DOCTOR WALCOTT, THE SMITHSONIAN SECRETARY AND 

 NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESIDENT 



BY C. G. ABBOT 



In Secretary Walcott we found a chief who was cheerful, patient, 

 serene, unostentatious, easy in manner, yet every inch an adminis- 

 trator. Walcott left every responsible subordinate to carry on his 

 problem in his own way, watching unobtrusively till the worker 

 wished to report, needed help, or had gone wrong. Thus the Secre- 

 tary tested his men and developed their responsibility. He acted 

 decisively when there was occasion, praised and loyally supported all 

 who did well. He never wasted his own or anybody's time with 

 prolonged or needless conferences, and was amenable to good sug- 

 gestions. In short, he was the ideal administrator from the point of 

 view of his subordinates. 



From long and varied experience he drew wisdom for every emer- 

 gency, and said many words to mean little, or few words to mean 

 much, as the occasion demanded. He knew men and how to deal 

 with them. T attended him once at a Congressional sub-committee, 

 when, as we were leaving, a prominent representative said to me that 

 he thought government should not support science except for fully 

 developed utility. As I was arguing the contrary, my chief casually 

 interrupted with what seemed a complete change of subject. The 

 Congressman was interested and Walcott led him on, until, in a 

 moment, my antagonist was facing the proposition that a research 

 which had been begun with no thought of utility five years before, 

 now saved the government millions. As we drove away, I ventured 

 to express my admiration of his adroitness. Doctor Walcott replied, 

 " These lawyers can beat you in argument, but they can't beat 

 plain facts." 



He schooled us that the way to get action is fully to prepare the 

 case. The estimates must be complete, the reasons succinctly plain, 

 the authorizing letter ready for signature. Confidence that schemes 

 so thoroughly prepared will be strongly executed, nine times out of 

 ten causes your man to sign on the dotted line. 



Doctor Walcott was highly influential, but not by oratory. His 

 way was to invite a man to dinner, and have a cozy talk before the 

 fire, or to look in, bright and cheery, upon some busy Senator at 



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