494 The Smithsonian Institution 



"This is, no doubt, to a certain extent, true, and I shall be 

 glad to see the operations of the institution made as plain 

 and practical as the nature of the subjects will admit; but it 

 should not be forgotten that the grand object of the institu- 

 tion is to add to the sum total of the knowledge now existing 

 in the world, and to diffuse it among men, rather than to 

 scatter that more widely which is already accessible in a 

 greater or less degree to all." 



While the distinguished naturalist, Professor Louis Agas- 

 siz wrote : 



" If I am allowed to state, in conclusion, my personal im- 

 pression respecting the management of the Institution thus 

 far, I would only express my concurrence with the plan of 

 active operations adopted by the Regents, which has led to 

 the publication of a series of volumes equal, in scientific value, 

 to any productions of the same kind issued by learned socie- 

 ties anywhere. The distribution of the ' Smithsonian Con- 

 tributions to Knowledge' has already carried the name of 

 the Institution to all parts of the civilized world, and con- 

 veyed with them such evidence of the intellectual activity of 

 America as challenges everywhere admiration ; a result which 

 could hardly be obtained by applying a large part of the 

 resources of the Institution to other purposes." 



Of the contents of the " Smithsonian Contributions to 

 Knowledge," it would be impossible to speak here, but it is 

 not too much to say that from the valuable contribution to 

 North American archaeology by Squier and Davis, to the con- 

 tribution on Oceanic Ichthyology, by Goode and Bean, every 

 paper in each volume of this series has carried out the purpose 

 of the organizers of the Institution, to publish only such con- 

 tributions as would add to the sum of human knowledge. 

 Many of these publications are printed in so expensive a man- 

 ner, with plates and illustrations, that it is safe to say that 

 their appearance would have been greatly delayed, if not 

 altogether prevented, had not the Smithsonian bequest been 



