274 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIX, No. 1264 



A sudden fluctuation in tlie weight of the hog 

 might upset all his calculations and the final 

 answer be obtained only in time to hand in his 

 thesis at the twelfth hour. After graduation 

 there remains, of course, the investigation of 

 the size, shape, consistency, etc., of the bread 

 used in ham sandwich-making, whether rolls 

 are permissible or not, the origin and history 

 of the use of mustard, until at last, after years 

 of labor, the most complete, the most exhaus- 

 tive and the most learned monograph on the 

 ham sandwich is given to the world, and the 

 auithor is hailed as one of its leading scientists. 

 He may then devote himself to the monograph- 

 ing of other sandwiches, finally becoming the 

 world's authority on this group, having speci- 

 mens sent for identification from, every rail- 

 road station in every sandwich island and con- 

 tinent of the civilized world. 



Absurd as the foregoing may seem, you all 

 know that actual examples of so-called research 

 work might be cited which would be not a whit 

 more sensible. A serious examination of the 

 countless papers published in any one of the 

 sciences will reveal an appalling number of 

 trivial, inconclusive, unscientific effusions, at 

 the most mere petty records of hypotheses and 

 haphazard observations, which far from being 

 contributions to knowledge, are but a means of 

 disclosing the ignorance of their authors of the 

 first principles of science. 



That such work should be bolstered up by the 

 claim that possibly it might be turned to some 

 practical application, is calculated to bring all 

 research, good or bad, into disrepute. I do 

 not believe that any member of a board of 

 trustees or a prospective philanthropist is 

 fooled by the attempt to justify herbaria or 

 libraries or laboratories solely on the grounds 

 of definite, practical usefulness to mankind in 

 general. If botanical research is not of 

 enough importance to sustain itself regardless 

 of any incidental benefit that may arise 

 through it, the greater portion of it would 

 better be dispensed with in order that the time 

 and effort and money now wasted be turned to 

 something capable of standing on its merits. 

 , It is to be hoped that either through the per- 

 petuation of the Eesearch Council, or better. 



through some committee representing all bo- 

 tanical interests, there may be an organized 

 attempt to raise the general standard of re- 

 search work in botany at least. But why stop 

 here? Is it not time that botanists recognize 

 in a tangible way their obligation to the public 

 at large, and that we see to it that our pro- 

 fession takes a worthy part in the world work 

 of the future? Perhaps it has in the past. 

 If so, it behooves us more than ever to stand 

 firmly for our rights and the recognition due 

 us. In spite of the shudder that may pass 

 over some of you present I venture to suggest 

 that a committee of the Botanical Society of 

 America on publicity might not be out of place. 

 ■Other sciences which apparently need it less, 

 have not hesitated to adopt such modern meth- 

 ods. There might also be added a committee 

 on botanical raw materials, with sub-commit- 

 tees on ecotiomic or applied phases of certain 

 special topics, or, if it seemed best, a general 

 development committee which would deal with 

 botanical ideals and ideas in a way calculated 

 to crystallize the more essential activities of 

 the science and make more tangible the bene- 

 fits and achievements resulting from a funda- 

 mental knowledge of plants. Surely the need 

 for something of this kind is quite as great 

 as the object of committees already in exist- 

 ence. Perhaps too much attention can not be 

 paid to the details of the multitudinous rami- 

 fications which sprang from the parent trunk, 

 but we cannot afford, either for our individual 

 or professional good, to neglect the subject as 

 a whole. !N"o time could be more propitious for 

 accenting the place which botany holds. It 

 may have been a " chemical war " w'hioh the 

 world has suffered. I for one am perfectly 

 willing to let it go at that. But should we not 

 do something definite towards making it a 

 botanical peace upon which we are about to 

 enter? George T. Moore 



Missouri Botanical Gaeden 



SAMUEL WENDELL WILLISTON^ 



Samuel Wendell Williston, our distin- 

 guished senior colleague in vertebrate paleon- 



1 Based on the author's article in The Journal 

 of Geology, November-December, 1918. 



