﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  SECRETARY 
  3 
  

  

  ingly 
  simple 
  in 
  all 
  his 
  habits. 
  For 
  many 
  years 
  he 
  occupied 
  a 
  leading 
  

   place 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  his 
  church, 
  and 
  he 
  had 
  a 
  strong 
  un- 
  

   troubled 
  religious 
  faith, 
  crowned 
  by 
  full 
  confidence 
  in 
  a 
  future 
  life. 
  

  

  Of 
  commanding 
  height 
  and 
  noble 
  features, 
  he 
  was 
  physically 
  every 
  

   inch 
  a 
  worthy 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Institution. 
  A 
  strong 
  and 
  experienced 
  

   administrator, 
  of 
  indefatigable 
  industry, 
  he 
  was 
  able 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  

   shape 
  its 
  administration 
  but 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  his 
  own 
  

   world-renowned 
  researches 
  in 
  geology 
  and 
  paleontology. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  

   said 
  that 
  70 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  existing 
  knowledge 
  of 
  Cambrian 
  and 
  Pre- 
  

   Cambrian 
  paleontology 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  him, 
  and 
  of 
  this 
  one-half 
  was 
  ac- 
  

   quired 
  by 
  him 
  while 
  secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution. 
  

  

  The 
  late 
  secretary 
  was 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  the 
  widest 
  interests. 
  He 
  was 
  

   prominently 
  in 
  public 
  life 
  in 
  Washington 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  before 
  

   coming 
  to 
  the 
  Smithsonian, 
  having 
  served 
  as 
  director 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Geological 
  Survey. 
  At 
  that 
  time, 
  also, 
  he 
  secured 
  the 
  passage 
  

   of 
  a 
  law 
  organizing 
  the 
  forest 
  surveys 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  and 
  organized 
  

   and 
  directed 
  for 
  five 
  years 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Reclamation 
  Service. 
  

  

  He 
  took 
  a 
  leading 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  affairs 
  of 
  the 
  Carnegie 
  Institution 
  

   of 
  Washington, 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  largely 
  instrumental 
  in 
  founding, 
  

   and 
  also 
  a 
  leading 
  role 
  in 
  the 
  promotion 
  and 
  encouragement 
  of 
  the 
  

   new 
  science 
  of 
  aeronautics, 
  culminating 
  during 
  the 
  World 
  War 
  in 
  

   his 
  appointment 
  by 
  President 
  Wilson 
  as 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  

   Advisory 
  Committee 
  for 
  Aeronautics. 
  During 
  the 
  war 
  he 
  served 
  

   as 
  chairman 
  of 
  its 
  executive 
  committee 
  and 
  later 
  as 
  chairman 
  of 
  

   the 
  committee 
  itself 
  until 
  his 
  death. 
  He 
  was 
  prominent 
  in 
  the 
  

   National 
  Research 
  Council, 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  

   National 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences, 
  and 
  president 
  of 
  other 
  scientific 
  

   societies 
  of 
  national 
  scope. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  steps 
  taken 
  by 
  Secretary 
  Walcott 
  in 
  

   the 
  last 
  years 
  of 
  his 
  administration 
  was 
  the 
  approval 
  of 
  a 
  definite 
  

   campaign 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  endowment 
  funds 
  of 
  the 
  Institution. 
  This 
  

   project 
  is 
  mentioned 
  in 
  his 
  last 
  two 
  annual 
  reports, 
  that 
  for 
  1926 
  

   outlining 
  the 
  preliminary 
  steps 
  taken. 
  Although 
  the 
  matter 
  has 
  

   perhaps 
  moved 
  more 
  slowly 
  than 
  anticipated, 
  nevertheless 
  very 
  

   definite 
  progress 
  has 
  been 
  made, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  real 
  promise 
  of 
  a 
  suc- 
  

   cessful 
  outcome 
  of 
  the 
  project. 
  Doctor 
  Walcott, 
  like 
  Secretary 
  

   Langley 
  before 
  him, 
  regarded 
  the 
  totally 
  inadequate 
  income 
  of 
  the 
  

   Institution 
  for 
  research 
  and 
  publication 
  as 
  presenting 
  a 
  crisis 
  in 
  its 
  

   affairs, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  earnestly 
  hoped 
  that 
  plans 
  for 
  increasing 
  that 
  

   income, 
  so 
  vital 
  to 
  the 
  future 
  work 
  and 
  reputation 
  of 
  the 
  Institu- 
  

   tion, 
  may 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  successfully. 
  

  

  Gifts. 
  — 
  Four 
  especially 
  noteworthy 
  gifts 
  and 
  bequests 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  

   Institution 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  — 
  the 
  Canfield 
  miner 
  alogical 
  collec- 
  

   tion, 
  the 
  Roebling 
  mineralogical 
  collection, 
  the 
  John 
  Donnell 
  Smith 
  

  

  