596 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



valuable works in all departments of knowledge;" one for the man of 

 science, the artist, the mechanic, the historian, the scholar, the seeker 

 of knowledge of whatever name; one open to men of all States and all 

 nations. But we are called upon to yield up everything to men of 

 science. The scientific men are down upon us, as if their craft were 

 in danger. They come in societies, and as individuals. Smithson, 

 though a chemist and member of the Royal Society, appears to have 

 been a man of general culture, and to have had sympathy for " knowl- 

 edge" without any restrictive epithets. By consulting solely the 

 wishes of one particular class of the devotees of knowledge, who 

 cherish only what is called science, we should limit his intentions, 



And give up to party what was meant for mankind. 



I have not sought letters of recommendation for the library plan, 

 nor have others for me. I doubt not I could have obtained thou- 

 sands. To show them on either side seems to me idle parade. We 

 doubt not that librarians in Athens and Paris are glad to get hand- 

 some books from America and are ready to praise them before our 

 traveling countrymen. 'Tis polite to do so. We doubt not that 

 scientific men like to have means of publishing their works, too heavy 

 for booksellers. We need not here doubt that it may sometimes be 

 useful to publish, gratuitously, books that people do not care enough 

 about to buy. But the question here is, Can the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion lawfully devote itself to such a purpose exclusively or principally 2 



The gentleman from Indiana puts prominently forward the fact 

 that the funds of the Institution have not been squandered. This 

 seems irrelevant, for it had not been so charged. But he thinks it a 

 high meed of praise that its capital has been augmented. If the 

 object of the Institution were the increase of its wealth this would 

 indeed be just cause for satisfaction. But, sir, this establishment was 

 created not to hoard money , not to speculate upon it, not to increase 

 its income, but to spend money ' ' for the increase and diffusion of 

 knowledge." We want knowledge more than gold. We have no 

 commission to accumulate for future benefit, but to spend for con- 

 tinual profit. We should remember, 



There is that scattereth and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more 

 than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. 



It is asked, If Smithson intended a library would he not have said 

 so? I reply by asking. If he had meant a learned society would he 

 not have said so? He knew all about learned societies and seems to 

 have become dissatisfied with them. I can not suppose that he meant 

 to indicate anything in particular and exclusively; but I suppose he 

 intended to give his money to whatever the United States, in the dis- 

 cretion of its Government, might deem best suited to promote his 

 general purpose. 



