196 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVI. No. 920 



ing, not with reference to the solving of 

 particular problems which engage almost ex- 

 clusively the attention of the existing staff, 

 but with reference to the advancement of sci- 

 ence, there can be no doubt that results of 

 untold value would be obtained. It is be- 

 lieved that the utilization of this material 

 in any bureau or department by a limited 

 number of students need not interfere with 

 the efficiency of the department in reaching 

 the immediate results demanded by the 

 government. Not only so, but it is believed 

 that a group of advanced students, which 

 in any department would not be very nu- 

 merous, but which in Washington as a 

 whole would aggregate a large number, 

 could be made the means of greatly im- 

 proving the work of the scientific staff of 

 the various bureaus. 



In making the statement that the bureaus 

 at Washington yield relatively little in the 

 way of broad scientific results, it is realized 

 that there have been and still are some ex- 

 ceptions. When the United States Geolog- 

 ical Survey was originated there were 

 drawn to Washington the most brilliant 

 group of geologists in the country. This 

 survey for a number of years was the center 

 of the world for the advancement of the 

 science of geology; but in recent years, 

 while the organization is vastly larger, 

 having appropriations of millions where it 

 had in the early days appropriations of 

 hundreds of thousands, it is almost exclu- 

 sively a department of practical geology. 

 It is not contributing in any large way to 

 the advancement of science. 



That contributions of the Naval Observa- 

 tory to science have not been large has been 

 known for many years. In 1898 a report 

 was made by a committee of astronomers 

 showing that the practical duties of the 

 Naval Observatory could be easily per- 

 formed by a very small establishment. 

 In this report it was pointed out that a 



national observatory is justified because 

 astronomical observations and research 

 might there be made which can not be 

 accomplished at private and university 

 observatories. The great new observatory 

 building at Washington is splendidly 

 equipped to carry on researches of the 

 highest character; yet at the present time 

 the advancement of the science of astron- 

 omy in this country is through Harvard, 

 Yerkes, Lick, Mt. Wilson and other univer- 

 sity and private observatories. The as- 

 tronomers all agree regarding the first step 

 necessary to remedy this situation, as does 

 also the president of the United States and 

 the committee on naval affairs. There 

 should be appointed a civilian astronomer 

 of the highest rank as director of the ob- 

 servatory. If this were done and the large 

 facilities were made available to advanced 

 students, this institution might take first 

 place among the observatories of the world. 

 At the present time the advancement of 

 science in its broader aspects is contributed 

 to by only a few of the scientific bureaus at 

 Washington, illustrated by the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey and the Bureau of Stand- 

 ards. On the other hand, in the universi- 

 ties of the country men are engaged in 

 teaching and each year necessarily consid- 

 ering their subjects in the large, and imme- 

 diate results are not demanded. These 

 universities and the few independent re- 

 research institutions, illustrated by the 

 Carnegie Institution of Washington and 

 the Eockefeller Institute of New York, are 

 the chief centers for the broader contribu- 

 tions to science and learning. 



THE RELATIONS OF TEACHING AND 

 INVESTIGATION 



It is my conviction, based upon many 

 years of observation and experience, both 

 in a university and in a department at 

 Washington, that upon the average a man 



