308 BULLETIN OF THE 



subjects, for suggestions on the organization of local societies, 

 etc. Applications are also made for information by persons 

 abroad, relative to particular subjects respecting this country. 

 When an immediate reply cannot be. given to a question, the 

 subject is referred by letter to some one of the Smithsonian co- 

 laborers to whose line of duty it pertains, and the answer is 

 transmitted to the inquirer, either under the name of the person 

 who gives the information, or under that of the Institution, ac- 

 cording to the circumstances of the case. . . . Many of 

 those communications are of such a character, that at first sight 

 it might seem best to treat them with silent neglect ; but the rule 

 has been adopted to state candidly and respectfully the objections 

 to such propositions, and to endeavor to convince their authors 

 that their ground is untenable. Though this course is in many 

 cases attended with no beneficial results, still it is the only one 

 which can be adopted with any hope of even partial good."* 



The information given to scientific inquirers has been of an 

 exceedingly varied and highly valuable character, not unfre- 

 quently involving a large amount of research from special ex- 

 perts ; who have been accustomed cheerfully to bestow a degree of 

 attention on difficult questions thus presented, which would have 

 been accorded perhaps less ungrudgingly to others than to the 

 universally honored Smithsonian Director. As t^ the pretensions 

 and importunities of the unscientific, — such is the judgment pro- 

 nounced after a quarter of a century of laborious experience with 

 them : 



" The most troublesome correspondents are persons of exten- 

 sive reading, and in some cases of considerable literary acquire- 

 ments, who in earlier life were not imbued with scientific methods, 

 but who not without a certain degree of mental power, imagine 

 that they have made great discoveries in the way of high gene- 

 ralizations. Their claims not being allowed, they rank them- 

 selves among the martyrs of science, against whom the scientific 

 schools and the envy of the world have arrayed themselves. In- 

 deed to such intensity does this feeling arise in certain persons, 

 that on their special subjects they are really monomaniacs, 

 although on others they may be not only entirely sane, but even, 

 evince abilities of a high order. . . . Two persons of this class 

 have recently made a special journey to Washington, from dis- 

 tant parts of the country, to demand justice from the Institution 

 in the way of recognition of their claims to discoveries in science 

 of great importance to humanity ; and each of them has made 

 an appeal to his Representative in Congress to aid him in com- 

 pelling the Institution to acknowledge the merits of his specula- 

 tions. Providence vindicates in such cases the equality of its 

 justice in giving to such persons an undue share of self-esteem. 



* Smithsonian Report for 1853, pp. 22, 23, (of Seuate e<l.) 



82 



