July 18, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



57 



decision distinguishing philosophical instru- 

 ments from working tools, that many instru- 

 ments now classed as " philosophical " would 

 be found to have progressed into the class of 

 instruments for practical use. 



It is reasonable to consider not only the 

 intention of the law originally passed and 

 its subsequent interpretation by the courts, 

 but to ask ourselves the question, what policy 

 at the present time is just and what would 

 most tend to the development of scientific re- 

 search? Let us grant, if you wish, that edu- 

 cational institutions whether private, semi- 

 private, as those partially supported by private 

 contributions, and partially by taxation, or en- 

 tirely public as our great state universities, 

 are entitled to subsidy from the federal gov- 

 ernment. Is such subsidy best granted by ex- 

 empting them from paying duty on certain 

 classes of goods and not on others ? 



Let us consider for example a great uni- 

 versity in process of building. For its halls 

 it will require a large amount of window 

 glass; for its chemical laboratories it will re- 

 quire glass beakers, flasks, etc. Both are es- 

 sential, both are made in America and both 

 are protected by duty, but the university en- 

 Joys especial exemption from paying duty on 

 one and not the other. 



We deem it not just to thus discriminate 

 against the manufacture of the glass that 

 happens to be used for scientific purposes. 



N'ot justice alone, but also expediency must 

 be considered in determining a national policy, 

 for manifestly the apparent rights of one in- 

 dividual or firm should not be allowed to pre- 

 vail in opposition to the general good. We, 

 therefore, consider lastly the question. Is it 

 expedient in case of tariff resumption to ex- 

 empt schools and colleges? 



Education in this country is no longer an 

 " infant industry." There were listed in 

 Patterson's Educational Directory for 1916 

 approximately 700 colleges and imiversities, 

 embracing 144 technical schools, 31 schools of 

 mines, 137 schools of agriculture, 20 schools 

 of forestry, 128 schools of medicine, 60 schools 

 of dentistry, 31 schools of metallurgy, 91 

 sciiools of pharmacy and 27 schools of veter- 

 inary medicine. These do not include normal 



schools and " teachers' colleges " of which 

 there are about 450, to say nothing of the 

 enormous number of public and private sec- 

 ondary schools, schools of domestic science and 

 others requiring varying amounts of " scien- 

 tific and philosophical" apparatus. Who can 

 estimate the extent of the requirements of 

 these institutions for apparatus and materials 

 more or less properly classified as " scientific " ? 

 They are certainly of sufSeient magnitude to 

 be worthy of the best brains and best energy 

 America can produce. By the policy of duty- 

 free importation such brains and such energy 

 will be diverted to channels yielding greater 

 immediate financial returns. 



Furthermore, research and investigation, 

 while interesting, to be of benefit to humanity 

 must be developed to practical ends. The ap- 

 plication of scientific research to all the arts 

 and industries was never so prevalent or neces- 

 sary as at the present time. Scientific appa- 

 ratus is now as necessary to the development 

 of many of our important industries as to the 

 training of men to do the work. These indus- 

 tries constitute a further demand for scientific 

 and technical instruments that is sufficient to 

 aid greatly in supporting American manufac- 

 turers of such goods, and we believe that in the 

 long run the cause of education can best be 

 served by permitting educational institutions 

 to aid in the developing of these industries 

 under a policy of protection commensurate 

 with that accorded the production of other 

 necessities for the comfort, prosperity and 

 progress of the great mass of American people. 



It is true that at the present time certain 

 instruments, notable among which are spec- 

 trometers, polarimeters, refractometers, etc., 

 necessary or desirable for the advancement of 

 science, are not manufactured in this country, 

 and it is also true that under present indus- 

 trial conditions their manufacture can not be 

 begun in competition with European instru- 

 ments imported duty free; but we believe, 

 furthermore, that it is true that their manufac- 

 ture once begun American competition would 

 develop American efficiency, and that in a short 

 time our institutions would be better served 

 by Americans than they have been in the past 

 by Europeans. 



