NOVEMCEE 10, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



531 



who has laid aside research pi-obkms, one after 

 an»ther, bint also to promote the advaneement 

 of our scienee. 



Effective November 16, W. C. Mendenhall, 

 for more than ten years the geologist in charge 

 of the Lang Classification Board, will be chief 

 geologist. Mr. Mendenhaill's t-wenty-eight 

 years service in the Survey as assistant geolo- 

 gist and geologist, with field experience ex- 

 tending from ithe Southern Appalachians to 

 Alaska, is a piomise of his broad sympathy 

 with aU the problems ithat will eoms under his 

 direotion, and his notable success in using the 

 data contributed by the field branches in the 

 classiflcation of the public-lands is equally a 

 promise of effeotive administration. 



Mr. Mendenhall will be succeeded as chief 

 of the Land Classification Board by Herman 

 Stabler, his close associate in that branch 

 during the past decade. Mr. StaMer's demon- 

 strated capacity both in research and in admin- 

 istraltiion assures the continuance of the suc- 

 cessful application of geologic and engineering 

 facts and principles to public land adminis- 

 tration. 



The return of Mr. White to productive re- 

 search suggests anew the sacrifice involved in 

 the administraltion of scientific work. Admin- 

 istration by scientists is the key-note of the 

 Survey's policy, yet the initelleetual cost item 

 involved in this drafting of our ibesit investiga- 

 tors must be kept down to a minimum. Had 

 I been free from other demands on my time 

 this past summer, I should have taken this 

 occasion to start a some\Tlhat radical reorgan- 

 ization of the Geologic Branch, the chief pur- 

 pose of which would be :to reduce its adminis- 

 traitive overhead — ^too many geologists are giv- 

 ing valuable time to work for which they were 

 not trained. Neeessariily now, this task of sim- 

 plifying the organization must be left to the 

 new chief geologist and the acting director, but 

 I ask for them a sympathetic acceptance of the 

 proposal for a less elaboralte but more elastic 

 grouping of the activities of the branch. Not 

 machinery but product is the measure of effi- 

 ciency in a government scientific bureau. 

 Geo. Otis Smith, 



Director 



THE NEW BUILDING OF THE NATIONAL, 



ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND THE 



NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 



On the afternoon of Monday, Oobolber 30,, 

 the cornerstone was laid of the new building of 

 the National Academy of Sciences and of the 

 National Research Council at Washington, D. C. 

 This building, eonsltruobion of which has now 

 been carried above 'the main floor, occupies a. 

 desirable location upon an entire block of land, 

 north of the Lincoln Memorial at the western, 

 end of the Mall, commanding an excellenit and 

 pennanent view of the Memorial, the Riverside- 

 Park and the bank of the Potomac beyond.. 

 The land for this building was pui'chased. 

 through contributions from a group of twenty- 

 friends of science. 



The building is designed for two main pur- 

 poses: To house the offices oi. the two organ- 

 izations for which it is erected, and to provide- 

 space for the exhilbition of materials repre- 

 senting certain of the great achievements of' 

 science in the past and especially of recent 

 contributions of particular significance in the; 

 progress of science. The ibuilding presents a 

 f agade to the southward 260 feet in length, and . 

 will rise to a height of 60 feet above ihe first 

 floor. In this sectioin 'there will be three floors,. 

 for offices, library and special exhibits rooms.. 

 Behind this will be a rotunda for general ex- 

 hibition purposes which will be convertible at 

 need into a lecture room accommodating, with. 

 its galleries, over 400 people. The plans per-- 

 imit 'the addition of other units similar to the 

 southern fagade, to complete a quadrangle 

 around the rotunda. The building is being 

 faced with white Dover marble of fine quality 

 and color which makes it in keeping with the 

 ouher monumental buildings of 'the city. The- 

 cost of the unit ajt present under construction., 

 will be over $1,000,000. The funds for flie 

 erection of the Ibuiidiing were provided by the- 

 Carnegie Corporation of New York. 



The laying of the cornsretone was a ceremony 

 of 'the simplest kind without ;til5e presentation, 

 of any addresses. It was a.ttended by officers ■ 

 and members of the academy and of the Re- 

 search Council, among whom was the Honor- 

 able Herbert Hoover, secretary of commerce..- 



