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  ANNUAL 
  EEPOKT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  confide 
  their 
  own 
  straits, 
  the 
  paucity 
  of 
  research 
  funds, 
  the 
  starva- 
  

   tion 
  wages 
  of 
  the 
  employees, 
  and, 
  as 
  it 
  might 
  seem, 
  ask 
  alms 
  of 
  the 
  

   general 
  world? 
  

  

  Really, 
  the 
  world 
  owes 
  research 
  men 
  a 
  living. 
  But 
  the 
  plain 
  fact 
  

   is 
  that 
  they 
  not 
  only 
  furnish 
  the 
  brains 
  and 
  the 
  labor 
  but 
  a 
  large 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  money 
  for 
  the 
  investigations 
  which 
  result 
  in 
  the 
  utilities 
  

   that 
  all 
  enjoy. 
  One 
  could 
  name 
  leaders 
  in 
  all 
  branches 
  of 
  knowledge 
  

   who 
  piece 
  out 
  the 
  living 
  expenses 
  of 
  their 
  families 
  by 
  pitiful 
  out- 
  

   side 
  jobs 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  their 
  God-given 
  tasks, 
  when 
  

   they 
  might 
  use 
  their 
  exceptional 
  ability 
  and 
  knowledge 
  like 
  others 
  

   to 
  obtain 
  princely 
  incomes 
  in 
  the 
  commercial 
  world. 
  

  

  If 
  any 
  of 
  our 
  research 
  institutions 
  deserves 
  public 
  benefactions, 
  

   most 
  of 
  all 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  national 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution. 
  Founded 
  by 
  

   an 
  Englishman, 
  James 
  Smithson, 
  " 
  for 
  the 
  increase 
  and 
  diffusion 
  of 
  

   knowledge 
  among 
  men," 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  parent 
  of 
  the 
  Weather 
  Bu- 
  

   reau, 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  the 
  National 
  Museum, 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  

   American 
  Ethnology, 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  the 
  National 
  Zoo- 
  

   logical 
  Park, 
  the 
  Astrophysical 
  Observatory, 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Interna- 
  

   tional 
  Exchanges 
  (of 
  scientific 
  intelligence), 
  and 
  the 
  National 
  Gal- 
  

   lery 
  of 
  Art 
  ; 
  has 
  contributed 
  largely 
  to 
  the 
  Library 
  of 
  Congress 
  ; 
  and 
  

   has 
  had 
  a 
  part 
  in 
  many 
  other 
  valuable 
  enterprises. 
  In 
  its 
  reports 
  

   and 
  technical 
  papers 
  the 
  inquirer 
  may 
  find 
  in 
  accurate 
  form, 
  some- 
  

   times 
  popularly, 
  sometimes 
  technically 
  expressed, 
  the 
  whole 
  progress 
  

   of 
  human 
  knowledge. 
  Not 
  only 
  that, 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  daily 
  correspondence 
  

   which 
  taxes 
  its 
  small 
  force 
  of 
  experts 
  and 
  clerks, 
  it 
  has 
  answered 
  

   millions 
  of 
  inquiries 
  for 
  useful 
  or 
  technical 
  information. 
  Though 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  bureaus 
  just 
  named 
  have 
  split 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  parent 
  or- 
  

   ganization, 
  the 
  Institution 
  is 
  still 
  charged 
  by 
  Congress 
  with 
  the 
  care 
  

   of 
  eight 
  of 
  them. 
  These 
  administrative 
  duties 
  employ 
  much 
  time 
  of 
  

   the 
  staff 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  measure 
  prevent 
  the 
  promotion 
  of 
  projects 
  for 
  

   the 
  advancement 
  of 
  science. 
  

  

  But, 
  really, 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution 
  can 
  not 
  take 
  a 
  leading 
  

   place 
  in 
  scientific 
  research 
  any 
  longer 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  poverty. 
  The 
  

   present 
  income 
  from 
  the 
  endowment 
  is 
  only 
  about 
  $70,000 
  per 
  annum. 
  

   The 
  Carnegie 
  Institution 
  and 
  the 
  Rockefeller 
  Foundation 
  each 
  have 
  

   more 
  income 
  than 
  this 
  every 
  fortnight, 
  and 
  several 
  other 
  research 
  

   institutions 
  are 
  almost 
  in 
  their 
  class. 
  Salaries 
  at 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  

   Institution 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  scale 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  1880. 
  Young 
  investigators 
  

   of 
  promise 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  secured 
  to 
  supplement 
  and 
  succeed 
  those 
  grown 
  

   gray 
  in 
  service. 
  No 
  large 
  projects 
  can 
  be 
  undertaken. 
  Even 
  publi- 
  

   cation 
  is 
  restricted. 
  

  

  Surely 
  if 
  this 
  were 
  known 
  generally 
  a 
  feeling 
  of 
  national 
  pride 
  

   would 
  refuse 
  to 
  permit 
  this 
  great 
  Institution 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  re- 
  

   searches 
  of 
  its 
  famous 
  secretaries, 
  Joseph 
  Henry, 
  Spencer 
  F. 
  Baird, 
  

   Samuel 
  P. 
  Langley, 
  and 
  Charles 
  D. 
  Walcott, 
  to 
  continue 
  to 
  languish. 
  

  

  