290 BULLETIN OF THE 



Henry with a rare courage dared maintain against most power- 

 ful influence, that the interests specifically designated must all 

 be subordinated to the fundamental requirement, the promotion 

 of original research for increasing knowledge ; and that this was 

 amply sustained by the residuary grant of authority to the Re- 

 gents (under the 9th section of the Act) "to make such disposal 

 as they shall deem best suited /or the promotion of the purposes- 

 of the testator, anything herein contained to the contrary not- 

 withstanding," of any income of the Smithsonian fund " not 

 herein appropriated, or not required for the purposes herein 

 provided." Henry's carefully studied programme comprised two- 

 sections : the first, embracing the details of the plan for carrying 

 out the explicit purpose of Smithson ; the second, indicating the 

 proper steps for carrying out the provisions of the Act of Con- 

 gress. The first and principal section proposed as methods of 

 promoting research, — the stimulation of particular investigations 

 by special premiums, — the publication of such original memoirs 

 furnishing positive additions to knowledge by exi)eriment and 

 observation as should be approved by a commission of experts 

 in each case, — the active direction of certain investigations by 

 the provision of instruments as well as of the necessary means, 

 the appropriations being judiciously varied in distribution from 

 year to year, — the prosecution of experimental determinations 

 and the solution of physical pi'oblems, — the extension of ethnology 

 (especially American) and in general the conduct of such varied 

 explorations as should ultimately result in a complete physical 

 atlas of the United States. As methods of promoting the diffu- 

 sion of knowledge, it was proposed to give a wide circulation to 

 the published original memoirs or Smithsonian " Contributions 

 to Knowledge" among domestic and foreign libraries, institutions, 

 and scientific correspondents, to have prepared by qualified col- 

 laborators, series of careful reports on the latest progress of 

 science in different departinents, and to provide facilities for the 

 distribution and exchange of scientific memoirs generally. 



It is unnecessary here to follow closely the slow steps by which 

 • — through all the obstructions of narrow prejudice and ignorant 

 misconstruction, of selfish interest and pretended philanthropy, 

 of friendly remonstrance and hostile denunciation, — the policy 

 originally maiked out by the Secretary was with unwavering 

 resolution and imperturbable equanimity steadily pursued, until 

 it gained its assured success; the vindication and the unpreten- 

 tious triumph of "the just man tenacious of purpose." 



The most formidable of the specialist schemes both in Congress 



tautology of legal equivalents, applicable to the development of the indi- 

 vidual mind; since scliool-boys (if not the pundits) were evidently 

 capable of an " increase " of knowledge. 



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