting 
  way 
  

  

  