354 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LI. No. 1319 



the gaps in our front line of attack on tlie most 

 vital problems of scientific investigation; sec- 

 ond, assistance to tlie representatives of indus- 

 tries, museums, government departments and 

 other agencies, in the definition of their re- 

 search problems; and, third, assistance in 

 bringing these agencies into touch with the 

 scientists who are in a position to aid in the 

 solution of their problems. 



As Mr. Elihu Root has pointed out, men of 

 science have given to American business and 

 industry the principles underlying a marvel- 

 lously economical and effective organization; 

 but they have hitherto failed to apply these 

 same principles of organization to their own 

 research activities. While conceding that the 

 production of research output is in essential 

 respects a radically different undertaking from 

 the production of railway equipment or the 

 manufacture of automobiles, we may still in- 

 sist that in other respects the fundamental 

 principles of organization and of cooperative 

 effort may vsdsely be directed toward scientific 

 productivity. Such an effort toward multipli- 

 cation of valuable output is the aim of the Di- 

 vision of Anthropology and Psychology of the 

 iN'ational Research Council. 



The Division was organized on October 20, 

 1919, with the following personnel : 



Elected by the American Anthropological 

 Association: Franz Boas,^ Columbia Univer- 

 sity; Roland B. Dixon, Harvard University; 

 J. Walter Fewkes, Smithsonian Institution ; A. 

 L. Kroeber, University of California; Berthold 

 Laufer, Field Museum of Natural History, 

 Chicago; Clark Wissler, American Museum of 

 Natural History, New York City. 



Elected by the American Psychological As- 

 sociation : James R. Angell, University of Chi- 

 cago (chairman. National Research Council) ; 

 Raymond Dodge, Wesleyan University ; Walter 

 D. Scott, Northwestern University and The 

 Scott Company, Philadelphia; C. E. Seashore, 

 State University of Iowa; E. L. Thorndike, 

 Columbia University; G. M. Whipple, Univer- 

 sity of Michigan. 



2 Dr. Boas resigned his membership in the Na- 

 tional Research Council December 30, 1919. 



Anthropologists, members at large: A. Hrd- 

 licka. United States National Museum; A. M. 

 Tozzer, Harvard University; P. E. Goddard, 

 American Museum of Natural History. 



Psychologists, members at large : S. I. Franz, 

 Government Hospital for the Insane; L. M. 

 Terman, Leland Stanford, Jr. University; M. 

 F. Washburn, Vassar College. 



Chairman of the Division : W. V. Bingham, 

 Carnegie Institute of Technology; Vice-chair- 

 man, Clark Wissler, American Museum of Nat- 

 ural History. 



Executive Committee: W. V. Bingham, 

 chairman, Clark Wissler, Franz Boas,^ J. W. 

 Fewkes, W. D. Scott and C. E. Seashore. 



A brief sketch of some of the activities of 

 the Division since its chairman assumed his 

 duties in Washington, November 17, will help 

 in understanding the aims, possibilities and 

 limitations of the Division. 



The chairman found himself plunged at once 

 into a swirling eddy of scientific enterprises 

 under discussion by the other scientific and 

 technical divisions of the coimcil. These di- 

 visions, with the advantage of several months 

 start over us, had already surveyed their fields, 

 created committees, gone after funds, and 

 settled down to hard work. 



On the formulation of some of their pro- 

 jects they sought and welcomed our help. The 

 Division of Biology and Agriculture, for ex- 

 ample, had a committee for the formulation of 

 an enormous project for research in South 

 America. Any such project for scientific ex- 

 peditions and the establishment of research 

 stations might advantageously include in its 

 program plans for archeological, ethnological, 

 and linguistic investigations. Another similar 

 project for oceanographic research among the 

 northern islands of the Pacific was being for- 

 mulated by the Division of Geology and Geog- 

 raphy. 



The Division of Biology and Agriculture 

 asked for suggestions of psychological person- 

 nel to be included on its Committee on Eu- 

 genics. From another source came an inquiry 

 for a consultant competent in the psychology 

 of sex. 



The Engineering Foundation had for several 



