﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  SECRETARY 
  13 
  

  

  CONFERENCE 
  ON 
  THE 
  FUTURE 
  OF 
  THE 
  INSTITUTION 
  

  

  An 
  outstanding 
  event 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Institution 
  Avas 
  the 
  

   conference 
  held 
  at 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  on 
  Februar}^ 
  11, 
  1927, 
  to 
  advise 
  

   with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  future 
  policy 
  and 
  field 
  of 
  service 
  of 
  the 
  Insti- 
  

   tution, 
  The 
  President, 
  the 
  Vice 
  President, 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Cabinet, 
  

   and 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  the 
  foremost 
  American 
  scientists 
  and 
  industrial 
  lead- 
  

   ers 
  met 
  under 
  the 
  chairmanship 
  of 
  Chief 
  Justice 
  William 
  Howard 
  

   Taft 
  to 
  hear 
  addresses 
  on 
  the 
  past 
  record 
  and 
  present 
  great 
  possi- 
  

   bilities 
  of 
  the 
  Institution, 
  to 
  inspect 
  a 
  specially 
  arranged 
  exhibit 
  in 
  

   the 
  main 
  hall 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Building, 
  showing 
  the 
  nature 
  and 
  

   scope 
  of 
  the 
  researches 
  and 
  publications 
  at 
  present 
  under 
  wa}'^, 
  and 
  

   to 
  discuss 
  informally 
  the 
  most 
  promising 
  directions 
  for 
  the 
  future 
  

   work 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian. 
  

  

  The 
  chancellor. 
  Chief 
  Justice 
  Taft, 
  in 
  opening 
  the 
  conference, 
  re- 
  

   viewed 
  briefly 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Institution 
  from 
  182G, 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  

   the 
  making 
  of 
  Smithson's 
  will, 
  emphasizing 
  the 
  basic 
  soundness 
  of 
  

   the 
  charter 
  provided 
  by 
  Congress 
  after 
  eight 
  years 
  of 
  deliberation. 
  

   But 
  this 
  charter 
  alone 
  did 
  not 
  make 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  the 
  leader 
  of 
  

   American 
  science 
  in 
  its 
  early 
  years 
  and 
  a 
  Avorld-renowned 
  agency 
  

   for 
  the 
  increase 
  and 
  diffusion 
  of 
  knowledge 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  The 
  

   plan 
  of 
  organization 
  outlined 
  and 
  put 
  into 
  effect 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  secre- 
  

   tary, 
  Joseph 
  Henry, 
  did 
  that. 
  Plis 
  plan 
  has 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  wise 
  

   and 
  fruitful 
  of 
  great 
  results 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  found 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  alter 
  it 
  materially. 
  Mr. 
  Taft 
  also 
  emphasized 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  

   Smithsonian 
  Institution 
  is 
  not 
  and 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  properly 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  a 
  Government 
  Bureau, 
  this 
  popular 
  misconception 
  having 
  

   arisen 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  Institution 
  still 
  administers 
  for 
  the 
  

   Government 
  seven 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  bureaus, 
  which 
  arose 
  from 
  its 
  early 
  

   activities. 
  Mr. 
  Taft 
  concluded 
  his 
  address 
  thus: 
  

  

  Joseph 
  Henry 
  had 
  the 
  vision 
  to 
  understand 
  clearly 
  what 
  Smithson 
  meant 
  his 
  

   foundation 
  to 
  be, 
  and 
  the 
  energy 
  aiid 
  character 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  that. 
  The 
  Smitli- 
  

   souian 
  has 
  now 
  come 
  to 
  a 
  time 
  when, 
  without 
  the 
  support 
  of 
  the 
  Nation, 
  it 
  

   can 
  no 
  longer 
  continue 
  to 
  be 
  what 
  Henry 
  made 
  it. 
  And 
  yet 
  the 
  need 
  for 
  just 
  

   such 
  an 
  Institution 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  is 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  need 
  was 
  SO 
  years 
  ago. 
  

   In 
  some 
  respects 
  the 
  unique 
  opportunities 
  are 
  even 
  greater. 
  This 
  Institution 
  

   is 
  not 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  a 
  moment 
  ; 
  SO 
  years 
  of 
  the 
  toil 
  of 
  great 
  men 
  have 
  gone 
  

   into 
  its 
  making. 
  There 
  is 
  that 
  about 
  it 
  which 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  replaced. 
  

  

  The 
  regents 
  have 
  felt 
  it 
  their 
  duty 
  to 
  reveal 
  to 
  a 
  leading 
  group 
  of 
  representa- 
  

   tive 
  American 
  citizens 
  what 
  it 
  is 
  and 
  does, 
  and 
  to 
  advise 
  with 
  them 
  what 
  its 
  

   future 
  shall 
  be. 
  For 
  that 
  reason 
  they 
  have 
  invited 
  you 
  bore. 
  They 
  wish 
  you 
  

   to 
  see 
  the 
  broad 
  and 
  comprehensive 
  scope 
  of 
  the 
  Institution, 
  competing 
  or 
  

   interfering 
  with 
  nobody, 
  cooperating 
  with 
  all, 
  reaching 
  the 
  basic 
  problems 
  of 
  

   mankind 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  time, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  furnishing 
  the 
  information 
  through 
  

   which 
  alone 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  solved. 
  They 
  wish 
  you 
  to 
  see 
  what 
  the 
  future 
  possi- 
  

   bilities 
  of 
  the 
  Institution 
  are, 
  and 
  if 
  you 
  think 
  them 
  worthy 
  of 
  realization, 
  to 
  

   advise 
  us 
  as 
  to 
  how 
  we 
  may 
  go 
  about 
  achieving 
  it. 
  

  

  