﻿14 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  l'J2*7 
  

  

  Following 
  the 
  chancellor's 
  address, 
  Doctor 
  Abbot, 
  as 
  acting 
  secre- 
  

   tary, 
  spoke 
  on 
  " 
  The 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution 
  — 
  Its 
  Activities 
  and 
  

   Capacities." 
  Reviewing 
  the 
  origin 
  and 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  

   bureaus 
  which 
  by 
  direction 
  of 
  Congress 
  remain 
  under 
  Smithsonian 
  

   direction, 
  he 
  showed 
  how 
  they 
  arose 
  from 
  private 
  Smithsonian 
  initia- 
  

   tive, 
  and 
  continued 
  at 
  private 
  Smithsonian 
  cost 
  until 
  they 
  became 
  

   large 
  public 
  necessities. 
  The 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  Institution, 
  past 
  and 
  

   present, 
  were 
  brought 
  together 
  under 
  13 
  heads, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  It 
  carries 
  on 
  original 
  scientific 
  investigations 
  with 
  its 
  own 
  staff. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  Institution 
  subsidizes 
  other 
  researches 
  by 
  men 
  not 
  directly 
  

   connected 
  with 
  the 
  Institution. 
  

  

  3. 
  It 
  publishes 
  new 
  knowledge, 
  gained 
  by 
  its 
  own 
  and 
  outside 
  

   workers, 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  large 
  memoirs 
  and 
  smaller 
  original 
  papers, 
  

   which 
  it 
  distributes 
  free 
  to 
  1,500 
  libraries 
  and 
  learned 
  bodies 
  in 
  every 
  

   country 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  

  

  4. 
  The 
  Smithsonian 
  evolved 
  the 
  International 
  Exchange 
  Service 
  

   and 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  official 
  channel 
  for 
  the 
  exchange 
  of 
  scientific 
  intelli- 
  

   gence 
  between 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  the 
  world. 
  

  

  5. 
  For 
  over 
  half 
  a 
  century 
  the 
  Institution 
  has 
  been 
  building 
  up 
  in 
  

   the 
  Library 
  of 
  Congress 
  the 
  foremost 
  scientific 
  library 
  in 
  this 
  coun- 
  

   try, 
  now 
  totaling 
  nearly 
  700,000 
  volumes. 
  

  

  6. 
  It 
  fosters 
  the 
  scientific 
  development 
  of 
  schools, 
  museums, 
  and 
  

   institutions 
  through 
  its 
  free 
  distribution 
  of 
  scientific 
  literature, 
  by 
  

   the 
  loan 
  of 
  research 
  men, 
  by 
  the 
  gift 
  of 
  over 
  a 
  million 
  specimens, 
  by 
  

   the 
  distribution 
  of 
  instruments, 
  and 
  by 
  its 
  advice. 
  

  

  7. 
  The 
  Institution 
  cooperates 
  with 
  every 
  department 
  of 
  our 
  

   Government. 
  

  

  8. 
  It 
  answers 
  by 
  mail 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  8,000 
  questions 
  a 
  year 
  on 
  

   scientific 
  subjects. 
  

  

  9. 
  It 
  gives 
  occasional 
  lectures 
  and 
  courses 
  of 
  lectures 
  and 
  radio 
  

   talks. 
  

  

  10. 
  It 
  fosters 
  research 
  by 
  conferring 
  medals 
  of 
  honor 
  on 
  eminent 
  

   discoverers. 
  

  

  11. 
  It 
  procures 
  foreign 
  diplomatic 
  and 
  learned 
  recognition 
  and 
  

   assistance 
  to 
  expeditions 
  going 
  abroad. 
  

  

  12. 
  It 
  fosters 
  American 
  scientific 
  progress 
  by 
  providing 
  headquar- 
  

   ters 
  for 
  the 
  American 
  Association 
  for 
  the 
  Advancement 
  of 
  Science 
  

   and 
  the 
  American 
  Association 
  of 
  Museums. 
  

  

  13. 
  It 
  administers 
  seven 
  governmental 
  bureaus 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  

   Freer 
  Gallery. 
  

  

  The 
  acting 
  secretary 
  next 
  presented 
  in 
  some 
  detail 
  the 
  wonderful 
  

   opportunities 
  ahead 
  of 
  the 
  Institution 
  in 
  many 
  lines 
  of 
  scientific 
  

   research, 
  using 
  as 
  a 
  concrete 
  example 
  his 
  own 
  field 
  of 
  investiga- 
  

   tion, 
  namely, 
  astrophysics. 
  He 
  stated 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  vast 
  deal 
  

  

  