THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 35 



new facts which have hitherto escaped the eye of the observer or the scrutiny of 

 the experimenter. 



" It is to be regretted that so many minds of power and originality in our 

 country should, from defective scientific training, be suffered to diverge so widely 

 from th$ narrow path which alone leads to real advance in positive knowledge. 

 Providence, however, seems in some measure to vindicate the equality of its dis- 

 tributions, by assigning to such, a double measure of hope and self-esteem, which 

 serves them instead of success and reputation." 



"The faithful attention to the correspondence of the Institution, imposes a serious 

 labor on the Secretary and his assistants. Beside the correspondence above men- 

 tioned, there is that which relates to the reception and publication of the me- 

 moirs ', to the lectures ; to particular branches of research ; to the almost innu- 

 merable inquiries as to the character of the Institution ; to applications for its 

 publications ; to the printing, engraving, binding, transportation, payment of ac- 

 counts ; and to the exchanges of the " Contributions to Knowledge/ 7 



" All the letters received are bound in volumes, and a copy of every answer is 

 carefully preserved, the whole thus forming a permanent record of all the trans- 

 actions of the Institution, as well as a history of the topics of scientific interest 

 which have particularly occupied the public mind during any given period. The 

 exposition of this labor, which has been increasing from year to year, will be a 

 sufficient answer to the question which is sometimes asked, as to what the ofiicers 

 of the Institution find to do/' 



With reference to this part of the operations of the Institution, the Secretary 

 has presented the following views in his reports : 



" Public lectures have become one of the characteristics of the day, and next to 

 the press perhaps tend, more than any other means of diffusing knowledge, to 

 influence the public mind. The liberal price paid by the Lowell Institute, and 

 some of the associations in our large cities, induces men of reputation to devote 

 themselves to the preparation of popular lectures. In some parts of the country 

 a number of adjacent cities or villages enter into an arrangement by which the 

 same lecture may be repeated, in succession, at each place ; and in this way the 

 amount paid becomes sufficient to call forth the best talent. Popular lectures ap- 

 pear better adapted to present literary and historical facts, and to give informa- 

 tion relative to subjects of art and of morals, than to impart a knowledge of scien- 

 tific principles. These require more attention and continuous thought than can 

 be generally expected from a promiscuous audience. Hence the scientific lecturer 

 frequently aims at a brilliant display of experiments, rather than to impress the 

 mind with general principles. 



" Local lectures are too limited in their influence to meet a proper interpretation 

 of the will of Smithson ; yet they were ordered by Congress-, and are calculated 

 to do more good in this city than in any other part of the Union. 



