March 28, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



301 



in the publications of others; by making large 

 collections of specimens and other scientific 

 apparatus, and not by the accumulation of 

 large libraries. Humboldt never owned a book, 

 not even a copy of his own works, as I know 

 from his own lips. " He was too poor," he once 

 said to me, " to secure a copy of them " ; and 

 all the works he receives constantly from his 

 scientific friends are distributed by him to 

 needy students. 



Again, there is hardly a scientific man 

 ■ living on the continent of Europe, who is not 

 indebted to him for some recommendations in 

 the proper quarter for assistance in the pub- 

 lication of their works. I mention more par- 

 ticularly these details about Humboldt, be- 

 cause he is happily still among the living, 

 and his testimony may be asked in a matter 

 of such deep importance to the real progress 

 of science. But the same is equally true of 

 the part Cuvier took in his day in promoting 

 science. All his efforts were constantly turned 

 towards increasing the collection of the Jardin 

 des Plantes, and supporting the publication 

 of original researches, giving himself the ex- 

 ample of the most untiring activity in pub- 

 lishing his own. 



In this connection, I ought not to omit 

 mentioning a circumstance to which the 

 L'nited States owes the legacy of Smithson, 

 which I happen accidentally to know, and 

 which is much to the ixjint, in reference to 

 the controversy concerning the management 

 of the Smithsonian Institution. 



Smithson had already made his will, and 

 left his fortune to the Royal Society of 

 London, when certain scientific papers were 

 offered to that learned body for publication. 

 Notwithstanding his efforts to have them pub- 

 lished in their transactions, they were refused; 

 upon which he changed his will and made his 

 bequest to the United States. It would be 

 easy to collect in London more minute infor- 

 mation upon this occurrence and, should it ap- 

 pear desirable, I think I could put the com- 

 mittee in the way of learning all the circum- 

 stances. Nothing seems to me to indicate 

 more plainly what were the testator's views 

 respecting the best means of promoting sci- 

 ence than this fact. 



I will not deny the great importance of 

 libraries, and no one has felt more keenly the 

 want of an extensive scientific library than I 

 since I have been in the United States; but, 

 after all, libraries are only tools of a second- 

 ary value to those who are really endowed by 

 nature with the power of making original 

 researches, and thus increasing knowledge 

 among men. And though the absence or 

 deficiency of libraries is nowhere so deeply 

 felt as in America, the application of the 

 fimds of the Smithsonian Institution to the 

 formation of a library, heyond the require- 

 ments of the daily progress of science, would 

 only be, in my humble opinion a perversion 

 of the real object of the trust, inasmuch as it 

 would tend to secure facilities only to the 

 comparatively small number of American stu- 

 dents who may have the time and means to 

 visit Washington when they wish to consult 

 a library. Such an application of the funds 

 would in fact lessen the ability of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution to accomplish its great ob- 

 ject (which is declared by its founder to be 

 the increase and diffusion of knowledge among 

 men) to the fuU extent to which they may be 

 spent towards increasing unduly the library. 



Moreover, American students have a just 

 claim upon their own country for such local 

 facilities as the accumvdation of books affords. 



If I am allowed, in conclusion, to state my 

 personal impression respecting the manage- 

 ment of the institution thus far, I would only 

 express my cjoncurrence with the plan of 

 active operations adopted by the regents, 

 which has led to the publication of a series 

 of volumes, equal in scientific value to any 

 production of the same kind issued by learned 

 societies anywhere. 



The distribution of the Smithsonian Con- 

 tributions to Knowledge has already carried 

 tlie name of the Institution to all parts of 

 the civilized world, and conveyed with them 

 such evidence of the intellectual activity of 

 America as challenges everywhere admiration: 

 a result which could hardly be obtained by ap- 

 plying the resources of the institution to other 

 purposes. 



