vaucement of tliat science ? In my judgment manifestly not. We 

 would thereby make one favored class of men the rivals of all the 

 ornithologists who in their private way, following the bent of their 

 genius, may be working out the results of science in that field. I 

 have no doubt that an appropriation out of our Treasury for that 

 purpose, would be a positive injury to the advancement of science, 

 Just as an appropriation to establish a church would work injury to 

 religion. 



Generally the desire of our scientific men is to be let alone to work 

 in free competition with all the scientific men of the world ; to de- 

 velop their own results, and get the credit of them each for himself ; 

 not to have the Government enter the lists as the rival of private 

 enterprise. 



As a general principle, therefore, the United States ought not to 

 interfere in matters of science, but should leave its development to 

 the free, voluntary action of our great third estate, the people them- 

 selves. 



In this non-interference theory of the Government I do not go to 

 the extent of saying that we should do nothing for education — for 

 primary education. That comes under another consideration — the 

 necessity of the nation to protect itself, and the considera^tion that it 

 is cheaper and wiser to give education than to build jails. But I am 

 speaking now of the higher sciences. • 



To the general principle I have stated, there are a few obvious ex- 

 •ceptions which should be clearly understood when we legislate on 

 the subject. In the first place the Government should aid all sorts 

 of scientific inquiry that are necessary to the intelligent exercise of 

 its own functions. 



For example, as we are authorized by the Constitution and compelled 

 "by necessity to build and maintain light-houses on our coast and es 

 tablish fog-signals, we are bound to make all necessary scientific in- 

 quiries in reference tolightanditslaws,soundand its laws — todo what- 

 ever in the way of science is necessary to achieve the best results in 

 lighting our coasts and warning our mariners of danger. So, when we 

 are building iron-clads for our Navy or casting guns for our Army, 

 ^we ought to know all that is scientifically possible to be known about 

 the strength of materials and the laws of mechanics which apply to 

 «uch structures. In short, wherever in exercising any of the neces- 

 sary functions of the Government scientific inquiry is needed, let us 

 make it, to the fullest extent, and at the public expense. 



There is another exception to the general rule of leaving sci^ce to 

 the voluntary action of the people. Wherever any great popular in- 

 terest, affecting whole classes, possibly all classes of the community, 

 imperatively need scientific investigation, and private enterprise 

 cannot accomplish it, we may wisely intervene and help where the 

 Constitution gives us authority. For example, in discovering the 

 origin of yellow fever and the methods of preventing its ravages the 

 nation should do, for the good of all what neither the States nor indi- 

 viduals can accomplish. I might perhaps include in a third exception 

 those inquiries which, in consequence of their great magnitude and 

 cost, cannot be successfully made by private individuals. Outside 

 these three classes of inquiries, the Government ought to keep its 

 hands ofif, and leave scientific experiment and inquiry to the free 

 competition of those bright, intelligent men whose genius leads them 

 into the fields of research. 



And I suspect, when we read the report of our commissioner to the 

 iate Paris exposition which shows such astonishing results, so cred- 



