The Smithsonian Publications 49 J 



ratio of its intrinsic value ; and consequently authors of the 

 highest rank of merit are frequently deterred from giving 

 their productions to the world on account of the pecuniary 

 loss to which the publication would subject them. 



" Besides the advantage to the author of having his mem- 

 oir published in the ' Smithsonian Contributions ' free of ex- 

 pense, his labors will be given to the world with the stamp 

 of approval of a commission of learned men ; and his merits 

 will be generally made known through the Reports of the 

 Institution. 



"There is one proposition of the program which has 

 given rise to much discussion, and which, therefore, requires 

 particular explanation : I allude to that which excludes from 

 the contributions all papers consisting merely of unverified 

 speculations on subjects of physical science. The object of 

 this proposition is to obviate the endless difficulties which 

 would occur in rejecting papers of an unphilosophical char- 

 acter ; and though it may in some cases exclude an interest- 

 ing communication, yet the strict observance of it will be 

 found of so much practical importance that it cannot be dis- 

 pensed with." 1 



Some objection was made to the publishing of original 

 memoirs by the Institution on the ground that in so doing 

 it was merely performing the duties of a learned society, to 

 which Professor Henry replied "that the learned societies 

 in this country have not the means, except in a very limited 

 degree, of publishing memoirs which require expensive illus- 

 trations, much less of assisting to defray the cost of the in- 

 vestigations by which the results have been obtained. The 

 real workingmen in the line of original research hail this part 

 of the plan as a new era in the history of American science. 

 The assistance which the Institution will thus render to origi- 

 nal research will occupy the place of the governmental patron- 

 age of other countries, and will enable true genius, wherever 



1 " Smithsonian Report," 1847, page 179. 



